Trevor Lawrence, Jags hope receivers’ Caribbean trip works

JACKSONVILLE — Trevor Lawrence’s initial group-making excursion was comparatively cheap and fairly bold for a rookie quarterback who hadn’t even been named Jacksonville’s starter — inviting a handful of receivers to Clemson for workouts, nightlife and a boat vacation.

His encore wasn’t almost as basic.

An unquestioned starter, a workforce captain and commonly seen as the Jaguars’ franchise savior, Lawrence picked up the hotel tab for his obtaining corps in the Bahamas previously this thirty day period. Soccer topped the agenda, just ahead of foodstuff, beverages, sunlight, sand and casinos.

“It was wonderful,” Lawrence explained. “We experienced 10 or 12 guys out there. Naturally the industry do the job is terrific, and that’s critical. But I believe bonding, having to know just about every other, hanging out, making that camaraderie prior to you commence the period is actually significant.

“We’ve received a good deal of new faces and a whole lot of previous faces also from previous 12 months, but just gel everybody with each other.”

The Jaguars are counting on Lawrence taking a equivalent leap on the field this time. He struggled at occasions in 2021, ending with 12 landing passes and 17 interceptions although going 3-14 as a starter. He fumbled 9 moments, was plagued by drops (33) and hampered by sacks (32), steady force and a porous protection that experienced him enjoying from guiding early and generally.

But he seemingly turned a corner in the season finale, a few months just after Urban Meyer was fired to finish a tumultuous coaching tenure. Lawrence threw for 223 yards, with 2 touchdowns and no turnovers in a 26-11 victory that prevented AFC South rival Indianapolis from making the playoffs.

Now, with a veteran coach (Doug Pederson), a new offensive coordinator (Press Taylor), some upgraded receivers (Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Evan Engram) and a revamped playbook, Lawrence expects unique — and much better — outcomes.

“We’ve bought a great adequate team to gain as quite a few online games as we want to,” Lawrence reported.

Which is a superior bar for a franchise that’s dropped 29 of its previous 33 game titles and landed the No. 1 select in the final two NFL drafts. But Pederson and standard manager Trent Baalke used additional than $250 million in totally free agency in hopes of offering Lawrence a better chance.

“Really, the most significant factor is consistent improvement,” Taylor explained. “Every solitary day, we want him to get better. … For us, he’s getting the coaching to the discipline and he’s obtaining far better.”

Pederson said he desires Lawrence to “know where by all the bones are buried” — What’s the intent of the perform? What is the anticipated coverage? What is the reaction to each state of affairs the defense provides?

“The truth that he played the complete season [as a rookie], we can make off that and really expect a sky’s-the-limit mentality with him,” Pederson said. “He’s in the identical body of thoughts as effectively. He wants to take that future stage, not only in his progress but leading this football group.”

A massive action arrived in the Bahamas.

“It can do wonders,” Engram claimed. “We’re heading to see a ton of adversity. We’re going to see a great deal of times in which we’re going to have to appear jointly and phase up. Periods like that and moments like that, for us to get collectively and invest time and get to know every single other and know who we’re combating for each and every working day and on Sunday, it’s pretty significant.”