Jaguars must back Doug Pederson for the sake of Trevor Lawrence
Doug Pederson won the Super Bowl just four years ago, but can he change the fortunes of the NFL’s worst team?
2021 was another dismal season in what has been a pretty rough decade in footballing terms for Jacksonville.
Aside from an anomaly in 2017 when they made it to the AFC Championship Game, the Jaguars have had losing seasons in ten of their last 11 years.
Last year’s embarrassment with former head coach Urban Meyer’s personal life, alongside dreadful on-the-field play, capped off another nightmare year where the Jaguars mustered only two victories. They finished with the worst record in the NFL for the second season in a row.
NEW YEAR, NEW BEGINNINGS?
In 2022, Jags fans will be looking forward with anticipation to see how newly appointed Doug Pederson gets on at the realm. But there is no getting away from the fact the former Eagles head coach has taken on a role at a turbulent franchise.
There is one obvious upside to their current situation. The Jaguars have one of the best NFL prospects ever on their roster in quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
After a torrid rookie year though under Meyer, Lawrence hasn’t lived up to expectations just yet. And Pederson’s number one priority will be to develop Lawrence into the player many people think he’ll become, not the one who had the worst passer rating amongst the five first-round quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The former Clemson star did show some fight in the week 17 win over playoff hopefuls Indianapolis Colts, but all in all, no other rookie QB had to deal with the amount of turmoil during the season than Lawrence.
A poor offensive line and a depleted receiving core, on top of a toxic situation with their head coach, ultimately hampered his progress.
Pederson’s appointment certainly came with many doubters. But he’s a great leader, a Super Bowl champion and has got the best out of QBs he’s worked with, notably Carson Wentz and Nick Foles. He’ll be out with a point to prove, but he can’t be worse than Jacksonville’s last appointment.
When you consider the talent he has in Trevor Lawrence, a prospect whose skills dwarf those of Wentz and Foles, the Jags and Pederson should be well primed for success.
If the two can establish a good chemistry together, Lawrence and Pederson can help the Jaguars make good progress in 2022.
BIG OFFSEASON AHEAD
The Jags still have a lot to sort out within their organisation. Pederson will have to work hard to form a solid relationship with general manager Trent Baalke and owner Shadid Khan, both who came under fire in 2021.
Roster-wise, the upcoming NFL draft will be crucial for Jacksonville and we’ve recently selected Alabama’s OT Evan Neal to go to Jacksonville first overall. That view is widely becoming the popular option in other mocks from across the league.
Neal is real behemoth of a man at 6’7” and 350 pounds and he didn’t allow many rushers past him during college. Neal can be a good force in the NFL and would slot straight in at left tackle.
He’d come in alongside 2021 draft selection Walker Little at RT and all of a sudden, the Jags have a solid, young offensive line duo to build upon.
Don’t get me wrong, picking a defensive playmaker like Aidan Hutchinson with the first pick would be a great addition for Jacksonville and they’d get a real game changer on their pass rush.
But the Jaguars scored the lowest number of points and the second lowest touchdowns in 2021. While there’s no doubt they need help on the other side of the field too, getting Lawrence and his offense ticking has to take precedent with the primary picks.
This process isn’t going to be a quick fix and the Jaguars must use this offseason to protect and give options for Lawrence, Pederson and his staff to work with.
There’s no doubt in our mind that Pederson can do a solid job in Jacksonville, but with issues in their front office and beyond their roster, it will be difficult.
The Jaguars have to trust him completely in 2022.
