Lawrence is ‘the right guy for the job’

The Jacksonville Jaguars recently announced they have signed a slew of free agents, including players on offense like wide receivers Zay Jones and Christian Kirk, tight end Evan Engram and offensive guard Brandon Scherff.

It’s clear the Jaguars have made an intentional effort to build around Trevor Lawrence this offseason after taking the former Clemson quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

And new Jags coach Doug Pederson, who was hired Feb. 6, left no doubt about that when asked recently if a lot of the team’s 2022 offseason has been about giving Lawrence the best chance to be successful.

“Absolutely,” Pederson said, via Jaguars.com

Now that the Jags have surrounded Lawrence with more offensive pieces and weapons to work with, it’s up to him to further his development and make the most of what’s been put in place around him.

Pederson certainly has high expectations for Lawrence and is confident in him to get the job done as the Jags’ franchise QB.

“He’s the right guy for the job,” Pederson said.

What makes Pederson so confident in Lawrence?

Based on what he’s learned about Lawrence in the short time they’ve been around each other since Pederson took the head coaching job, he said it’s “the way he’s made internally, just his attitude.”

“He’s a confident person; he wants to win,” Pederson said. “I think that’s important. He wants to win and losing bothers him.”

“That’s the encouraging part, having a guy like that leading your organization, leading your team,” Pederson added.

As a rookie last season, Lawrence completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 3,641 yards and 12 touchdowns with 17 interceptions in 17 games. He finished the season on a high note with his performance against the Indianapolis Colts in the final week of the regular season on Jan. 9, when he went 23-of-32 passing for 223 yards and threw for two touchdowns while leading his team to a 26-11 victory that eliminated the Colts from playoff contention.