Jacksonville Jaguars fans finally got their first taste of first-overall pick Trevor Lawrence on Saturday night in the preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns, and though he had some positive moments, it wasn’t exactly a prolific performance for the rookie in a 23-13 loss.

Offensively, the team struggled as a whole. Jacksonville was shut out in the first half, and the backup defense struggled to contain the Browns, who scored 20 points after totaling just three in the opening quarter against the starting defense.

All in all, it wasn’t exactly the christening Jags fans hoped for in the first game under the new regime, but with that being said, there were certainly some positive takeaways. Here’s a rundown of some of the storylines from the preseason opener.

Quarterback Report

Meyer declined to name a starter in the leadup to the game, but in the end, he gave the nod to Lawrence. Overall, Lawrence’s performance was a mixed bag. He finished 6-of-9 passing for 71 yards, and the major highlight came on a 35-yard pass to free-agent acquisition Marvin Jones Jr.

It wasn’t all great for Lawrence, though. He also took two sacks, one of which resulted in a strip that, luckily for the Jags, he recovered. The play from the starting offensive line wasn’t anything to write home about, but Lawrence also could’ve been quicker in getting rid of the ball.

Gardner Minshew II took over in the second quarter, but he was less effective than Lawrence, finishing 4-of-8 with 47 yards and a pick. C.J. Beathard found the most success of anyone in the group, leading a scoring drive that culminated in a touchdown pass to recent addition Tavon Austin. Beathard finished the game 13-of-16 with 102 yards and a touchdown, staking a nice claim in the race for the backup quarterback job.

Jake Luton didn’t see any action until late in the fourth quarter, finishing with a respectable 53 yards and a touchdown on 8-of-13 passing. Still, as the apparent fourth guy on the group, his position on the roster is tenuous.

Defense struggles but young DBs impress

Jacksonville’s starters on defense only saw a couple of series, but it struggled to contain the Browns starting offense even without Baker Mayfield or Nick Chubb. Starting quarterback Case Keenum led the team on a nine-play, 56-yard field-goal drive to open the game, completing several downfield passing plays in the process.

The run defense mostly held up with Chubb’s absence, as Cleveland only managed 30 yards on 21 carries for the game.

The highlight for the Jags on defense was the play of the young players in the secondary. Cornerback C.J. Henderson was very involved in the passing game, breaking up one pass and making a play on several more. He also notched a tackle.

Rookie safety Andre Cisco, who many expect to compete for the starting free safety job as the preseason continues, was impressive in his first outing since knee surgery. He saw quite a bit of reps with the second-team defense, and he totaled four tackles and a pass breakup for the game. Meanwhile, second-round pick Tyson Campbell was on the coverage on an incomplete pass in the end zone on fourth down in the second quarter.

Other notes

A pair of late additions who had reportedly looked good in camp flashed it in the first game as well. Austin caught four catches for 52 yards and a touchdown, tying Jones as the leading receiver, while Laquon Treadwell had a pair of catches as well. Both are making strong cases to make the roster with their play.
The tight end group largely remains an enigma. Likely starter James O’Shaughnessy didn’t play, and in his place, Chris Manhertz made just one catch for five yards. The only other tight ends with receptions were Luke Farrell, who had two yards on one catch, and Tyler Davis, who remains a dark horse among the group. His one reception was a seven-yard touchdown from Luton to end the game. Ben Ellefson was targeted on a catchable ball downfield from Beathard, but he couldn’t come down with it. Tim Tebow also saw a target but didn’t have any receptions.
The role of rookie running back Travis Etienne is also still mostly unclear. He had one carry for two yards and didn’t make a catch despite being targeted. Projected No. 1 back James Robinson saw more opportunities, finishing with 13 yards on three carries, but Dare Ogunbowale was the most effective of the group, totaling 24 yards on eight carries.