Meeting with the media on Thursday in the wake of Urban Meyer getting fired, Jacksonville Jaguars interim head coach Darrell Bevell fielded a question about the franchise’s rookie quarterback, former Clemson star Trevor Lawrence.
A reporter stated to Bevell that Lawrence “has clearly regressed” over the last handful of weeks, and asked Bevell how much of that might be tied to the Jaguars’ offensive line seemingly taking a step back as well.
Bevell then fired back at the reporter in defense of Lawrence.
“I’ve kind of heard that statement said, and I really don’t like it, that people are saying that he’s regressed,” Bevell said.
In his first NFL season after being selected by the Jaguars with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, Lawrence has completed 58.2 percent of his passes for 2,735 yards and nine touchdowns with 14 interceptions, while rushing for 243 yards and two more scores on 50 carries (4.9 yards per carry).
Lawrence is coming off a forgettable performance this past Sunday, when he threw four interceptions in the Jaguars’ shutout loss to the Tennessee Titans. Over the past six games, he has thrown only one touchdown pass and been intercepted five times after throwing eight touchdowns to nine interceptions over Jacksonville’s first seven games.
However, although the numbers might suggest that Lawrence has regressed, Bevell doesn’t see it that way.
“What I look at is he’s a rookie quarterback, and he’s learning to play the game in the NFL,” Bevell said. “I would say it takes you a full season, at least, to be able to get to a point where the next time you come around, it’s like, ‘OK, now I can take a breath, now I can think about this stuff and really learn from all the things that have happened through a season.’
“So, Trevor’s had some really good moments. He’s had some learning moments. Last week, that was a conversation… we left him in the game. It’s like hey, he’s got to work through this. All these experiences are very valuable to him, and none of it is hurting him, in my opinion. I just think there are things that he has to go through.”
“But to say that he’s regressed, I don’t believe that,” Bevell added.
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