Jacksonville Jaguars right tackle Jawaan Taylor had a pretty productive season as a rookie, becoming the only rookie in the 2019 class to participate in every snap he was eligible for. However, if there is one thing he’d like to clear up, it was the penalties he accumulated as he ended the season with 16, good for second in the league.
“I definitely need to improve on that – for one, just focusing,” Taylor said to the media in a Zoom conference. “A lot were holding penalties or false starts. With the holding penalties, it’s making sure my hands are in the right place. That’s what I’ve bene working on a lot – hand placement, things like that. The false starts are all about focus; I definitely have to improve on that.”
“All of the things I need to improve on, I’ve been working on so far in the offseason. Even though the virus stuff is going on, I focus on certain things I need to get better at. I did go back and looked at certain things I did well. It was a big year for me, I thought, but I could also do a lot better so I’m looking forward to having a good year in this season coming up.”
With the Jags having to train in unconventional ways, the improvement Taylor makes will have to be from his home at the moment. However, when the season rolls around he understands he has to be ready to make a leap and improve upon his 2019 campaign. To do that, he plans on participating in a virtual training course by the team although he’d rather do it up close and personal with his teammates.
“I love the offseason – being around teammates and training together and getting better as a team,” Taylor said, “There are really no excuses. You’ve got to stay in shape in this game. Right now, we’re at the point where we’re all trying to find ways to get better.”
Like Gardner Minshew II and Josh Allen, who were also a part of the Jags 2019 rookie class, it will be interesting to see the strides Taylor makes in 2020. If he puts his issues with penalties behind him and plays as he did during the last stretch of 2019, he could be a part of the nucleus that ultimately turns the Jags’ fortunes around.