AFC South Examination – Jacksonville Jaguars – Training Camp Edition

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The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to rebound following a disappointing 2023 season.

One season after winning the AFC South and a playoff game, the Jaguars had high hopes, and at first seemed to be meeting them. They began the season 8-3 and seemed in prime position to make another playoff run. Instead, they faceplanted down the stretch, finishing 9-8 and missing the playoffs entirely.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence took a step back, seeing decreases in passing yards, completion percentage and touchdowns, while throwing 6 more interceptions than he did in 2022. Many had predicted the Jaguars would repeat as AFC South champions and take that next step as a legitimate AFC threat. Instead, they spent January on the couch, as the Texans swooped in to steal the AFC South crown.

Heading into 2024, questions abound. Is Lawrence, who the team just signed to a five-year, $275 million contract extension with $142 million guaranteed, really the quarterback of the future? He’s shown signs, and hasn’t been a complete bust, but he also has yet to truly live up to his pre-draft hype. With Lawrence no longer on a cheap rookie deal, it is imperative that he proves he’s the guy, and soon.

During the offseason, the Jaguars saw some changes to their overall roster. Gone is receiver Calvin Ridley; in his place, former Buffalo Bill Gabe Davis. They also brought in defensive tackle Arik Armstead, cornerback Ronald Darby, returner Devin Duvernay and center Mitch Morse, among others. The team also traded for Mac Jones, the former first-round selection who flamed out as the quarterback in New England, to serve as Lawrence’s backup.

Coaching wise, there was some turnover. Former defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell is out, replaced by Ryan Nielsen. Nielsen spent last season as the defensive coordinator/defensive line coach for the Atlanta Falcons and helped improve the Falcons defense from 23 rd to 18 th in points allowed per game and from 27 th to 11 th in yards allowed per game. He also helped double the Falcons sack numbers, from 21 in 2022 to 42 in 2023.

During the Tuesday edition of The Ride With JMV, Mike Dirocco, who covers the Jaguars for ESPN, joined the show. Mike gave his thoughts on where Trevor Lawrence is at this point in his career.

“There was a 17-game stretch from Trevor Lawrence from the 2 nd half of the 2022 season to pretty much the entire first half of the 2023 season, where he had the 2 nd best passer rating, 2 nd best completion percentage, he had I want to say 27 touchdowns and only like 6 interceptions, completing 70% of his passes almost. He was playing like an elite guy, the numbers may not have been completely eye popping, but he was playing like an elite guy, and then obviously the injuries mount both to him and to other guys and it all falls apart…I think this is a huge year for Trevor Lawrence. He’s in that middle tier of quarterbacks right now, and they’re paying him like he’s an elite quarterback, so he needs to start playing like it on a consistent basis. He’s behind where I think everybody around here thought he would be, but it’s not like he’s playing like Bryce Young here. He’s still playing solid football, just got to stop turning it over.”

Listen to JMV’s full conversation with Mike Dirocco and more down below, and tune into The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan!

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