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Go To: FlashUpdate / August Update Main Page
| Jacksonville Jaguars | ||||||||||
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Go To: Off-season Team Review
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| Most Recent News Updates: | ||||||||||
| JAX -- Pederson Makes It Clear: Lawrence Is A Big Deal (9/01/21:12 CT) | ||||||||||
| JAX -- National Observer: We Might Want To Lower Expectations For Kirk (8/31/13:01 CT) | ||||||||||
| JAX -- Lawrence, Ridley Flash Exciting Potential Early In Suspended Game (8/27/00:07 CT) | ||||||||||
| JAX -- Dolphins-Jaguars Canceled After Injury To Dolphins WR Davis (8/26/20:55 CT) | ||||||||||
| JAX -- Lawrence Confident As He Heads Toward Regular Season (8/25/00:57 CT) | ||||||||||
| JAX -- Kirk Believes Ridley's Arrival A Plus For All The Team's WRs (8/24/00:45 CT) | ||||||||||
| JAX -- Lawrence, Starters To See Significant Time In Exhibition Closer (8/21/21:03 CT) | ||||||||||
| JAX -- Bigsby Continues To Impress With Big Outing Vs. Lions (8/19/20:47 CT) | ||||||||||
| JAX -- Lawrence More Confident As A Team Leader (8/19/00:40 CT) | ||||||||||
| JAX -- Pederson Continues To Praise Lawrence (8/15/20:45 CT) | ||||||||||
| JAX -- Ridley Makes His Jaguars Debut; WR Solid Enough (8/15/00:03 CT) | ||||||||||
| JAX -- Lawrence Positioned To Continued His Ascent (8/09/21:12 CT) | ||||||||||
| JAX -- Still More Positive Reviews For Bigsby (8/09/00:07 CT) | ||||||||||
| JAX -- No Surprise: Ridley Listed As A Starter On Unofficial Depth Chart; Bigsby RB2 (8/08/12:01 CT) | ||||||||||
| JAX -- Bigsby Continues To Push For A Role Early In Camp (8/08/00:58 CT) | ||||||||||
| JAX -- Lawrence Expected To Play In Exhibition Opener (8/08/00:11 CT) | ||||||||||
| JAX -- Initial Issues And Injuries Of Note (8/08/00:00 CT) | ||||||||||
Current News Updates
9/01 Few players have entered the NFL with expectations as high as Trevor Lawrence, who went to the Jaguars with the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft and might have been the top pick in 2020 or 2019, if he had been draft eligible. And according to his coach, Lawrence is meeting expectations. HC Doug Pederson told Sky Sports (via Profootballtalk.com) that Lawrence is everything that everyone thought he would be when he was starring at Clemson. “He’s the real deal,” Pederson said of Lawrence. “He’s a sponge on the practice field, he’s a great communicator with us as a staff, great leader. He’s the guy we all anticipated he was, and he is. We’re excited for that. He’s still young. He’s got a lot of ball ahead of him. ...” Although Lawrence struggled as a rookie during the disastrous Urban Meyer tenure, Pederson said Lawrence grew over the course of his second season and is continuing to grow now. He is proving to be a top prospect who lives up to the hype.8/31 According to ESPN's Dan Graziano, we shouldn't be surprised if wide receiver Christian Kirk's production takes a dip, even as the offense improves. Graziano went on to note that Calvin Ridley, who missed all of last year on a gambling suspension, has been the talk of Jaguars camp. He's a legitimate No. 1 outside receiver who has quickly established a rapport with quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The Jaguars' offense should be electric this year, and Lawrence could be an MVP candidate. But with Ridley and Zay Jones best suited for outside receiver duties, Kirk is likely going to be confined to the slot even more than he was in 2022. Last year, 27 percent of Kirk's routes, 27 percent of his targets, 29 percent of his catches, 26 percent of his yards and 50 percent of his touchdowns came when he was lined up outside. If all of those disappeared, he still would have been a productive player (60 catches, 815 yards, four touchdowns). He just wouldn't have been the No. 19 wide receiver in fantasy points per game. Graziano summed up: "Ridley's arrival could make those outside opportunities for Kirk dry up. Buyer beware if you're having your fantasy draft this weekend." 8/27 Following up on the previous item. ... Trevor Lawrence played two series for the Jaguars in Saturday night's game against the Dolphins, which was suspended in the fourth quarter, completing 8 of 10 passes for 92 yards. Jacksonville totaled 168 yards of offense during its starting quarterback's time on the field. Lawrence's night included a 28-yard completion to Calvin Ridley, who made the catch as he was falling out of bounds. Ridley finished with three receptions for 50 yards in his first action at home with the Jaguars. He was suspended all of last season for gambling. Jacksonville's first series ended when rookie running back Tank Bigsby had the ball punched out of his hands at the 1-yard line by Miami's Jerome Baker. The Dolphins recovered just short of the goal line. ... C.J. Beathard relieved Lawrence and finished 8 of 10 for 134 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown pass to Tim Jones on the second play of the third quarter that made it 24-6. Beathard also directed a short touchdown drive in the second quarter, with D’Ernest Johnson scoring on a 7-yard run. In the third, Seth Williams nabbed a 43-yard reception from Nathan Rourke to set up an 8-yard touchdown by JaMycal Hasty that put the Jaguars ahead 31-12. ... Worth noting: Bigsby's fumble derailed what could have been a long scoring drive on the Jaguars' first possession. Still, as NFL.com's Eric Edholme suggests, if there was any question about whether the fumble might give HC Doug Pederson doubt about giving Bigsby the kind of role people are expecting, that was answered quickly. Pederson fed Bigsby twice on the subsequent drive, and the rookie delivered with 8- and 14-yard runs, and in the latter Bigsby ran through two Dolphins tackle attempts en route. He finished the game with six rushes for 37 yards, closing out the preseason averaging 5.7 yards per carry. The fumble -- especially the location -- was unfortunate, but Bigsby has earned a role as the complement to Travis Etienne Jr. this season.. ... Next up, the Jaguars open the regular season at Indianapolis on Sept. 10. ... You can access complete stats for Saturday's Week 3 exhibition finale via our exclusive Fantasy BoxScore. 8/26 The Jaguars-#Dolphins preseason game has been canceled after Miami rookie WR Daewood Davis was injured on the field in the fourth quarter. 8/25 Earlier this month, HC Doug Pederson praised quarterback Trevor Lawrence by saying, “The confidence level with him is extremely high, as it should be. ...” Lawrence is coming off a season in which he threw for 4,113 yards with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions, leading the Jaguars to a 9-8 record and a division title. As he gets ready to start his third season, he said on Wednesday that “a lot of things” are factoring into his high confidence. “[S]econd year in the offense, just that consistency, the communication between myself and coach Pederson and [offensive coordinator] Press [Taylor] and the whole offensive staff,” Lawrence said in his press conference. “I think we have a really clear vision of what we want and what our objectives are. I think we have a better idea, too, of what we’re good at and offensively what we want to try to do. We’re in a good spot there, and just the rapport with the guys offensively. Whether it’s receivers, tight ends, O-line, running backs, all those guys. We’re just a close group and I think with that, that gives everybody confidence. You can count on the guy next to you and the guys have played well, performed really well. Even our depth throughout the preseason has looked great. It’s just encouraging for everybody, everybody feels like they can go play free. I like where we’re at right now. ...” As previously noted, Lawrence and Jacksonville’s offensive starters are set to get some playing time in the club’s preseason finale against Miami on Saturday night. Lawrence acknowledged that there is a balance in trying to get ready for Week 1 while also making sure no one gets injured, calling it “kind of a tough situation.” “[Y]ou want to keep everybody healthy but then again, you want to get reps and you want to get in a rhythm,” Lawrence said. “Then, two drives in, that’s when you kind of start to get a rhythm and then you come out. So it’s like, what’s the best thing? It’s a fine line. ..." If Lawrence can perform well against coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense this weekend, it will be one more reason to be confident heading into Jacksonville’s season opener against Indianapolis. 8/24 As Profootballtalk.com reminded readers, there were questions heading into last season concerning whether Christian Kirk was up to the task of being the lead receiver in the Jaguars offense and his performance over the course of the year put most of them to rest. Kirk caught 84 passes for 1,108 yards to pace the league’s 10th-best passing attack and raise hopes for even more success this season. Those hopes have been bolstered by the addition of Calvin Ridley to a group that also includes Zay Jones and Kirk referenced his time playing with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, DeAndre Hopkins, and A.J. Green in Arizona while discussing what the Jags wideouts are capable of doing this season. “I’ve been a part of some special ones,” Kirk said, via the team’s website. “I’ve been in the room with a couple Hall of Famers. We have the potential. I wouldn’t say we’re there yet, but we have the potential top to bottom, not only production-wise, but just from a professionalism and character standpoint. With the type of guys we have in our room, we definitely have everything that it takes to be special. ...” With Trevor Lawrence at the helm of an offense that puts running back Travis Etienne and tight end Evan Engram alongside those three wideouts, there are plenty of people who share Kirk’s high hopes for what the Jacksonville offense is going to do once it hits the field in September. 8/21 The Jaguars' starting units did not suit up against the Lions on Saturday and have played just a couple of series thus far this preseason during the team's first game against the Dallas Cowboys. They'll get a chance to truly warm up for the regular season this week against Miami. "You can't substitute game reps and the feeling of a little bit of pressure and a little heat. In practice, it's okay to make a mistake because we can correct it. In the game, it gets magnified. So, we just need those guys to play together," said HC Doug Pederson. "Obviously, if they can play two quarters, I'd love to get a two-minute drive if we could. Those are all things that [are] hard to simulate in practice. We'd love to get the defense in a two-minute scenario there as well. So, we'll see how it goes, but they need the time in a game setting and being a home game too, makes it a little bit easier that way. ..." It will be another opportunity for the Jaguars to see quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the team's offense with receiver Calvin Ridley in the fold. 8/19 As ESPN.com's Mike DiRocco put it, "Looks like the Jaguars have found a potential complement to RB Travis Etienne Jr. in rookie third-round pick Tank Bigsby. ..." The former Auburn standout ran for 70 yards on 13 carries (5.4 per carry) in the first half against Detroit on Saturday. NFL.com pointed out three of those attempts went for 10-plus yards, for a big run percentage of 23.1, and he ripped off another 17-yarder where he juked two defenders who had him dead to rights to bounce outside, but it was called back for holding. Bigsby now has 122 yards on 22 carries through the first six quarters of the preseason (5.5 per carry). Etienne didn't have much behind him after the Jaguars traded James Robinson last October. HC Doug Pederson said he doesn't want to overload Bigsby early in the season, but it's likely his role will expand as the season progresses. 8/19 The moment the Jaguars took Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, he became the face of the franchise. But he says this year he’s becoming the vocal leader in the locker room. Lawrence says that heading into his third NFL season, he feels more confident than ever as the leader of the team. “Just being able to speak out. ... One, it’s just knowing everybody more,” Lawrence told the Florida Times-Union. “You have those relationships with guys that have been here since my rookie year and guys that came in last year. And now being a third-year guy with rookies coming in, I think you just have that experience. You feel more comfortable speaking up and being the leader in the room, the leader of the offense.” HC Doug Pederson has noticed. “The biggest thing I’ve seen with Trevor, now going on two years [with him], from where we had him a year ago in the offseason to today, his confidence is incredible,” said Pederson. “It’s off the charts. He’s put the past behind him, he’s focused on the future, and really embraced the opportunity with this football team.” The Jaguars were a disaster under Urban Meyer in Lawrence’s rookie year, but Pederson and Lawrence took a big step forward in Year Two. And Lawrence is ready for another big step in Year 3. 8/15 After winning the AFC South last season, the Jaguars have plenty of ambitions for 2023. One reason the club should be in a position to compete is quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s improvement entering his third season. Doug Pederson has consistently praised Lawrence throughout the offseason and that did not change on Monday when the head coach was asked about the quarterback’s growth. “The biggest thing that I’ve seen with Trevor, now going on two years, from where we had him a year ago in the offseason to today, just his confidence is incredible. It’s off the charts,” Pederson said in his Monday press conference (via Profootballtalk.com). “He’s put the past behind him, he’s focused on the future, and really embraced this opportunity with this football team. The confidence level with him is extremely high, as it should be. ...” Pederson added that the conversations Lawrence can have now about the offense with the coaching staff demonstrate his understanding, maturity, and confidence. “It’s fun to be around guys like that and young quarterbacks like that, again, as we’ve said, he’s a sponge,” Pederson said. “He wants to learn. He wants to get better. Obviously, he’s not where he wants to be or where we want him to be because we can always get better and improve. I think his overall leadership ability has really been the bright spot for him heading into training camp this year.” When it comes to that leadership, Pederson noted that Lawrence is speaking out more — not only with the coaches when it comes to scheme, but also with his teammates. “Great quarterbacks that I’ve either played with or we’ve watched in the NFL have all had that ability to make others better and really rise and bring the talent around him up. He’s one of those guys,” Pederson said. “He’s not demanding or pounding his fists on the table, nothing like that. Just conversations you see with guys and how he’s willing to learn, he doesn’t have all the answers, but at the same time, they’re working through things. That’s the leadership part that I’m encouraged with and the dialogue that he has. It just keeps getting stronger each week.” 8/15 Calvin Ridley hadn't played in a ball game since Oct. 24, 2021, with the Falcons. After a whirlwind couple of years that saw him leave the Falcons to focus on his mental wellbeing, suspended for betting on NFL games and traded to the Jaguars, Ridley suited up on Saturday. According to NFL.com, there's no reason to overhype a preseason performance that saw two catches for 21 yards, but Ridley got back on the field in what amounts to a notable career milepost, looked solid enough in 11 snaps and certainly has whet Duval fans' appetite for what lies ahead. Trevor Lawrence targeted Ridley twice, just as he did Christian Kirk, who caught a touchdown. There's reason for excitement in Jacksonville, and a good deal of it comes with a healthy return of Ridley. 8/09 As ESPN.com's Bill Barnwell noted, for a year and a half, Trevor Lawrence struggled to live up to the expectations placed on him as one of the top quarterback prospects of the past decade. There was an Urban Meyer-sized explanation for his rookie season in 2021, but he still seemed to be adjusting during the first half of last season. After the Jaguars' loss to the Broncos in London, he completed just over 62 percent of his passes, averaging 6.6 yards per attempt and had thrown 10 touchdown passes against six picks. After the trip over the pond, Lawrence morphed into a superstar. He completed 69.7 percent of his passes over the remainder of the season while averaging 7.4 yards per attempt. He threw 15 touchdown passes against two picks while leading the Jaguars to a division title, including comeback victories over the Cowboys and Ravens. From Week 9 on, his adjusted completion percentage (75.5 percent) ranked first in the league. Now, with wide receiver Calvin Ridley added to the mix and another full offseason away from the Meyer era, Barnwell believes Lawrence has the ability to improve on the player we saw in the second half of 2022. Lawrence is currently eighth in the MVP odds at Caesars Sportsbook and seems capable of something special in Year 3. 8/09 Following up on a previous item. ... Tank Bigsby hasn't stopped impressing the Jaguars. As SI.com's John Shipley wrote Tuesday, "Whether during the offseason program, in the classroom or in the early weeks of training camp, this year's No. 88 overall pick has left an impression on the Jaguars' staff seemingly since he stepped into the facility. And it could result in a key role in the offense sooner than later. ..." Shipley is not alone in this view. Other observers have reported similar news. Also, he seems to be winning over the coaching staff. "Outside of the size, speed, athleticism, and all that this kid is a sponge. He’s really a smart, young running back. He understands defense," head coach Doug Pederson said on Saturday. The Jaguars are fresh off a year where former first-round pick Travis Etienne JR. rushed for over 1,000 yards and was one of the NFL's most explosive backs, but an element of their running game was still missing in 2022. The hope now is that the bruising Bigsby can help alleviate that. "One of the things that’s been really impressive, too, is taking the coaching. Whether it be from [running backs coach] Bernie [Parmalee] or myself or even Phil Rauscher, being able to take that and apply it to what he’s doing and he’s just improving every day," Pederson said. ... So far, Bigsby has done enough in camp to warrant touches behind Etienne in some capacity. It is hard to determine exactly what the split should be considering Etienne's success a year ago and the talent in the Jaguars' passing game -- a passing game that Bigsby has made his own impression on. "I would even say he’s a better pass catcher. Of course, in college, they didn’t throw it to him a bunch, but he’s a really good pass catcher in the backfield," Pederson said. 8/08 As Profootballtalk.com framed it, "The Calvin Ridley comeback is right on track. ..." Ridley, the former Falcon who was suspended for more than a year after violating the NFL’s gambling policy, has rocketed to the top of the depth chart in Jacksonville. In the team’s first officially unofficial depth chart of the preseason, Ridley is listed as a starting receiver. The Jags go with three WR1’s -- Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Ridley. Reports have indicated Ridley is having a strong camp so far. ... Meanwhile, Tank Bigsby is listed as RB2 behind Travis Etienne Jr. on this initial depth chart. The rookie is ahead of JaMycal Hasty, D'Ernest Johnson, Snoop Conner and Qadree Ollison. 8/08 Running back Tank Bigsby has been the Jaguars' most impressive rookie in camp, and it looks as if he's headed for a bigger role in the offense than many thought when Jacksonville drafted him in the third round. According to ESPN.com's Mike DiRocco, Bigsby showed his power and speed Monday on the first live tackling action of camp when he scored on a 1-yard run in goal-line work and then broke off a 70ish-yard touchdown run in "move the ball" work. Travis Etienne Jr. remains the top back and coach Doug Pederson said last week that Etienne had done a lot of work in the offseason on squaring his shoulders and reading holes better, but Bigsby has been impressive enough that he could eat into Etienne's workload. 8/08 At a time when many NFL coaches don’t think the benefits of playing their starting quarterbacks in a preseason game are worth the injury risks, head coach Doug Pederson has a different view. Pederson said on NFL Network today that he expects to play quarterback Trevor Lawrence on Saturday in the preseason opener against the Cowboys. “I’m a big believer in the starters playing,” Pederson said. “I really feel like they need to feel that energy that comes with starting a football game. I did it last year with the guys and I anticipate right now him getting maybe a series or two this weekend.” Pederson noted that the young players will get most of the preseason playing time because the primary purpose of the preseason is to evaluate those players. But Pederson wants Lawrence and his other starters to get out there and play at least a few snaps against live opposition. 8/08 You don't need a math degree to measure the progress made in Year 2 by Trevor Lawrence, who doubled his touchdown total and sliced his interceptions in half while leading the Jaguars to the playoffs. At 23, the former No. 1 overall pick matched Deshaun Watson (2018) as the youngest QB in NFL history to throw for at least 4K yards with 25-plus TDs and fewer than 10 picks. Lawrence will never be Jalen Hurts or Daniel Jones, but he did rush for five scores to cement his spot in the fantasy top 10. He formed instant connections last season with WRs Christian Kirk and Zay Jones and hopes to do the same with newcomer Calvin Ridley, a 90-1,374-9 performer with Atlanta in 2020. The Jaguars also used their first three 2023 draft picks on Lawrence's side of the ball, adding OT Anton Harrison, TE Brenton Strange and RB Tank Bigsby. Harrison is the likely replacement for blind-side protector Cam Robinson, who will miss the start of the season on a PED suspension. ... Worth noting: Bigsby isn't going to move ahead of Travis Etienne Jr. in the starting lineup. But, during a recent appearance with the Football Diehards on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio, ESPN's Mike DiRocco suggested the Jaguars are planning to give Bigsby entire series -- perhaps two to three times a game. ... On the injury front: Ridley dealt with some toe soreness last week, but a change of cleats seemed to clear the issue up.
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 Team Review
Fantasy Grade: ALast year, the Jacksonville Jaguars captured the AFC South and won a playoff game for the first time since 2017. Now, the Jaguars enter the 2023 season as the favorites in the division — and with one of the more talent-laden offenses in the league. As PFF's Trevor Sikkema wrote, Trevor Lawrence took a massive step forward in his second season — and there's room to think Year 3 could be that much better. 'Lawrence struggled during his rookie season, earning a 58.3 passing grade: he said. "But this past year (with an established NFL head coach), he jumped to a 74.1 pass-ing grade. He finished with 26 big-time throws, 19 turn-over-wad plays and a 77.7 percent adjusted completion percentage. It was a step in The right direction, one that allowed his arrow to continue pointing up with improve-ment still possible in all areas.' Part of Lawrence's breakout last year can be attributed to a revamped receiving corps that added wide receiver Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram. Kirk topped 1.100 receiving yards and posted top-12 PPR numbers last year, but he told reporters he still doesn't feel like he gets the respect he deserves. Now, you know, especially With the season that I had ... it started getting really quiet,' Kirk said, "and everybody kind of, you know, kind of hushed a little bit. But I just, I want my respect, you know. I feel like I'm one of the best receiv-ers in the NFL. And that's the way I play. That's the chip that I carry on my shoulder and I'm gonna keep earning it" Now, Kirk will be joined by Calvin Ridley, who was sus-pended the entire 2022 season. He told reporters he's on a mission to show that he can still be an elite NFL wideout. i m trying to be humble, (arid] I've been pretty good at football all my life, and I not only have been good, I also worked to be good,' Ridley said Wednesday in his first interview since he was cleared to return from his suspen-sion far gambling on NFL games. "They say two years off. But what about the healing process? What if I got faster? What if I got stronger'?' The Jaguars are also dangerous on the ground, where Travis Etienne rebounded from a lost rookie season to gain over 1,100 yards on the ground, top 1,400 yards, Trevor Lawrence .)111 averaged over five yards a cany and finished as a top-20 PPR running back. Whether it's Lawrence under center, Etienne in The back-field, Kirk arid Ridley at wide receiver or Engram at tight end, just about every skill position player in Jacksonville is a viable weekly fantasy starter. When is the last time we said that about the Jaguars? | ||||||||||
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2023 Off-Season News & Views
Click here for Complete set of News & Views
Click here for earlier off-season items |
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