Troy Aikman Supports Trevor Lawrence Amid Early Hurdles, Shares Key Advice

A New Era for Trevor Lawrence

Trevor Lawrence’s journey in the NFL has been marked by a series of coaching changes and challenges. His partnership with Urban Meyer was a disaster, and while the pairing with Doug Pederson showed some promise, it never reached the heights seen in 2022. Now, in his fifth season, Lawrence is under the guidance of his third offensive play caller, Liam Coen, who is leading the Jacksonville Jaguars into their Week 5 home game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Liam Coen, who previously worked with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, brings a fresh perspective to the Jaguars’ offense. However, the early results have not yet reflected the expected improvement. Despite the change in leadership, Lawrence has struggled to find consistency, throwing for 845 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions through four games. His 58.3% completion rate is a career-low, and he ranks 30th in the league with a 75.1 passer rating.

Troy Aikman, a former NFL quarterback and analyst, believes that the frequent coaching changes have impacted Lawrence’s development. “He’s had three offensive play callers, and I think that impacts a career,” Aikman said on “Monday Night Countdown.” He also pointed out that last year’s injury and the new scheme this season have added to the challenges.

Despite these obstacles, Aikman remains optimistic about Lawrence’s potential. “I like Trevor Lawrence a lot. Obviously, he’s a talented guy. There are things within his game that have to get cleaned up, he certainly understands that. The passing game isn’t where it needs to be.”

Aikman emphasized that Lawrence needs to focus on making the easy throws. “He’s got to make the lay-ups. He’s got to make the easy ones, and there’s too many easy throws he’s missing and then there’s one to two, three plays each week that he puts the ball in harm’s way. You can’t do that if you’re going to be a good football team.”

While the passing game has been inconsistent, the Jaguars have found success on the ground. Only three teams have run the ball more effectively than Jacksonville this season. Aikman attributed part of this success to Lawrence’s ability to read defenses and make adjustments at the line of scrimmage.

“He’s doing a lot at the line of scrimmage. I think a lot of what he’s done well goes unnoticed and it’s within the run game. It’s one of the reasons they’ve run the ball as well as they’ve had, is because he’s put them in favorable plays at the line of scrimmage.”

Lawrence is looking forward to the challenge of facing the reigning AFC champions. “They’ve been the top dog,” he said. “They’ve kind of run the conference, and this is an opportunity for us to show what kind of team we are.”

With a new coach and a fresh start, Lawrence has the chance to prove that he can overcome the challenges of his early NFL career. The upcoming game against the Chiefs will be a crucial test of his growth and ability to lead the Jaguars to success.