Jaguars start fresh with Trevor Lawrence, Urban Meyer

The Jaguars drafted Trevor Lawrence to turn them into Super Bowl contenders. That won’t happen in Urban Meyer’s first season in Jacksonville. 

This season should all be about player development for the Jaguars. The team lacks the talent to make a serious playoff push, so it’s much more important to spend their energy developing young talent.

Trevor Lawrence’s progression at quarterback should be priority No. 1, but Urban Meyer and his coaching staff also need to nurture other young players at the same time. It should be an entertaining year for Jaguars fans but it should not be a campaign measured on wins and losses.

Best-case scenario

This season will go down as an unmitigated success for the Jaguars if Lawrence establishes himself as a potential superstar at the quarterback position. He doesn’t need to be anything close to the finished article, but he needs to splash big-time potential if Jacksonville is going to achieve relevance anytime soon.

Finishing the regular season on an upswing would also give Jacksonville valuable momentum heading into the offseason. If the Jaguars can manage that while still maintaining a lofty draft pick then the season will have gone according to plan.

Worst-case scenario

Any combination of Lawrence looking shaky or Meyer looking overwhelmed would spell big trouble for the Jags. The franchise has made a sizeable bet on the duo’s ability to reverse the team’s recent fortunes.

Meyer can be replaced rather easily, but it would still lead to instability that might hurt the team’s hopes of building a contender around Lawrence. If the No. 1 overall pick struggles, then it’s an even bigger problem. If he isn’t clearly the answer at quarterback when his rookie season ends then Lawrence has let down an entire franchise.

X-factor

D.J. Chark is going to get a lot of pub as the team’s big key this year, but Josh Allen may have a bigger impact on the team’s win/loss record in 2021. The former first-round pick flashed high-level pass-rushing skills as a rookie, but he only got to the quarterback for 2.5 sacks a season ago.

A healthier and more productive year from Allen could do wonders to bring the Jaguars’ defense back to respectability. Allen getting to double-digit sacks would solidify the team’s front seven for years to come.

Biggest game

Week 1 at the Texans will set the tone for Jacksonville’s entire campaign. A loss to a Houston team that may start the season without Deshaun Watson would stop Meyer’s momentum before it has a chance to begin. A win over a beleaguered Texans team could give Jacksonville a shot of confidence that can keep them competitive for a while until the wheels ultimately fall off.

Bold prediction

The aforementioned Allen has too much athletic ability to stay under wraps for another season. The bold prediction is that he’ll get enough pass-rushing opportunities to notch double-digit sacks. Put him down for 12 sacks on a true breakout campaign for the young edge.