First-year Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen met with the media after practice on Thursday, the 10th and final day of organized team activities (OTAs).
Coen discussed the growth he’s seen from Trevor Lawrence during the Jaguars’ offseason program, which will wrap up with a three-day mandatory minicamp next week.
The Jaguars’ franchise quarterback and former Clemson star has made huge strides in terms of his footwork, according to Coen – a critical element of Coen’s offense that he and the coaching staff have worked with Lawrence to improve.
“I think his footwork has drastically improved,” Coen said. “Just the rhythm of playing the position… Every system is different. The drop of a quarterback is very similar to a dance. Each song has a different rhythm, each play has a different rhythm, each systems have different rhythms – so, continuing to develop that for him [is important].
“We talk about footwork so much because when the game is being played, we know it’s lived in the gray, but we’re trying to create black-and-white lines for footwork, for reads, for timing. Because when the things start moving, oftentimes you have to revert back to your fundamentals, your footwork, your timing.”
Entering his fifth NFL season, Lawrence is working with his third different head coach and learning his third offensive system, with Coen set to call plays for the Jaguars in 2025.
Coen added that not only has Lawrence taken a step forward as far as his footwork and timing, but also “just the overall operation” of the offense.
“That’s what I’ve really looked for him in this time has been really focusing on his lower half and his footwork, and then also just running the show. I’m not really judging, ‘Does he make every single throw right now? Is every single ball perfectly accurate right now?’” said Coen, who was hired as the Jags’ new head coach in January following a highly successful 2024 season as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator.
“Is he operating the offense at a high level? Yes, he is right now,” Coen added.
Last season, Lawrence completed 60.6 percent of his passes for 2,045 yards with 11 touchdown passes and seven interceptions in 10 games before being placed on injured reserve following his shoulder injury and concussion. He underwent surgery on Dec. 17 to repair the AC joint sprain in his left (non-throwing) shoulder.
Since being drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Lawrence has completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 13,815 yards and 69 touchdowns with 46 interceptions in 60 games over his first four NFL seasons. The Jaguars signed Lawrence to a five-year, $275 million contract extension prior to the 2024 season.
–Photo courtesy of Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images