Doug Pederson: Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence ‘Had a Good Season, Not a Great Season’

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence had sky-high expectations in 2023. And for a number of reasons, it doesn't seem like anyone thinks they were reached -- including head coach Doug Pederson.

"I think he had a good season, not a great season," Pederson told NBC Sport's Matthew Berry this week at the NFL Scouting Combine.

"Obviously the number one concern for us is the turnovers, right. We have to make sure we correct that and make sure that takes care of the football. We were pretty decent, top-10 passing offense in the NFL. And that is something to say for Trevor and the skill guys around him with Evan, and Christian and Zay. And we didn't have Christian and Zay late in the season, right. Calvin was the only guy. We have to continue to improve there."

Pederson also noted one way the Jaguars can help Lawrence and the passing game is by putting together a strong running game. The Jaguars finished bottom-3 in the NFL in both rushing EPA/Play and rushing success rate in 2023, with the offense mostly relying on Lawrence's arm to sink or swim.

"One area obviously we got to get better is the run game. The run game will help us in the passing game because everything goes hand in hand. And that is something that will be sort of kind of the impact for this offseason as we put our pieces together," Pederson said.

Lawrence finished the season completing 65.6% of his passes for 4,016 yards, 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, along with seven lost fumbles. Lawrence also missed his first career start as he dealt with four different injuries, with Lawrence seemingly having to limp to the finish of the season.

After making it through his first two seasons with minimal injury scares, Lawrence was legitimately walking wounded for much of 2023. Lawrence sustained four different injuries this fall that forced him to miss valuable practice time and play in several games with injuries: a knee injury in Week 6, an ankle injury in Week 13, a concussion in Week 15, and then finally a shoulder injury in Week 16 that forced him to miss his first-career start.

The injuries stacked up during the Jaguars' six-game stretch that saw them go 1-5 and miss the playoffs. The injuries led to Lawrence missing his first career start, which went on to be the Jaguars' only win of the stretch. And among Lawrence's 16 starts, his four starts after each injury saw Lawrence have his 2nd, 5th, 7th, and 8th worst games of the season by total EPA.

“We do have the right quarterback. I’m excited for the future with Trevor, he’s excited based on the conversations we’ve had since the season. I don’t get into the contract stuff, I leave that for Trent [Baalke] and the agents and stuff," Pederson said on Tuesday.

"I just know that our guy is the right guy, he’s got the right demeanor, he’s got the right leadership. It’s our job as coaches now to make sure he takes that next step. This will be another big offseason for him and his development and growth. By no means is he where he wants to be or where we want him to be, but really looking forward to working another year with Trevor.”