Latest news with #Trevor Lawrence
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence on trip to Bahamas with Brian Thomas, Travis Hunter and others
Jacksonville Jaguars' quarterback Trevor Lawrence, along with wide receivers Brian Thomas Jr., Dyami Brown, Travis Hunter, and a number of other players, recently visited the Bahamas to work out together and to do some team bonding. This week, Lawrence is playing the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe, where he discussed the trip to the Bahamas. Advertisement "A big group of us went out to the Bahamas to get a little extra work, some team bonding, and to hang out a little bit too," Lawrence said. "It was a fun trip. I brought my pads to throw in, all the other guys, most receivers, they don't wear them to work out, but I like to throw in them in the offseason just to get ready for wearing them in season, obviously." As Lawrence said earlier this offseason, Liam Coen's offense gives you all the answers, but it puts a lot on the plates of the offensive players with the variety of different formations, motions, routes, and more that this scheme throws at opposing defenses. Another important component, as Lawrence has discussed, is the connection between his footwork and the timing of his progressions. Advertisement Getting as many banked reps as possible with the wide receivers and tight ends can help build chemistry and also expedite the learning curve that comes with implementing a new system. When it comes to Travis Hunter's role in this new-look Jaguars' offense, Lawrence continues to see him growing and making strides. "Travis has been great," Lawrence said. "Just his work ethic, how he's come in. He's been one of the hardest-working guys we have. I think it's commitment to learning the playbook and trying to learn the two systems. It's a lot on a rookie. It's challenging to learn everything and he's done a nice job and we still have work to do and we're gonna get a lot done in training camp and get us ready to play come September. But I'm really excited for him and how he can help our team." On Dyami Brown's YouTube page, you can find highlights from the trip. This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars Trevor Lawrence, Travis Hunter, others get 'extra work' in Bahamas
New York Times
10-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Can anyone topple the Texans? We preview the AFC South
Inside: Key questions, breakout players and positions to watch in the AFC South, a division that C.J. Stroud has won in each of his pro seasons. Did the Colts, Jaguars or Titans do enough to change that trend? Let's dive in. This article is from Scoop City, The Athletic's NFL newsletter. Sign up here to receive it directly in your inbox. C.J. Stroud's sophomore slump was obvious. Despite playing two more games, the 23-year-old threw for fewer yards (from 4,108 as a rookie to 3,727 last year) and touchdowns (23 to 20) while more than doubling his interception count (five to 12). On the bright side, at least his rookie year was impressive enough to set a high bar for a slump. Trevor Lawrence went 3-14 as a rookie. Anthony Richardson's career couldn't have started worse. And when you type 'Will Levis' into YouTube's search bar, 'lowlights' is the suggested autocomplete. 'Mayo' is second. Try it yourself. Advertisement This offseason, Houston hired a new offensive coordinator, the Colts added quarterback competition in Daniel Jones, the Jaguars overhauled everything and the Titans are betting Cam Ward is the franchise quarterback they've searched for since locking the late Steve McNair out of their facilities. They each hope to improve the league's worst offensive division: We'll start our preview in Houston. (BetMGM's 2025 expected regular-season win totals in parentheses, and all stats per TruMedia unless otherwise noted.) Key question: Can they protect Stroud? When we last saw Stroud, he was being pummeled by the Chiefs, who sacked him eight times in Houston's playoff loss. The Texans responded by firing their OL coach and revamping their line, moving on from two starting guards and trading star LT Laremy Tunsil (and his contract expectations) to Washington. They promoted new OL coach Cole Popovich, who worked under legendary Patriots coach Dante Scarnecchia, to oversee a unit that signed four veterans, including LT Cam Robinson. They also spent a second-round pick on giant OT Aireontae Ersery (6-6, 331 pounds), who can start outside when needed. Only one quarterback took more sacks than Stroud's 52 last season, a number they might not reduce in 2025. Good luck, C.J. Position to watch: Running back. Previously titled 'Joe Mixon's backfield,' this group is intriguing after the surprise signing of Nick Chubb, who took an incentive-heavy deal, and fourth-round selection of RB Woody Marks. Could either overtake Mixon as the RB1? Yes. Is that likely? No. Mixon was a bright spot in 2024 and has no guaranteed money after 2025, so he's playing for his future. Breakout player: WR Christian Kirk. Kirk replaces Tank Dell, who suffered a Teddy Bridgewater-like injury and could miss all of 2025. Kirk should hold off rookie Jaylin Noel for Houston's slot role, and — if the 28-year-old plays 17 games — I'd expect a similar line to the 1,108 yards and 8 touchdowns his sole full season produced in Jacksonville. The 'if healthy' caveat always applies, but especially here. Advertisement Better than 2024? In a way, yes. Did the Texans offensive line or receiver room improve? Not really, though their offense could be better with first-year OC Nick Caley, who coached under Sean McVay and Bill Belichick. Their defense, one of the league's best, pairs with Stroud to make the Texans a perennial playoff team. Houston needs a capable offensive line to make it past the AFC divisional round. I'm not convinced they have that. Key question: Does their quarterback competition matter? 23-year-old Richardson is out indefinitely, which should make Jones the de facto Week 1 starter. The former Giant probably wins this anyway. He produced few explosives but methodically gained first downs throughout minicamp, exactly what Shane Steichen was looking for. Welcome to the Colts QB competition, where 'not bad' is progress. Position to watch: Linebacker. Our Colts beat reporter, James Boyd, called this position 'the most glaring hole on the Colts' roster' during his review of training camp competitions. Why? Second-team All-Pro Zaire Franklin and their other projected starter, second-year Jaylon Carlies, were sidelined throughout their offseason training program, with no firm timeline for return. After those two, the depth chart is bleak. Breakout player: DE Laiatu Latu. Rams edge Jared Verse is the best pass rusher from the 2024 class. But Latu, whom the Colts drafted four picks ahead of the Rams star, forced more fumbles (three to Verse's two) and nearly matched Verse in total sacks (four to Verse's 4.5) while playing nearly 200 fewer snaps. Though he still has plenty of room to improve (his pass-rush win rate ranked 34th among edge rushers, while Verse finished 9th, per PFF), the Colts let Dayo Odeyingbo leave for Chicago with the expectation that Latu will play a key role. The Colts need a breakout year. Better than 2024? One unit is. An uncharacteristically bold offseason from GM Chris Ballard has the Colts' secondary among the league's most improved units, but the improvement stops there (though I also liked the hire of DC Lou Anarumo). The Colts offensive line should be fine despite replacing two starters, but their quarterback situation caps their ceiling at nine wins. Key question: How often does Travis Hunter play cornerback? I want to see a true two-way player, and I'm optimistic Hunter becomes that in year one. Expect an offense-heavy start, as he spent the majority of minicamp lining up as a receiver, though he has been switching to defense for plenty of reps. He's also putting on weight, which will help him hold up if he attempts a version of his 1,481-snap Heisman season. If we project a 75/25 split, that would be more than the workload of WR Justin Jefferson (981 snaps in 2024) plus CB Jaire Alexander (347 snaps), last year's third-highest paid but often injured corner. Advertisement Position to watch: Quarterback. Jacksonville has invested a No. 1 pick and committed over $275 million (guaranteeing $200 million of that) for Trevor Lawrence. He's repaid them with inconsistency and an inability to build on a Pro Bowl 2022. So, the Jaguars smartly upgraded their offensive line and hired offensive guru HC Liam Coen, who helped Baker Mayfield throw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns last season. Lawrence is healthy and must impress in 2025. Breakout player: TE Brenton Strange. The Jaguars could make Evan Engram a cap casualty thanks to the emergence of Strange, who caught 15 passes for 97 yards across the two games in which he played more than 80 percent of snaps. The 24-year-old is the TE1 in a Coen offense that consistently gives its TE1 80 percent of snaps (Cade Otton was the beneficiary in 2024, posting 600 yards in 14 games). Don't be surprised if Strange approaches 800 yards. Better than 2024? Yes. After their front-office and coaching staff failed to develop star talent, 2025's shuffle signals a new era of Jaguars football. Jacksonville's new coaching staff includes DC Anthony Campanile, who should modernize their woeful defense, given his time working for Brian Flores, Vic Fangio and Jeff Hafley. The talent is there to return this team to a nine-win season. Anything more requires a Lawrence breakout. Key question: How bad is their defense? Tennessee ranked 19th in defensive EPA in 2024, which was an improvement from 2023 (26th). But that wasn't reflected on the scoresheet, as they ranked 16th in points against in 2023 before falling to 30th in their first year without Mike Vrabel. Then they lost DE Harold Landry, who led the team in sacks, and talented veterans LB Jack Gibbens and CB Chidobe Awuzie. Ouch. Position to watch: Offensive line. For HC Brian Callahan's second season to go better than the disaster of his first, their offensive line must make drastic strides. Veteran signings OT Dan Moore Jr. and G Kevin Zeitler join returning Lloyd Cushenberry III, Peter Skoronski and 2024 first-round pick JC Latham to form a unit that might be above average. Breakout player: CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. Trading for L'Jarius Sneed has been a disaster, but Brownlee, Tennessee's fifth-round pick in 2024, quietly emerged as an exciting alternative. Though his PFF coverage grade ranked 147th of 222 corners, Brownlee led the defense in snaps played and is expected to start across from Sneed in 2025. Brownlee needs to clean up the penalties, but he's flashed special talent and toughness. Better than 2024? At quarterback, sure. The Titans seem to have scored with Cam Ward, who so far has been everything they'd hoped for; arriving early, staying late and impressing teammates with his leadership. Still, while the stories sound similar to Jayden Daniels' rookie season, the results won't be. Not until 2026 or so. 📫 Enjoyed this read? Sign up here to receive The Athletic's free NFL newsletter in your inbox. Also, check out our other newsletters.
