By Brian Sexton
I probably don’t need to tell you, but just in case you’re still unsure of this football team in Jacksonville, the golden age of Jaguars football is upon us.
The combination of quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Head Coach Doug Pederson blends as well as the best beachside margarita you enjoyed this summer or if you’re not one who partakes then it’s as good a pairing as ice cream and a warm summer evening.
Lawrence took a huge step forward in 2022, his first with Pederson, and finished with a quarterback efficiency rating of 95.2. QBER is a confusing equation of numbers and percentages, and the average person following along often struggles to figure it out. Truthfully, you don’t need to know anything but that a higher number means a better season for the most important player on the field.
For just a little perspective, it’s helpful to know that Lawrence posted a 71.2 QBER in his rookie season and, while that wasn’t disastrous, it certainly felt that way because the head coach that season was himself a complete disaster. Lawrence’s jump of 24 percentage points in a single season is the best one-year jump by a quarterback from his rookie season to his second year since they started using QBER as a measurement.
When you have the coach and the quarterback together then you have a chance to take a swing every season and the Jaguars will take what they hope is a big one in 2023. If they’re going to get past Buffalo, Cincinnati and obviously Kansas City they’re going to need some help from a few key players at a few key positions. Here are the five that I believe will make or break the Jaguars’ Super Bowl dreams in the coming months.
- Travon Walker is as physically gifted as any defender the Jaguars have had since Tony Brackens wore teal. His combination of size, length, speed and attitude make him the No. 1 candidate to wreck the opponent’s game plan. Walker was good last season in ways that most people don’t see but for him to be the player the Jaguars drafted No. 1 overall last season he’s going to need splash plays this fall, sacks, forced fumbles, interceptions — and he’s capable of all of those.
- Walker Little was drafted two years ago to eventually replace left tackle Cam Robinson and he gets his chance over the first month of this season. Little replaced Robinson in December last year when Cam was injured against the Cowboys. Little has prototypical size for the position and extraordinary athleticism. He’s the guy going forward with Robinson suspended to begin the season and if he plays well then, he’ll stay put beyond week four.
- Anton Harrison is the replacement for right offensive tackle Juwaan Taylor who signed with Kansas City in free agency. Taylor had his best year in 2023, which is a big reason why Lawrence took such a big step himself. Harrison is every bit as talented as Taylor but he’s making the move to the right side from the left where he played at Oklahoma, and he’s never started a game on Sunday. If he settles in early this offense is going to be very difficult to stop.
- Josh Allen is playing on the fifth year tender, which means that while his fumble recovery for a touchdown to beat the Titans in the season finale was the biggest play of his career, he didn’t do it often enough for the Jaguars to give him the big contract. That means he’s playing for all the money in the final year of his deal, and if you know anything about Allen you understand he’s spent the entire off-season preparing to take care of business this fall and his family next spring. The talent is abundant, and the Jaguars would love to have to figure out how to keep him in teal beyond 2023.
- Darious Williams’ name on this list might seem like a surprise, but the Jaguars are going to have to get production on the corner opposite Tyson Campbell. Campbell is a rising star and teams are going to look to throw away from the talented third year defensive back. That means Williams had better buckle up because that kind of heat melted Shaquille Griffin last fall. Williams replaced him in October and played pretty well on the outside, but the Jaguars need better than pretty well.
There are obviously others, football is the ultimate team game. But if these five guys play somewhere near their potential this season the Jaguars are going to be a very difficult team to face, even for the Bills, Bengals and Chiefs. Imagine Trevor Lawrence with time to find Calvin Ridley and Evan Engram and imagine Walker and Allen pinning their ears back and rushing the quarterback with abandon thanks to having the lead instead of playing from behind.
The golden age of Jaguars football is here and if these five guys are on target we might have to call it the platinum age since the Lombardi Trophy isn’t made of gold!
