Jacksonville Jaguars shouldn’t sweat being without Trevor Lawrence

The Jacksonville Jaguars are building around quarterback Trevor Lawrence, but his absences in OTAs and minicamp don’t mean anything.

A few words for any Jacksonville Jaguars fan in panic mode: don’t be.

While Trevor Lawrence has missed some offseason work with tightness in his hamstring, the reality is it doesn’t matter. Right now, Lawrence’s biggest hurdle is learning the playbook and understand the schemes offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell is installing.

In essence, Lawrence being in the building and getting the mental reps is the main thing. Being healthy for training camp and beyond is the other. If those two things happen, the No. 1 overall pick out of Clemson will be fine when teams get into their facilities come July 27.

However, while the Jaguars are certainly willing to patiently wait for Lawrence to be 100 percent, the quarterback himself is becoming a bit antsy, per NFL.com:

“It’s feeling good. It’s been about a week. Just trying to work it back to full capacity. It’s a little frustrating just not being able to go full speed. I’m feeling good and just trying to not have any more setbacks. So taking it slow. Got some good reps today. So start getting more and more each day this week. And just kinda work back into it. It’s doing great. Try to work it back.”

After being chosen atop the 2021 NFL Draft, Lawrence inherited massive pressure down in Duval. The Jaguars haven’t been to the Super Bowl in their 26-year history and although nobody expects that to happen in the next year or two, Lawrence’s career is expected to eventually grace a few Super Sundays considering his potential.

At Clemson, the 6-foot-6 prospect dazzled from the start. Lawrence threw for 10,098 yards and 90 touchdowns against 17 interceptions over three seasons, winning a national championship as a freshman over the Alabama Crimson Tide. While the numbers are good, the film is even better, with Lawrence showcasing the ability to make any throw from a variety of angles and platforms.

Once Lawrence is healthy, it’ll be interesting to see how Jacksonville’s offense comes together. The Jaguars have talent in rookie running back Travis Etienne and second-year man James Robinson, receivers D.K. Chark and Laviska Shenault and an offensive line with upside.

After going 1-15 last year — the only win coming in Week 1 — the Jaguars have a long way to go. Waiting a few more weeks for Lawrence won’t change anything.