JACKSONVILLE, Fla. ā As impressive as Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence was during his first week of training camp, his performance came with an asterisk.
āEverybodyās got to remember the defense is not allowed to make a play on the ball right now,ā coach Urban Meyer said Saturday.
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While Meyer was pleased with everything the No. 1 overall draft pick did during four practices without pads, a better assessment will come next week when Meyer unleashes his defenders and starts the āwinners and losersā phase of camp.
āAll you can evaluate now is retention and skillset. Plus, plus,ā Meyer said. āThe real stuff starts next week.ā
Despite outplaying Gardner Minshew daily, Lawrence will continue splitting first-team reps with the third-year pro who has a 7-13 record in 20 career starts in Jacksonville. Meyer said competition is āalive and wellā at every position, including quarterback, and he plans on charting every aspect of every drill in hopes of taking the subjectivity out of roster decisions.
āItās not fair to a player to not have objectiveness in there,ā Meyer said.
Lawrence welcomed Meyerās move even though itās rare for the former Clemson star to work with the second-team offense or have to earn the starting job.
āThatās how you have to (do it),ā said Lawrence, who last shared first-team reps with Kelly Bryant as a freshman at Clemson. āIt has to be a competition. Nothing can be given. When you start giving things to people, you set the wrong precedent for the team.
āI have a lot of respect for the coaches, the way theyāve handled everything, and my jobās just to come in every day, go to work and try to make this team better. ā¦ Right now, Iām just doing my job.ā
Lawrenceās job has been easier with an upgraded receiving corps, one aided by Meyerās hands-off policy for defenders for the first week of camp. Marvin Jones, DJ Chark and Laviska Shenault have given Lawrence plenty of options, quickly establishing themselves as the most talented and deep position group in Jacksonville.
They started building a rapport during organized team activities in May and June and then got together again in mid-July for a relationship-building trip to South Carolina. They spent two days working out at Clemson and took a boat trip together.
āI think it helped us a lot,ā Lawrence said. āWe got back into it really quickly when we started camp. We didnāt have to take two, three days to get our timing back.ā
After a slow start to the offseason ā Lawrence had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder in February and then was hampered in OTAs with a strained hamstring ā he has looked every bit as advertised to start camp. Teammates are raving about his arm, his mobility, his touch on deep passes and his command of the huddle.
āOn the sideline and watching and going back on film, thatās when I can really see,ā pass rusher Josh Allen said. āI can see the development. I can really see the growth that he has already made in the first couple of months. Itās crazy just to see him when the season comes. I think the skyās the limit for that guy. I love it.ā
Lawrence had a few hiccups Saturday, all of them in the 2-minute offense. Heās still adjusting to NFL clock-management rules.
āIām a lot further than I was in the spring, so I feel confident in what I know,ā he said. āThereās just so many little details. I donāt know if I ever can say, āI know it all.ā Youāre always learning. I definitely have some more to learn.ā
NOTES: The Jaguars signed WR Jeff Cotton, who spent last season on the Los Angeles Chargers practice squad. Cotton provides some much-needed help at a position thatās missing Jamal Agnew, Josh Hammond, Tim Jones and Josh Imatorbhebhe. ā¦ Meyer said TE Tim Tebow has shown āgood hands,ā but added that the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner needs to work on catching balls away from his body. āHe is fighting through that a little bit, but he has the skillset to catch the ball.ā ā¦ DE Taven Bryan, who opened camp on the non-football injury list, had an off-the-field accident that Meyer said was āno oneās fault.ā Meyer expects Bryan back soon.
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