Jaguars' Pederson addresses Lawrence's aggressiveness, Josh Allen trade-deadline rumors

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson won't take Trevor Lawrence's aggressiveness away but does want him to make smarter decisions.

During Sunday's 21-17 loss to the Denver Broncos in London, the Jaguars' second-year quarterback made at least two costly mistakes in critical moments of the game.

The first came on a first-and-goal from the Denver one-yard-line. Lawrence threw an interception to Broncos safety Justin Simmons after rolling to his right, attempting to force a ball to the back of the end zone. The pass, though, left his hands short, giving Simmons an easy pick, thwarting the Jaguars from taking a two-score lead.

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After the game, Lawrence indicated he felt the decision to throw wasn't an issue, rather it was the execution of the play and the placement of the ball.

"The thing you look back and say is you put it in a spot where only your guy can get it, and if he catches it, great, touchdown; if not, it's incomplete. Probably obviously not the best location for the ball there," said Lawrence, who completed 18 of 31 passes for 133 yards. his lowest total of the season.

"But really don't think that it was necessarily the wrong decision, just didn't throw a good ball and didn't keep it away from those guys on the goal line."

Lawrence has often been aggressive with the football this season. A similar situation occurred during the team's Week 5 loss to the Houston Texans, also near the goal line. Lawrence threw a pick on second down, attempting to squeeze the ball to one of his receivers.

On Monday, Pederson said the interception was "disappointing," and something the team will have to continue to teach Lawrence.

"I just think that with Trevor and just understanding football and understanding the situation and where we are, you know, all that stuff comes into play and you don't have to force things, you don't have to chase plays, you don't have to try to make something [happen] that's not there," said Pederson.

Making certain that Lawrence understands that aspect of the game and doesn't make the same mistake again moving forward is the priority. With first-and-goal at the one, Pederson said, there are a lot of opportunities available as an offense, and "we can't take points off the board."

Still, though, the coach doesn't want to necessarily take the aggressiveness out of his young signal caller.

"Obviously, he saw something that he thought was there. And, again, we just got to continue to teach it and coach it. Listen, I'm not gonna take the aggressiveness away from Trevor, I love that part about him but, at the same time, we've got to be smart."

Lawrence has completed 62.5 percent of his passes this season for 1,840 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. He's had four games without a pick, two games with two interceptions (Texans, Broncos) and two games with one interception (Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles).

He's only 17 yards ahead of his total passing yards from a year ago after eight games. He's thrown two more touchdowns and three fewer interceptions through the same period.

Trade deadline approaches with Jaguars as potential sellers

Over the past couple of weeks, teams have reached out to each other to inquire about potential trades as the Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 4 p.m. deadline approaches. The Jaguars have already proven to be potential sellers after trading away running back James Robinson to the New York Jets, and that could continue to be the case just prior to last call.

On Monday, Pederson was asked about the team potentially being sellers, anticipating losing any players to trade either Monday or Tuesday. The Jaguars' head coach indicated that anything is possible.

"We're always going to do what's best for Jacksonville, we're always going to do what's best for the team. If teams call, you're obviously going to listen and be open to what they have to say or what they're interested in," said Pederson.

"But, as of right now, the roster is what it is. I like the roster, we've got to continue to work and build it. But, at the same time, if teams are going to call, then obviously, you're going to take a listen."

As of late, there have been rumors and speculation specifically regarding outside linebacker Josh Allen and his potential availability. Recently, SI's Albert Breer indicated that the Kansas City Chiefs are a team that has checked on the availability of Allen, "though they may be a little more reluctant to part with their 2023 first-rounder."

Allen is currently under contract in Jacksonville at least through the 2023 season after the team picked up his nearly $11 million fifth-year option earlier this year. He currently leads the team in pressures with 32, according to Pro Football Focus.

He has accounted for three sacks and 10 quarterback hits this season. Since being selected with the seventh-overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Allen has accounted for 23.5 sacks, 30 tackles for loss and 60 quarterback hits through 41 games.

Asked specifically about Allen's potential availability, Pederson said that he isn't going to "get into a lot of details" about the roster.

"There's a lot of moving parts in the NFL, and everybody's trying to make moves, especially those teams that are having success and all of that," Pederson said, adding that the Jaguars could have an opportunity to add some talent somewhere, "so we obviously are gonna take a look at everything."

At 2-6, the Jaguars are in no man's land as far as building the roster up for this season, or the future. If the team is looking to add a player, it would likely be for the distant future, and not as much in the immediate.

"I'm with [Jaguars general manager] Trent [Baalke], he and I are united on all of this, and how we handle the roster. Really like the guys and how they're working right now. Like I said earlier, we just got to keep working with them."

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @Demetrius82.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Doug Pederson talks Trevor Lawrence, Josh Allen trade rumors