Jaguars vs. Browns: Doug Pederson has a long wish list a month before season opener

When the Jacksonville Jaguars kick off against the Cleveland Browns on Friday at TIAA Bank Field (7 p.m., FOX), there will still be 30 days until the regular-season opener at the Washington Commanders on Sept. 11.

But coach Doug Pederson wants to start seeing a few things in the team's second preseason game:

• How will Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Beathard, the first two quarterbacks on the depth chart, look in their first live action of the season (both were held out of last week's Hall of Fame game, a 27-11 loss to Las Vegas)?

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• Who will take charge in the battle for right tackle between three-year starter Jawaan Taylor and second-year pro Walker Little?

• With more defensive starters playing, can the Jags toughen up against the run and not get bullied at times like last week against the Raiders?

• And finally, will more leaders emerge other than the obvious ones: Lawrence, outside linebacker Josh Allen, cornerback Shaq Griffin and offensive tackle Cam Robinson?

Looking for early execution

First things first — Lawrence and much of the first offense will get perhaps two possessions, the first chances fans will see their franchise quarterback running the system that Pederson used to win a Super Bowl in 2018. Lawrence has had a good training camp, throwing only one interception, and appears to be overjoyed at the weapons the team brought in, such as wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, and tight end Evan Engram.

But it's still a new system and new teammates. As much as they looked on the same page in training camp, game conditions will tell much more.

"He’s got new faces, new people he’s working with, a new center [rookie Luke Fortner], so just seeing all of it put together," Pederson said Wednesday of his goal in the game. "You just want to have some crisp plays, good execution, try to score a few points and get them out.”

Lawrence believes he’s made good progress in learning a second system in two years as a pro.

“I think I’m definitely ahead of where I was last year ... I would hope so,” he said. “That’s the goal. I think learning the offense last year helped me learn this one faster. Once you learn one, it’s easier to learn the second one. Then just having guys like we talked about that are really smart, that are easy, you can make a check, and they pick it up right away. That’s been a lot of fun, and we’re building and building on all the different things that we can do.”

Pederson also is eager to see Lawrence's former teammate at Clemson and fellow 2021 first-round draft pick, Travis Etienne, who has been one of the offensive standouts of camp.

"We’ve seen a lot here in practice," he said of Etienne's smooth running and sure hands in the passing game. "Now, get under the lights, the roar of the crowd, and that stuff, it’s a different feel. That’s why you do it, right? You practice for all those scenarios, and he’s one of the guys we want to see.”

Solidifying the situation at right tackle will go a long way to solidifying the offense. Taylor has been hurt for much of the last two weeks in camp and Little turned in a good performance against the Raiders. But whoever loses the job is still likely to play as a swingman, so the Jags are operating from a position of strength.

Raiders bullied Jags on the ground

More first-team defensive players played last week than on offense, with the entire starting secondary and front-seven players Travon Walker, Roy Robertson-Harris and DaVon Hamilton starting. But Pederson is still smarting from the Raiders building a 20-0 halftime lead.

The Jaguars had five sacks but Pederson wants to see more grit up front, especially with Allen, linebacker Foyesade Oluokun and linemen Malcom Brown and Folorunso Fatusaki expected to play.

"On paper we’ve definitely got the depth that we wanted and that we need," he said. "We’ve got to get better at stopping the run obviously. The Raiders rushed for almost 160 yards on us. That kind of stuff can’t happen, but we’ve got to flip it. We’ve got to be the team that runs rushes for 160, but again, that comes with time and development, new techniques, playing together for the first time. It just takes a little bit of time.”

Defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell admitted that it's a process that isn't yet completed.

"It was a couple times where we miss-fit runs," he said. "We'll get back at it. Understand the film. Scout a team, understand the run they will try to hit us with and we'll be prepared for him."

Safety Andre Cisco said the players are accepting nothing less than being among the best units in the NFL.

"That’s the mindset ... the mindset is to be a top defense," he said. "That’s just how we’ve been carrying ourselves, how we’ve been talking about, and that’s our standard. So when we have a day that’s not up to our standard, we talk about it and say that’s not acceptable. Even this preseason game, we are looking to have a standard."

Looking for leaders

Cisco is one of the young players who may emerge as not only a starter but a leader. So has second-year pro Tyson Campbell, who was struggling mightily at this stage last season but is not only playing well but mentoring younger corners.

Veteran defensive Arden Key, signed in free agency, felt comfortable giving his teammates a post-practice chewing out last Sunday for not bringing the right amount of intensity.

Two other free agents, Oluokun and Fatukasi, are also showing signs of taking on leadership roles.

"It’s still a little bit early in camp, but we’re settled in now here, and you start seeing a little separation with the guys and the ones who really take the reins and lead by example," Pederson said. "Lead by grabbing their position group, grabbing the whole offense or defense ... you just need more of that. You need more guys that embrace it. It’s not about being perfect because we’re not perfect out here. Guys are going to make mistakes, but at the same time we’ve got to take ownership in it, learn from them, and this is that time.”

Contact Garry Smits at gsmits@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars vs. Browns: Doug Pederson wants smooth offense, tougher defense