No surprise: Trevor Lawrence named Jacksonville Jaguars' starting quarterback
The Jacksonville Jaguars brought an end to what little suspense remained around their quarterback competition.
Coach Urban Meyer announced Wednesday that Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, would be the team's Week 1 starter.
“It doesn’t really change anything, though,” Lawrence said of the decision. “Still got the same task in front of us, got to get a lot better, individually, as a team, as an offense. Just looking forward to going to work this week. It brings some clarity, which is nice, going forward. But it really doesn’t change much, but, yeah, I’m really excited for the opportunity, grateful for it.”
Lawrence had widely been expected to seize the role ever since the Jaguars secured the top pick and subsequently selected the Clemson product. But Meyer and his assistant coaches long refused to declare that the 6-6, 213-pound rookie had already won the job, instead keeping Gardner Minshew in the mix.
"We wanted him to earn it, as we do with every position," Meyer said Wednesday. "We felt he has, after (Monday) night's performance was – it was good, obviously not great. We didn't run the ball very well. I kind of in my mind had that after the second preseason (game) that we kind of have to get someone ready to play in three weeks."
Lawrence has been uneven through two preseason games as the Jaguars' offense has sputtered. After completing six of nine passes for 71 yards in his first contest against the Cleveland Browns, Lawrence said he held onto the ball for too long, and Meyer bemoaned his attack's sluggish tempo. The signal-caller completed 14 of 23 attempts for 113 yards in Monday's loss to the New Orleans Saints, but Meyer again was unhappy with an offense that repeatedly exposed Lawrence to pressure.
“It’s frustrating, but also we just got to stick together and keep playing,” Lawrence said Wednesday. “We’re going to figure it out. I’m really confident in that. We got a bunch of guys that are putting the work in and we’re going to do everything it takes to get on the right track.”
The Jaguars open their season against the Houston Texans on Sept. 12.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trevor Lawrence named Jacksonville Jaguars' starting QB
