By Don Coble, Jax Sports News
JACKSONVILLE – For the first time in nine years, when Trevor Lawrence didn’t turn to hand the ball off to Travis Etienne Jr. on the first day of training camp on Wednesday, July 29. After spending three years together at Clemson, then the last five with the Jaguars, Etienne left for New Orleans in free agency during the offseason.
Like everyone else on the Jacksonville roster, adjusting to not having Etienne paired with Lawrence will take time. But in the NFL, there’s no time for sentimentality.
“We’re going to miss Travis, but show goes on,” Lawrence said. “We got to figure it out.”
The Jaguars signed Chris Rodriguez Jr. from the Washington Commanders to replace Etienne. Lawrence said he’s now more focused on the future.
“I feel like the chemistry is still there,” he said. “No matter how good or bad you were the year before, it’s a fresh start, it’s a new year. You can’t carry anything over. For any team, any year, that’s always what you have to do.”
That includes results of the best season of his profession career. He not only finished with a career-best 4,007 yards and 29 touchdowns with only 12 interceptions. Lawrence also ran for 359 yards and a team-best nine more TDs.
Jacksonville also won the AFC South with a 13-4 regular season record, but Lawrence said none of that matters at this year’s training camp.
“I think for our team to start, really scratch that mindset of, we’ve got to earn it,” Lawrence said. “You know, the way we prepare now until the season starts, and it’s already started in April, honestly, but from now until the season starts, that’s what’s going to earn us the right to win games in the fall.”
Last season provided a roadmap for success. Head coach Liam Coen brought a different kind of enthusiasm a year ago. He also made it clear everyone will be accountable. His tone has been consistent, exact and inspiring. And there is no doubt about the processes that are in place.
He told the team on the eve of the first day of training camp, “Let’s go earn something.” Lawrence said Jacksonville can now work on refining what they’ve started, instead of learning Coen’s playbook.
“Because you saw when we started clicking at the end of last season how efficient and how sharp we were in some of the plays we were able to make,” Lawrence said.
“So, just starting that now and trying to practice like that every day. So, we can start the season that way and not take a few weeks to get there.
“For our team to start from scratch, that mindset of we have to earn it.”
Lawrence said he spent time in the offseason working out and preparing instead of rehabbing from an injury. Physically, he’s already ahead of last year.
“I feel really healthy, feel like I’m in great shape,” he said. “I think I’m throwing it as good as ever. I feel really good to get an offseason to train and to not have to just rehab and try to get back healthy, but to be healthy and just get stronger and work on my game and my fundamentals. I mean, it’s a good feeling, so I’m just excited to feel good.”
Coen said the Jaguars will add a new wrinkle this season by utilizing a two tight end set. The team used its first draft pick to take tight ends Nate Boerkircher from Texas A&M in the second round and Tanner Koziol of Houston in the fifth round. They are joined by Brenton Strange, who had 46 catches for 540 yards and three TDs, last year and Hunter Long (12 receptions, 85 yards and two TDs).
“It’s such an important position in any offense, especially an offense like ours,” Lawrence said. “I think you’re seeing that connection to that position on our team, and I think all of our guys can play. We can get those guys on the field more often than maybe we have in the past. That’s a good thing.”
The players had Saturday off, but they will return to camp on Sunday, Aug. 2, at 8:30 a.m. at the Miller Electric Center.
