Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence was the EPA’s sixth-best deep passer in 2023

With two new major threats on the outside, could 2024 be the best year for Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence as a vertical passer?

There seem to be a few things that point to this being the case. According to Pro Football Focus, even though Lawrence played without a true ball winner on the field in 2023, Lawrence finished 6th in deep passing EPA in 2023. Now, Lawrence can carry that ability into 2024 by using one of the biggest threats in the NFL in Gabe Davis and first-round wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.

“Lawrence had his best year as a deep passer, recording 11 touchdowns, 34 first downs and a league-best 30 throws in big stretches. He set career highs in adjusted completion percentage (50.7%), passer rating (114.9) and turnovers-worthy play rate (6.7%) on deep throws. Since entering the league in 2021, Lawrence ranks among the top five quarterbacks in deep touchdowns (24), deep first touchdowns (79) and deep throws (70).

– Lauren Gray, football specialist

The Jaguars will have a revamped wide receiver room this year, replacing Calvin Ridley, Jamal Agnew and Zay Jones with Davis, Thomas and Devin Duvernay. While Lawrence will have to adjust to his new goals, it’s clear that the potential of the Jaguars’ passing attack has increased in the offseason.

“Obviously Brian (Thomas Jr.)’s length and speed was a big thing that was his strength throughout his college career. And then there was something that Gabe (WR Gabe Davis) always brought,” Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said last month.

“You’re not going to have a super high passing percentage if you’re pushing the ball down the pitch. We feel like we did a good job calling it an action game. they were particularly explosive when you look at our numbers in terms of the concepts we tested and the ability to push the ball. We did a good job and Evan (Engram) and Christian (Kirk) on the inside. We are working hard and can sometimes adjust security depending on coverage rules. We feel we have people with whom we can push the ball down the pitch. We just have to get a chance and check their types of plays throughout the game.