JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars will be on the field practicing in training camp on Wednesday. So what are we to expect? Here are the three things I’m going to be most curious to see in camp.
First, how do both the offense and the defense look with the new systems? Have they retained the information from the offseason practice? Is there a lot of confusion? And if so, do we see progress in that area over the course of the first couple of weeks? This is especially important with so many young players expected to play key roles, not the least of which, of course, is rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Which leads me to point number two.
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How does Trevor look? As I’ve been saying since they drafted him, what is most important for Lawrence is progress. He doesn’t have to be razor-sharp right out of the gate. The preseason is there for a reason. Is he processing things quickly? Is he developing as a leader at the professional level--which can be different than in college? Does he take ownership of the offense? And, how does he do in specific game situations like third down, red zone and the two-minute drill? All things we want to see him improve on over time.
Finally, How does this particular group of players respond to adversity as a collective? With things like positive COVID tests added to the usual mix of training camp challenges, the way the team handles these obstacles is going to be something I’ll be watching. Usually, the preseason hurdles are more mental than physical--depending on the intensity of the training camp. So we’ll see how things play out in that regard. We know Urban Meyer wants to practice and play fast, so I expect a decent level of intensity, at least as much is allowed by modern rules.
Training camp begins Wednesday and six days later, the Jaguars will be in pads for the first time.