Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson has had previous success in getting the best out of quarterbacks. From his time in working with Alex Smith while offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs to his run alongside Carson Wentz during his stint as Philadelphia Eagles head coach, Pederson has a stout track record when it comes to formulating a keen scheme for his quarterbacks.

Pederson’s next task will be to exploit the potential out of first-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The former College Football Playoff national champion did not have his most productive rookie campaign, which included 17 interceptions and turbulent play on third downs.

Overall, Pederson sees much promise in Lawrence, and among his first duties will be to work with the Jaguars passer to help him better understand situational football, which touched on to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

“A lot of what he is and who he is as a quarterback obviously can translate over to the pro game,” Pederson said. “Because offenses are being geared more towards that style of quarterback. But at the same time, listen, third down in the NFL is a huge down. Red zone in the NFL is huge. And there are situational things that we can teach and he can learn and grow and get better at. That’s how you play the quarterback position.

“You gotta watch tape, you gotta study, you gotta be prepared because everybody’s good. And that’s week-in and week-out, so that’s the thing now that we can help Trevor with, and help him become a much better pro from his rookie year into his second year—teach him how to watch tape, what to study, what to break down, and really provide the resources for him so he can be successful on game day.”

Much of what marred Lawrence’s debut season with the Jaguars simply came down to his inefficient play during crucial situations of games, including with his performances on third downs and in the red zone. The former Clemson Tigers passer well recognized that he did not have his best outings in such in-game situations, as he recently noted that the biggest adjustment from his rookie campaign was “understanding situational football.”

Lawrence threw a trio of interceptions on third downs to go along with a 50.9 percent completion percentage in such plays. More so, he wound up posting a 79.5 passer rating in the red zone, as he recorded seven passing touchdowns in this area of the field.

All in all, Pederson wants to orchestrate a scheme that will simply best suit Lawrence moving forward, and he is much open to a compromise on this matter.

“It’s really, you gotta find that common ground and that’s what we did with Carson [Wentz],” Pederson said. “Let him verbalize what he likes, what he doesn’t like. And listen, we have playbooks and pages of stuff, but it’s what he likes.

“We don’t have to run it all, but we gotta find that common ground. That comes through getting to know each other, and that’s the important part. And yeah, it’s that coming together where we want the quarterbacks to be involved and give us their input because that’s how we shape our system.”

Much attention sure will be centered on not only how Lawrence performs in his sophomore season in the NFL but also on how he ends up meshing with the new Jaguars head coach.