The Jacksonville Jaguars got their quarterback. They snuck past the New York Jets for the worst team in the NFL standings last season and got Trevor Lawrence. Things could start to turn around for the Jaguars starting this season, but a lot of things are going to have to go right for them.
The defense is going to need guys like Josh Allen, C.J. Henderson, and Shaquill Griffin to step up to their potential. The offensive line consists of the same five starters that ended last season together, and they'll have to make a jump. Both of those group can make life easier for a rookie quarterback in Lawrence, but the young offensive weapons really need to step up.
Jaguars X-Factor: The young offensive trio of D.J. Chark, Laviska Shenault Jr. and James Robinson
James Robinson is the leader of a young trio of weapons for Lawrence to be throwing or handing off to this season. The other two are wide receivers D.J. Chark and Laviska Shenault Jr. Both are former second-round picks by Jacksonville, and both have more in the tank than what we've seen so far.
Chark will be entering his fourth season in the NFL, and he has just one campaign with over 1,000 receiving yards. His rookie year didn't see him get a ton of playing time and 2020 was slightly disappointing, but he was also a part of the worst team in the league. Maybe Lawrence can be the guy to consistently get Chark over 1,000 yards every season.
Shenault was taken in the 2020 draft, so this will be just his second season in the NFL. He showed some flashes of a guy who could be a good No. 2 receiver next to Chark if both reach their potential, but we need to see more this season. The goal is ultimately for Shenault to have a breakout in Year 2 similar to the one Chark had. Shenault played in 14 games last season and racked up exactly 600 yards with five touchdowns. There were a ton of rookie receivers last season, most notably Justin Jefferson, so Shenault didn't get a ton of recognition. Now is his time to shine with Lawrence at quarterback.
As for Robinson, the main Jaguars headlines last season involved the undrafted rookie taking over and looking great for the 14 games he played. Robinson is only 23 years old and should once again be handling the bulk of the carries for Jacksonville.
In the most recent draft, the Jaguars took Travis Etienne in the first round. It looked like the approach was going to be much more of a committee at the position, but Etienne is set to miss the entire season, giving Robinson another chance at being the bell cow.
The hope is that his rookie season wasn't a fluke and he is able to continue being as good as he was last season. Robinson averaged 4.5 yards per carry on just over 17 carries per game last season. If Jacksonville can get a repeat of that, things will be looking up.
Overall, Trevor Lawrence should be fin in his rookie season. But if this team wants to take a real step toward the playoffs, his receivers and star running back need to be a big help. It's time for these young guys to show they belong atop the depth chart.
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