Expectations are high for Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of the 2023 NFL season. The Jaguars are odds-on favorites to win the AFC South, and Trevor Lawrence is viewed as a borderline top-10 quarterback. The latest comments from Jaguars coach Doug Pederson suggest that Lawrence's expectations for himself and Jacksonville might even exceed those of outside observers.

“The biggest thing that I’ve seen with Trevor, now going on two years, from where we had him a year ago in the offseason to today, just his confidence is incredible. It’s off the charts,” Pederson during Monday's press conference, via ProFootballTalk. “He’s put the past behind him, he’s focused on the future, and really embraced this opportunity with this football team. The confidence level with him is extremely high, as it should be.”

Following a disastrous rookie season under Urban Meyer, Lawrence led the Jaguars to the playoffs in his first year with Pederson at the helm. Lawrence was one of the NFL's best quarterbacks in the second half of the year. The Jaguars mounted a historic comeback against the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round.

“It’s fun to be around guys like that and young quarterbacks like that, again, as we’ve said, he’s a sponge,” Pederson said. “He wants to learn. He wants to get better. Obviously, he’s not where he wants to be or where we want him to be because we can always get better and improve. I think his overall leadership ability has really been the bright spot for him heading into training camp this year.”

The Jaguars beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-23 in Week 1 of the preseason. Lawrence completed five of his six passes, throwing for 36 yards, one touchdown and one interception.