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NFL Scout: Trevor Lawrence Will Have 'True Rookie Year' in '22 After Urban Meyer Exit
June 14, 2022
One benefit of the Jacksonville Jaguars moving on from Urban Meyer so quickly is it gives Trevor Lawrence an opportunity to work with a new, accomplished NFL head coach in 2022.
Speaking to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, one AFC scout said the upcoming season will be like Lawrence's "true rookie year" while playing for Doug Pederson.
"Hopefully not too many permanent scars from last year," the scout added.
There's a strong argument to be made that the Jaguars damaged Lawrence's rookie season long before he was taken with the No. 1 overall pick in 2021.
Jacksonville announced in January, three months before selecting Lawrence, that Meyer had been hired as head coach. The 57-year-old had never coached in the NFL and had been out of coaching for two years after retiring from Ohio State following the 2019 Rose Bowl.
Things fell apart almost immediately for Meyer in Jacksonville. The first known incident occurred following the Jaguars' 24-17 loss at the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4. He didn't fly home with the team and was filmed at his restaurant in Columbus with a woman who wasn't his wife dancing on his lap.
In December, kicker Josh Lambo told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times that Meyer kicked him during warm-ups before a preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.
"I'm in a lunge position," Lambo explained. "Left leg forward, right leg back. ... Urban Meyer, while I'm in that stretch position, comes up to me and says, 'Hey Dips--t, make your f--king kicks!' And kicks me in the leg."
Meyer was fired by the Jaguars on Dec. 16 one day after the allegations by Lambo were reported and a 2-11 start to the season.
As things were falling apart with the Jaguars' coaching situation, Lawrence had a disappointing rookie season with virtually no support system. The 22-year-old finished the year with 3,641 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and tied for the NFL lead with 17 interceptions.
Pederson, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl in 2017, was hired as Jacksonville's new head coach in February. He helped mold Carson Wentz into a Pro Bowl quarterback and guided Nick Foles on a postseason run that culminated with him winning Super Bowl MVP.
Lawrence entered the NFL with the potential of being a generational quarterback. He was put in a terrible position last season, and the results showed. Things should be better with Pederson guiding the ship for him to succeed in 2022.