Trevor Lawrence isn’t spending much energy on the preseason schedule. The Jaguars quarterback has been around this block enough times to know his real focus is on the work in front of him, not the calendar.
That was the message again after the 10th day of training camp at the Miller Electric Center on Aug. 9, with Jacksonville getting ready for its first of three joint practices with the New Orleans Saints later this week. The first preseason game is set for Aug. 15, but Lawrence said he’s more interested in treating every rep like it matters.
“We got practice still on Tuesday here, and then we're going to go do joint practice and just trying to treat all those like game reps and get all these valuable reps that are good opportunities for us to learn and grow,” Lawrence said. “And then when the game comes, if I play, then I'll go and do my best there too. But I try not to focus on it too much.”
That mindset has shown up in his work. Lawrence went 10 of 15 in practice and delivered one of the day’s sharpest throws on a deep ball down the sideline to Parker Washington. The connection between the two has become one of the more reliable developments in camp, with Washington standing out as Jacksonville’s most consistent performer early on.
“Just consistency. I mean, the same guy every day, Lawrence said of Washington.
"We might not connect on every rep, but it's that dialogue and the communication every single time. And you know what you're going to get from him."
The Lawrence-Washington chemistry has been easy to spot in practice. Washington has been productive in every setting, whether it’s full team work, 7-on-7, or 1-on-1 drills, and the touchdowns have started to pile up.
The sequence that led to one of them told the story: Lawrence had thrown Washington the same look earlier in individual work, called himself out for a bad pass, then adjusted after a quick conversation. When the play came back around in team drills, the throw was cleaner, and Washington was able to run under it for another score.
“I think you just learn as you play more football the best ways to communicate, what's actually important,” Lawrence said of his communication skills. “Like don't fill guys' brains with stuff that's really not that important. Like what do you actually need them to know?”
Lawrence also acknowledged that camp hasn’t been perfect. Some days have been better than others, and he credited Jacksonville’s defense for pushing the offense throughout camp.
Even so, his routine hasn’t changed. He keeps working after practice, taking extra time to get on the same page with different pass catchers and keep sharpening the details.
That attitude hasn’t gone unnoticed by the coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Grant Udinski pointed to the way Lawrence keeps approaching the job, even in areas where a veteran might be tempted to coast.
“It's so easy, even for me, to assume we've done this before, we can relax on this coaching point or this detail or this play or this concept,” offensive coordinator Grant Udinski said of Lawrence. “He approaches it with that same beginner mentality or that white-belt mindset every single time he steps in the door. And that's what makes him so special; that makes him such a joy to coach.”
As the Jaguars head into the preseason, Lawrence’s attention stays on the same thing: getting better with every snap, whether that snap comes in practice or in a game.
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