Trevor Lawrence’s Recovery: A Balancing Act for the Jaguars
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars are in a delicate dance with their star quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, as he continues his recovery from surgery. The procedure, which repaired the AC joint in his left shoulder, has put Lawrence on a limited schedule this spring. However, the team remains optimistic that he will be fully cleared by the time training camp kicks off.
Jaguars coach Liam Coen has been transparent about the situation, noting that there isn’t a set plan for how much throwing Lawrence will do. Instead, Lawrence’s progress is being closely monitored by Jeff Ferguson, the vice president of player health and performance, and Will Wynkoop, his personal strength coach. As the offseason program unfolds, the team is taking a cautious approach.
“As we lead in, we’re optimistic that we’ll get there in terms of where we need to go,” Coen said on Wednesday. “He’ll be on a pitch count for those things. In terms of where he has to get to, because he has little touch points he needs to reach before he can obviously get out onto the grass and do it full speed, everything’s moving forward. He feels really good right now, so excited about that.”
Lawrence, who underwent surgery on December 17, was in a sling until late January. He expressed confidence in his recovery timeline, stating, “We don’t play a game until this fall, so obviously I’m going to be ready sooner than that, so I’m very optimistic I’ll be perfectly good for the season.” He added, “I’m throwing and obviously I’m kind of progressing and working my way up further distance, more throws, just trying to be smart and not just jump off into the deep end right away. Just trying to work up to it.”
The injury saga began when Lawrence hurt his shoulder against Philadelphia on November 3. He missed the next two games but returned to start against Houston on December 1, only to suffer a concussion that sidelined him for the rest of the 2024 season. He cleared concussion protocol on December 15, paving the way for his surgery.
This isn’t Lawrence’s first encounter with shoulder surgery. He had a similar procedure in February 2021 to repair a labrum injury, which limited his participation in the Jaguars’ rookie minicamp and OTAs. This time around, the lighter throwing load presents an opportunity for Lawrence to focus on another aspect of his game: footwork.
During an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, Coen highlighted the need for Lawrence to improve his footwork. On Wednesday, he clarified that the changes required are more about tweaking than overhauling. “If you can have core fundamentals and footwork that you believe in and that you trust in those times of crisis, you have something to actually fall back on and play with a quieted mind,” Coen explained. “And so this is a great opportunity now that he is a little limited from a throwing standpoint that we can dive into the footwork, he can dive into it on his own time and really work at this thing. So he’s committed to it. It’s something that we feel strongly about that can help him continue to get better. And ultimately on Sundays, we hope that shows up.”
Lawrence himself acknowledged the importance of addressing his footwork issues this offseason. He appreciates the offensive system’s focus on how it ties into a quarterback’s feet. “I think they’ve done a really good job of this [offensive] system of really thinking through how does it tie into a quarterback’s feet,” Lawrence said. “And that’s what we’ve been talking about and it takes some work and flipping my stance, just some little things like that that are small that many people wouldn’t notice, but it is. I have so many banked reps of the other way, I’ve got to just get all these on my own and work so once camp comes around, I’m ready to go.”
- Lawrence’s surgery was on December 17.
- He was in a sling until late January.
- He cleared concussion protocol on December 15.
- Lawrence had a similar shoulder surgery in February 2021.
As the Jaguars navigate this offseason, the focus remains on ensuring Lawrence is not only physically ready but also technically sound. The team is hopeful that these efforts will pay dividends when the season begins, allowing Lawrence to lead the Jaguars with confidence and precision.
Originally Written by: Michael DiRocco
