The Boys of Fall

 

As I write this here in sunny (and frequently stormy) Jacksonville, Florida, our beloved Jaguars are conducting their first day of practice in full pads. That's right--our players are out there thumping again. The summer seems to have flown by, and another NFL season is right around the corner. It's hard to imagine that the Jags have a game next weekend, but here we are.

I'm bullish on this squad.

After last year's late-season collapse, I give general manger Trent Baalke and head coach Doug Pederson a lot of credit in overhauling this roster. Arik Armstead looks to be a strong veteran presence on an emerging defensive line. If Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker continue to make strides and DaVon Hamilton is fully recovered from his back injury then I think the Jags will have a formidable defensive front this fall.

The wide receiving corps, with the additions of Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas, Jr., in particular, should provide some downfield options for Trevor Lawrence that will help free things up underneath for Evan Engram and Christian Kirk. 

Travis Etienne is poised to take even another step this year as our lead running back, and I have a sneaking suspicion that Tank Bigsby will be much improved as his back-up.

Tyson Campbell, fresh on the heels of a new contract, and Ronald Darby should be fine in the secondary, and I think the addition of rookie Jarrian Jones is huge for this team. I expect Jones to get a lot of time on the field right from the jump, and Andre Cisco, Antonio Johnson, and Darnell Savage are all quality safeties. 

This team has more quality depth than I can ever remember in all of my time in Jacksonville, and we'll need it in a suddenly very competitive AFC South.

But it all falls on the shoulders of Trevor Lawrence. Early reports from training camp indicate that he's been having trouble connecting with his new receivers. He's thrown multiple interceptions in multiple practices, which is certainly not the news you want to hear on a player that just signed one of the richest contracts in professional sports.

But I have every confidence in Trevor and I really endorse the signing. He's an intelligent, charismatic, confident leader and just the right player to have as the face of the franchise and our city. His athletic gifts are undeniable, and his teammates love playing with him. Everything seems to be in place for a bounce-back for Trevor if our offensive line can give him some time and he can avoid the injuries that so clearly limited his performance in the back half of last year.

It's time to go! We have an NFL game this Thursday, and I've never been more excited about the year ahead for the Jacksonville Jaguars...