4 Jaguars who have momentum heading into training camp

The Jacksonville Jaguars are now over two weeks removed from the conclusion of organized team activities, which was their first under coach Doug Pederson. That means fans are partly through their wait for training camp, which will start in a month.

The OTA period was important for the Jags because they were learning from a new staff. They took in the coaching so well in the process that Pederson gave several veterans the third phase off, giving them a little extra time to rest up for the most challenging part of the year next month.

While the pads haven’t gone on, several players may have gained a little more momentum than others in OTAs. Here are four who the staff particularly seemed impressed with and have some momentum heading into camp:

QB Trevor Lawrence

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) participates in an offseason training activity Tuesday, May 31, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
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Nobody at the team’s facility will be more affected by the Jags’ decision to name Pederson their head coach than Trevor Lawrence. That said, it feels like there is a night and day difference between the coaching he’s receiving now versus the coaching he was receiving under Urban Meyer.

The most noticeable difference is that the distractions have simply been eliminated, allowing Lawrence to focus solely on football. With that being the case, Lawrence has been solid, according to Pederson, who said the staff had tested him with some tough situations in OTAs earlier this month.

“He’s doing a really nice job, really nice job leading the football team number one and just executing the offense,” Pederson said on Day 7 of OTAs. “Obviously, I’ve been impressed with him throwing the football and how easy it is for him to throw and the communication too. That’s the growth process just watching him and the questions that he asks.

“It’s been fun just to kind of get to know him a little bit. We’ve put in him in some tough situations, we’ve put the whole team in tough situations, which is part of the process too, and he’s been able to handle those really well.”

Lawrence has been able to tell a big difference as well. Not only has Pederson praised him, but the second-year quarterback seems to have a good relationship with his new coach, too.

“Oh yeah. I think you can always tell the way a coach communicates with a quarterback because he’s been in my shoes,” Lawrence said in late May. “Quarterback’s an interesting position. It’s not a big rah-rah, chew somebody out. I mean you have some coaches that are like that but for me, that’s just not what I need. I can have a conversation and [Head Coach] Coach [Doug] Pederson’s great about that.

“At every play, he gives you a piece of feedback that another coach might not give you just because he knows what it’s like and it’s something little that he might see that someone else doesn’t see. Having the head coach be able to step in, even today a couple times, three or four times, after a play, he’ll come over and give me a little tip or whatever. Just having a head coach that can do that and really, really knows what he’s talking about is cool.”

The pads haven’t gone on yet, but it’s hard for fans not to get excited when hearing about Lawrence’s connection with Pederson. Hopefully, the relationship will only grow stronger in camp, which could propel the Jags to a much better start than they got off to last season.

RB Travis Etienne

Jul 29, 2021; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne (1) participates in training camp at Dream Finders Homes practice field Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Lawrence isn’t the only first-round pick the Jags took from Clemson last year who has momentum going into camp. Travis Etienne was also impressive during OTAs. In fact, he may have been more of a hot topic than Lawrence.

Etienne was someone many had eyes on due to coming off a season-ending Lisfranc injury last preseason. However, he’s back, and it seems he’s just as fast as he was before.

Like the previous staff, the current one at least seemed intrigued by seeing Etienne’s versatility. As a result, he spent some time lining up at receiver, where CBS Sports’ Jason Jones said he looked like Deebo Samuel.

Jags offensive coordinator Press Taylor also praised Etienne by speaking about the speed he brings to the offense.

“The speed’s real.” Taylor said after OTAs. “I mean that was obviously something everybody knew coming out of college not having a chance to see a lot of the stuff he was able to do last year because he wasn’t able to play, so the speed’s very real. He did a good job of just showing understanding of the different roles we’re trying to see.

“We’re throwing him in all different positions just to see what he’s comfortable with, what he needs to work on as we move forward, give him plans moving further into summer coming back for training camp. But he’s been really receptive to everything. He’s shown an ability to grasp a lot of different things and show that he’s capable of doing things.”

The Jags’ offense lacked speed last season, so the addition of Etienne could be huge. With the possibility of Robinson not being ready for the start of camp, fans could get a good look at the first-round pick this summer, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him pick up where he left off in OTAs.

OG Ben Bartch

Jacksonville Jaguars guard Ben Bartch (78) reacts to a play during the first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

It’s hard to put a lot into how offensive linemen look in OTAs, but there is a buzz surrounding Ben Bartch for now. He now has two years under his belt and has started in 12 games throughout the process. That means he could be set to break out this season.

It seems that Jags offensive line coach Tyler Rauscher certainly thinks so and said he’s thrilled to see the third-year player in camp after he benefited from the offseason.

“He can now put together what he’s learned and effectively block,” Rauscher said, according to News4Jax. “I’m thrilled where he’s at, and he’ll have every opportunity to have a shot to play.”

The Jags came into this offseason with a question mark in terms of their starting offensive line. They let veteran guards A.J. Cann and Andrew Norwell go as a result and signed former Pro Bowler and All-Pro Brandon Scherff to replace the former.

Bartch, who started at right guard when Cann suffered a Week 4 MCL injury, is now the top option to start at left guard. After hearing Rauscher’s comments, Bartch should be pretty confident heading into camp and now has the experience to finish the job when the pads go on.

Safety Andre Cisco

Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andre Cisco (38) follows a play during the second half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Andre Cisco is the third player from the 2021 draft who we’ve listed here. Like Lawrence, having a new staff in place seems to be helping him, because, for whatever reason, the previous staff was hesitant to use him despite reports saying he was fully healthy from the ACL tear he sustained in 2020.

A prime example of how puzzling Cisco’s usage was last season was when Meyer seemed to be unaware of his lack of usage in December of last season. But when it comes to his new head coach in Pederson, it’s clear that Cisco has caught his eyes.

“He’s really done a nice job this offseason coming in there,” Pederson said about the former third round pick this month. “He’s a great communicator, just watching him with the defense and how he moves and how he fits. Again, it’s going to be really good for him once we do get the pads on and see his physicality and how he can play. He’s a really good football player for us and I’m excited to watch him during training camp.”

Cisco eventually was able to start in the Jags’ last three games when veteran Rayshawn Jenkins suffered a season-ending injury after breaking his ankle against the Houston Texans in December. When Cisco finally was able to take the field he impressed and has picked up where he left off in OTAs.

With Pederson already saying he’s excited to watch Cisco in camp, the connection between him and the new staff already looks better than it did with the old one. Additionally, Cisco will be playing for a new coordinator in Mike Caldwell who is coming from a Tampa Bay Bucs team that knew how to get the best out of their young safeties in Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jordan Whitehead. That should be an encouraging sign for the former Syracuse ballhawk heading forward.

Story originally appeared on Jaguars Wire