Preseason Week 2: Dolphins, Buccaneers win, Jaguars tie | 2MD
Travis Hunter did not play with an upper body injury as the Jaguars tied the Saints. The Dolphins and Bucs came away with wins in Preseason Week 2.
ESPN analysts discussed Trevor Lawrence’s performance and future with the Jaguars.Mike Tannenbaum suggested the Jaguars should consider drafting a quarterback if Lawrence doesn’t improve.Tannenbaum even proposed the possibility of bringing in a veteran quarterback like Kirk Cousins if Lawrence struggles.
Could the Jacksonville Jaguars move on from Trevor Lawrence, or bring in a veteran like Kirk Cousins if he doesn’t play well in 2025?
That was the opinion from a panel on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Aug. 18.
Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky and former Jets and Dolphins executive Mike Tannenbaum joined Mike Greenberg and Adam Schefter to discuss the Jaguars‘ fifth-year signal caller.
The conversation centered around Lawrence’s performance on Sunday in the Jaguars’ preseason game against New Orleans.
Lawrence and much of the first-team offense played the first two series in the game.
On the first drive, Lawrence led the team on a nine-play drive that moved the ball 51 yards before Lawrence stumbled after a snap but still tried to hand off to running back Tank Bigsby. Bigsby couldn’t secure the hand-off and the ball fell on the turf and was recovered by the Saints, ruining a red zone opportunity.
“Sloppy. Disappointing. You’re taught from a very early age at that position, and I know it’s the preseason, but if you go down and it’s a handoff situation, don’t try to force it,” Orlovsky said. “We’ll figure it out, especially when you’re in field goal range, another option.”
However, Orlovsky went on to praise Lawrence’s overall performance. Lawrence finished 8-of-10 for 76 yards and a touchdown.
“He looked sharp. He was aggressive with the football,” Orlovsky said. “I thought his decisions were really consistently over the middle of the field, where it should go. And the conviction in which he threw the football was a big deal to me. Led some good scoring drives, so overall impressed by what I saw from Trevor Lawrence.”
Orlovsky said Lawrence has the second-most pressure of any quarterback in the league in 2025, behind Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears. He said both franchises are built around their No. 1 overall draft picks, and they need to play as such.
“He has to take his mindset to a place he’s never taken it before. All encompassing. The confidence, the conviction, the accountability, the leadership, everything about not only himself but his organization,” Orlovsky said. “The excuses in many ways are gone. You give him a free pass with the Urban Meyer time. Then Doug Pederson takes him to a new level, then there’s regression. Now Liam Coen goes there. Every guy he’s worked with has gotten better. Brian Thomas Jr. is a star. They’ve given him an ample amount of talent around him. It is put up or (he hushed himself and made a gesture) time for Trevor Lawrence.”
However, Tannenbaum chimed in with a different point of view.
“Dan talked about his mindset. It’s much more about his fundamentals. He was coached by Doug Pederson. Doug Pederson knows how to coach quarterbacks,” Tannenbaum said. “He was 60.6 percent completion percentage last year, which was 31st in the NFL. He was 29th in completion above expectation. That’s not good enough for someone that good.
“To me, it’s more about his fundamentals than anything. I know he was hurt last year. I think he’s gotten a little bit of a free pass. I know he has guaranteed money next year. To me, it’s getting late, early. If I’m Liam Coen, and their new general manager (James Gladstone), I’m thinking about drafting a quarterback if we don’t see meaningful improvement this year.”
Greenberg was quick to point out Lawrence has guaranteed money coming next year, which elicited this response from Orlovsky:
“This is a two-year window for Trevor Lawrence and Liam Coen (because the Jaguars traded away their 2026 first round pick for Travis Hunter). Make or break season, there’s no doubt about it,” Orlovsky said. “Is it fair? Playing QB in the league isn’t fair. There’s been a little bit of a roller coaster ride when it comes to his experience. There just has. Maybe the amount of talent, the organizational structure. They’ve gone all in with him.
“I know they move up to get Travis Hunter because he’s a unicorn, it’s also he can allow Trevor to play at a really high level. We often talk about what’s expected. There’s enough there for him to go play at a really high level, and he’s 100 percent capable of that.”
That’s when Tannenbaum shared his idea about who could be brought in.
“Maybe it’s Kirk Cousins,” Tannenbaum said. “If he doesn’t play well and I’m Liam Coen, just because he’s got guaranteed money next year that doesn’t mean anything.”