After his season ended prematurely due to a shoulder injury, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence will be taking things slow this offseason.
According to the team (via ESPN), Lawrence will be limited in the spring as his recovery continues from surgery to repair the AC joint in his non-throwing shoulder.
Currently, Lawrence is on track to be fully cleared by training camp in the summer.
Jags coach Liam Coen says there isn’t a plan in place for how much throwing the former Clemson star would do. However, Lawrence is being monitored by both team health staff and his own personal strength coach.
‘As we lead in, we’re optimistic that we’ll get there in terms of where we need to go,’ Coen said Wednesday.
‘He’ll be on a pitch count for those things. In terms of the where he has to get to, because he has little touch points he needs to reach before he can obviously get out onto the grᴀss and do it full speed, everything’s moving forward. He feels really good right now, so excited about that.’
Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence will be taking it easy as he recovers from surgery
Jaguars coach Liam Coen says that Lawrence will be on a ‘pitch clock’ this offseason
Lawrence went under the knife on December 17 and was seen in a sling through January.
‘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,’ Lawrence said.
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 franchise quarterback, who will enter his fifth season in the NFL this September, hurt his shoulder last November.
He missed two games, but returned for a December game against the Houston Texans. In that game, he suffered a concussion off a dirty hit from linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.
Lawrence was cleared from concussion protocol on December 15 – just two days before he underwent surgery.
The former Pro Bowler has had a history of injuries in this specific shoulder. He once had surgery in February 2021 to repair a torn labrum before his first season in the league.
Coen says that Lawrence will spend time improving his footwork, something the coach believes the veteran has to work on.
Lawrence got surgery after recovering from a concussion on this hit from Azeez Al-Shaair
Coen says Lawrence will have to be working on his footwork as his shoulder heals
Lawrence has had previous surgery on his left shoulder to repair a torn labrum in 2021
‘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 said.
‘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.’
Coen added, ‘He’s extremely talented, and he’s made some unbelievable plays at critical moments and led some huge comebacks. He’s played hurt. He’s done so many good things.
‘Now it’s just about, OK, how do we fine-tune it and just тιԍнтen it up a little bit to get him in a place where he is comfortable to cut the ball loose on time and in rhythm regardless of the circumstances.’
Lawrence isn’t ignoring his struggles in that area: ‘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.
‘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.’
