Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images A look back at the soundbites of the week as the Jaguars move full steam into the offseason Football is officially over - not just for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but for everyone. With the team finalizing their coaching staff, reminiscing on a season lost, and looking towards free agency and the draft, here are the quotes of the week: “Still a terrific player, but he has much to prove” 
Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images Let’s start with some national reporting all the way back last Friday, where SI.com’s Matt Verderame created a ‘QB Confidence Index’ for the AFC. This should make particularly interesting reading to Jaguars fans, who very much still have faith in Trevor Lawrence, but expect there is more to come from their franchise quarterback. 2023 could have gone better, but Verderame agrees with the general consensus: “Yes, Trevor Lawrence played through injuries throughout the back half of the season. Yes, his offensive line was inconsistent. But Lawrence was supposed to take a quantum leap last year, and instead threw 21 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. More importantly, Jacksonville collapsed down the stretch, missing the playoffs. Lawrence is still a terrific player, but he has much to prove.” With a contract extension looming, 2024 would be a good time for Lawrence to make that leap - for the coaching staff’s sake as much as his own. “I wanted to be in the playoffs” #Jaguars RB Travis Etienne did it with a terrible offensive line pic.twitter.com/L0YYyDh5yd— Justin Churchill (@ChurchillAtoZ) February 24, 2024 Over to Juston Lewis and the Jacksonville Florida Times-Union, who sat down with running back Travis Etienne on Sunday. An excellent article that focuses on Etienne’s leadership qualities and targets for next season, it did touch on the disappointment of the previous campaign. Unsurprisingly, Travis doubled down on his own feelings - 2023 did not hit the heights expected: “I wanted to be in the playoffs. I feel like that’s why I got into this game,” Etienne said. “Didn’t meet the requirements of being a playoff team this year. I gotta find ways to proceed and improve my game and get better. So that next year, I’m in the playoffs. We’re in the playoffs and we’re playing for something.” Very much echoing the sentiment from the team as a whole, Etienne has laid a marker down for what constitutes success. Now it’s time to achieve it. “They definitely stood out to me” "I can match up with the best of the best from a speed perspective."@JustinM_NFL talked with @King_Mighty1 about his Senior Bowl takeaways, his upcoming participation in the #NFLCombine, playing man and zone coverage, and much more. #NFLDrafthttps://t.co/RgfKgAxlVq— The Draft Network (@TheDraftNetwork) February 22, 2024 A shift in focus to this offseason now. Could the Jaguars be targeting a cornerback in the NFL Draft? The Draft Network’s Justin Melo interviewed Auburn Tigers’ defensive back Nehemiah Pritchett on Thursday, discussing with him some teams he had the chance to speak to at the recent Senior Bowl. Pritchett declared he felt more interest from one team than any other: “I felt that way with the Jacksonville Jaguars. They definitely stood out to me. There were a few other teams, but it’s tough to remember since I pretty much met with every team. Jacksonville definitely stood out for sure” With Pritchett getting pegged as anything from a day two to day three selection, it will be interesting to see if the Jaguars follow up on their interest - and in which round. “He showed that he can be a dominant edge rusher” Where will Calvin Ridley play next szn? pic.twitter.com/lsJkhCezsD— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) February 17, 2024 Rounding out this week in quotes is CBS senior sports writer Pete Prisco, who named his top 100 free agents this offseason on Thursday. Three Jaguars made the cut; coming in at a lofty number three, Josh Allen rightly earned fair praise from Prisco - who is confident the team will keep the talented edge rusher around for at least one more season: “He had his career-best season with 17.5 sacks at the right time. He showed that he can be a dominant edge rusher. The Jaguars will likely tag him if they don’t get a deal done.” Also high up on the list was wide receiver Calvin Ridley, who announced his return to the NFL with a 1,000 yard season - only the second of his career. Prisco acknowledged his playmaking skills and suggests a return to the Jaguars is likely, even if 2023 wasn’t without some teething issues: “He had moments where he flashed big-time ability with the Jaguars, but at other times he seemed lost. He had trouble running the right routes. He admitted it was tough learning the offense, which is why he hinted he wants to go back to Jacksonville.” Sneaking onto the list at 98th was offensive gerd Ezra Cleveland, who came to the Jaguars in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings last season. Could Baalke make it a triple lock and tie down all three free agents before they hit the open market? “The Jaguars traded to get him from Minnesota and he became a starter at left guard. The staff is said to love him, which means they will likely do what they can to bring him back.” Free agency should be interesting. Stay tuned! Source: https://www.bigcatcountry.com/2024/2/23 ... t-for-sure
