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Jacksonville Jaguars GM James Gladstone: Trevor Lawrence will have voice on building roster
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- Jacksonville Jaguars GM James Gladstone: Trevor Lawrence will have voice on building roster
INDIANAPOLIS — Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone is excited to build the team around quarterback Trevor Lawrence . And he thinks the young quarterback has plenty of room to grow.
"I don't think we've seen the best of Trevor. I'm really excited for Liam to get a chance to work with him, support him and really bring the tools that he has in his arsenal to life," Gladstone said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
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Lawrence has had an up-and-down career since being drafted by the Jaguars first overall in the 2021 NFL Draft .
In his career, he's completed 63.3% of his passes for 13,815 yards, 69 touchdowns and 46 interceptions in 60 regular season games over the last four years.
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His best season came during the 2022 campaign which saw Jacksonville reach the AFC Divisional round of the playoffs. Lawrence completed 66.3% of his passes for 4,113 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
He led the team to three fourth-quarter comebacks and two game-winning drives. He posted an average net yards per attempt of 6.66 and earned a Pro Bowl bid.
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During his next two seasons, Lawrence's play took a bit of a hit, especially in 2025 when he missed seven games due to a shoulder injury. He missed just one game but played injured during the 2022 campaign.
His health will be a priority for him this offseason, something he recently gave an update on regarding his surgically repaired left shoulder.
Now, Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen will be tasked with building on Lawrence's strengths and setting him and the team up for future success by surrounding him with talented players.
Jaguars emphasizing offensive line, protecting Trevor Lawrence
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 23: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars passes the ball as he is pressured by Milo Eifler #52 of the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 23, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Setting Lawrence up for success, as Gladstone alluded to, starts up front with the team's offensive line.
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"I think it starts by the protection, right? Making sure that he feels like he's got as much time to work with as possible and also that he's comfortable with the pass catchers," Gladstone said.
"So, I think through that lens, he's going to feel that change in both the operation schematically and then the personnel that we invite into the building."
The Jaguars are entering the offseason with a major question mark on their offensive line . Starting guard Brandon Scherff is set to be a free agent when his contract voids at the turn of the new league year.
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That creates uncertainty in front of Lawrence, marking it a priority for the team to address the position, likely via the NFL Draft.
Gladstone said the team likes where they are salary-cap-wise. The NFL has not set the salary cap for 2025 yet, but OverTheCap has the team at $38,446,564 in cap space. Still, his comments lean toward team building more through the draft rather than free agency.
"I think we got some flexibility here, and we'll remain disciplined throughout the pro free agency and addressing some specific needs, but I think you guys can all expect that with the amount of draft capital that we have, not only in this draft, but the next, that that's where gonna be building," Gladstone said.
To that end, when asked about building the offensive line in Jacksonville, he mentioned the team's interior as something that'll need addressing.
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"I do think that by addressing the interior, that setting the dish for a quarterback is something that can be really helpful to their success," Gladstone said.
Gladstone elaborated on that later off to the side with local reporters, adding that Lawrence's comfortability is going to be a priority. And having a "dish" for Lawrence is going to be vital.
"I think through that lens, when a quarterback has the luxury of stepping into a throw and not feeling that internal pressure, you're going to feel a lot of of success come off that," Gladstone said.
"So, that's what I mean by setting the dish and the interior, and really look forward to working with our staff to better understand their insights on what our current interior offensive line looks like and the options that we'll have available throughout pro free agency and the draft."
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With Scherff entering free agency, starting center Mitch Morse entering the last year of his deal at 33 years old, backup Luke Fortner entering the last year of his deal and both swing tackles — Blake Hance and Cole Van Lanen headed toward free agency, the team's offensive line becomes one of, if not the priority for Jacksonville this offseason.
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Trevor Lawrence to have input on building Jaguars roster
In addition to Gladstone and Coen leaning on Lawrence on the field, they'll also solicit his perspective away from the gridiron, too, when it comes to building the team's roster.
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During his availability at the Combine, Coen said the team wants to seek his advice and involve him "as much as we can" without putting too much on his plate.
" He's a new father , now a husband, he's just getting into it," Coen said with a smile. "But he's hungry. He's hungry. He wants to be playing at the highest level possible, and how do we include him in some of those conversations, specifically with some of the skill players and obviously on the offensive line," Coen said.
"So, he will definitely be involved in some of that while just being mindful of not putting too much on him, because he's going to be learning a completely new system and having to go through a new transition again."
One decision Lawrence will likely have some say on will be what the team does with receiver Christian Kirk .
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Kirk is entering the last year of his contract and is set to count around $24 million in cap space. If the team releases him with a post-June 1st designation, they can save $16.205 million against their salary cap.
Coen said the team hasn't talked much about that yet.
"We haven't even gotten to that conversation. I've got a ton of respect for Christian. So many coaches that I know that have come across him, worked with him, have a ton of respect for him," Coen said to local Jacksonville reporters in Indianapolis.
"So, we're working through that. We're having some of those conversations, but have a ton of respect for him right now."
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Gladstone alluded to the same thing during his presser, saying that "at this point in time, we can say that we're happy to have Christian [on the roster]."
But, it's clear that Lawrence will have at least some say in the matter.
"Absolutely, I think that's key and critical. The quarterback's the one that we're gonna center around. So, his comfortability is going to be something that we weigh heavily," Gladstone said.
Free agency officially opens Wednesday, March 12.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars GM James Gladstone focus: Protect Trevor Lawrence
