Trevor Lawrence says he found a 'groove' during Jaguars' training camp

The Jacksonville Jaguars put a bow on training camp as the team competed in joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to close out their 20th day of camp. The two teams only did 7-on-7 competitively, hoping to avoid any major injuries as they prepare for the regular season.

The work they got on Aug. 25 was a lot more intense, but the final day of practice still had intentionality. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence had another sharp practice to close out camp.

He unofficially completed 13-of-17 passes with three touchdowns and an interception against Tampa Bay after completing 16-of-28 passes the day prior. It’s a positive sign as he’s taken his last competitive snaps until the Jaguars host the Cleveland Browns to open the season on Sept. 13.

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“I think making completions, all those things that I wanted to work on, I think I did a better job over the last week or so," Lawrence said after practice finished. "Creating off-schedule, and being smart with the football. All those things are things that I do well, but I also need to work on". 

Lawrence won’t play in the preseason game against the Buccaneers on Aug. 28, finishing off the preseason without playing in any of the games. He said earlier in training camp that he doesn’t mind not playing in the games since he’s taking every rep serious.

Still, without seeing a single live rep since January will Lawrence be rusty when the team takes the field in a little over two weeks?

Lawrence was determined to make the most of his reps this offseason. With foundational knowledge of Coen’s system from last season, he was able to have a shorter runway for the areas he wanted to improve on.

The biggest area the team wanted to address was the relationship between Lawrence and wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. The two never fully got in sync last year as the team struggled with their downfield passing.

It was an emphasis from the moment the Jaguars stepped onto the grass in May and showed up in a big way throughout training camp. Lawrence connected with Thomas in the first joint practice on a deep ball where the third-year pass catcher got behind Tampa’s defense with ease.

Every day is Parker day 😮‍💨@Dream_Finders | #DUUUVALpic.twitter.com/GnCwKM30Yd

It's a play that was missing from Jacksonville's offense last season, and can make them more dynamic in all areas.

“I feel like I found a little bit of a groove the last week or so. Every day wasn't my best,” Lawrence said. “It can be frustrating because you want the result, but just taking a step back and using it, that's what we talk about in our room all the time is the practice is only as good as what you learn from it, whether it's good or bad.”

Overall in camp there was certainly more good than bad for Lawrence. Even on frustrating days where it seemed like Jacksonville’s defense had an answer for everything, he took it in stride.

And on the days where he was on, he really was on. Lawrence looked the part of a quarterback who’s comfortable in a system. He did spread the wealth among pass catchers, spending extra moments after practice to work on routes.

His bond with Parker Washington flourished as the fourth-year receiver looked like a star in Jacksonville’s offense. He continued the progress he made with Jakobi Meyers last season. Brenton Strange became a safety blanket for Lawrence, often finding him open when other options were not available. Even rookies CJ Williams and Josh Cameron started to come on as camp continued.

As the Jaguars look forward to the regular season, Lawrence can appreciate the progress he and the team made, and how much work is still left to achieve their goals.

“We got two weeks, less than two weeks before we're preparing to play Cleveland, but we play in basically two weeks,” he said. “That sounds crazy thinking about it and just realizing how close it is. How far we've come, but still how much work we have to do to get ready for Week 1.”

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Trevor Lawrence says he found a 'groove' during Jaguars' training camp