Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer caught a ton of flack for keeping QB Trevor Lawrence in the line of fire during the preseason game against the Saints.
When the Jaguars used the No. 1 overall pick on Trevor Lawrence, they hoped to get a generational quarterback. The toughest part would be to get him through his rookie year unscathed.
Unfortunately for Jaguars fans, the preseason is already proving what kind of danger Lawrence is in. He might not even make it to the season at this rate.
In Monday’s preseason game against the Saints, Lawrence got thrown around. A lot.
It was a rough first half for the quarterback. He went 14-of-23 for 113 yards while struggling to get the offensive going.
NFL Twitter is not happy with Urban Meyer’s handling of Trevor Lawrence
While the performance was lackluster, NFL Twitter was mostly concerned over his health if head coach Urban Meyer insisted on keeping him in the game.
Others wondered if Meyer would even have a role in Lawrence’s future development.
Not that Lawrence was doing much to protect himself.
That’s the best reason Meyer should have had for taking Lawrence out. He shouldn’t expect his young quarterback to give anything less than 100 percent.
Meyer has got to see that he doesn’t have a functioning offensive line capable of keeping his most valuable asset safe.
Lawrence is still battling with Gardner Minshew for the starting job. Given the Jaguars roster, it may be better for him not to end up in the firing line each week.
The former Clemson star has one more preseason game against the Cowboys to get a bit more comfortable with the NFL level. When the Jaguars open the season against the Texans, everything will get even more real.