An Electric and Contagious Energy: QB Trevor Lawrence Excited About Day 1 of Jaguars OTAs

May 19, 2025 at 05:14 PM

John Oehser

Jaguars Senior Writer

JACKSONVILLE – All was bright, all was hot and all was good.

The Jaguars on Monday afternoon held their 2025 first organized team activities practice under first-year Head Coach Liam Coen at the Miller Electric Center. It was a hot, clear day of unpadded work – and it went as Coen said you might expect.

It wasn't perfect, but work got done. That made it productive.

"There's an energy on the practice field," Trevor Lawrence said.

Trevor Lawrence, who underwent surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder in December and spent three offseason months rehabilitating, threw extensively during Monday's two-hour session – the first of 10 scheduled voluntary OTA practices over the next three weeks that will be followed by a three-day mandatory mid-June minicamp in mid-June.

Coen spoke immediately after Lawrence, lauding attendance and energy – if not execution – on a day on which the offense committed several turnovers in the first 11-on-11 work of the offseason program.

"Ultimately, it's voluntary," Coen said. "All we ask is if you're not going to be here, can you communicate to us in a timely manner? That has been consistently getting better. We're setting schedules, setting up individual work that we want to be individualized for some of those players.

"I've been pleased with the guys that have been here and working. They've done nothing but do what we ask. They've been doing it from Day One. They've worked their tails off. They seem to have good energy at all times. It's not always easy to come out and be buzzing around all the time. These guys are.

"It's their jobs, but they've done their jobs to a high level thus far."

Monday also marked the first NFL 11-on-11 work for rookie wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter, the No. 2 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. Hunter, who will play offense and defense, worked exclusively on offense Monday.

The Jaguars' plan is for Hunter to work about 75 percent of practice/preparation offensively and start his career playing offense essentially full-time. He is expected to practice/prepare about 25 percent defensively and play more situationally defensively early in his rookie season.

"So far, so good," Coen said of Hunter. "He had a couple missed assignments today that he knew right away. He came off the grass and took accountability for them. The one thing you notice is as a guy that hasn't played a ton of football or been out conditioning maybe for the last two months because he was on a little bit of a tour … the guy can run forever.

"You can tell he's in football shape."

Planting seeds 🎯@Dream_Finders | #DUUUVAL
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) May 19, 2025

Lawrence worked with Hunter last week in Phase 2 of the offseason program, but Monday marked their first time working together in a "team" setting.

"He has a lot of juice," Lawrence said. "He can run all day, a lot of energy. I love it. He's always dapping guys up and bringing juice every day. He has a high motor. He's like a kid. He runs around all day and doesn't get tired. You can't have enough of that.

"As far as just talent, it kind of speaks for itself: Ball skills, run after the catch. He's very explosive. I didn't realize how explosive he was in and out of cuts. He's impressive to watch and we've gotten to connect a couple times. It's only going to keep getting better and better.

"We've only worked together for a couple days now, so we have some time to really dial in on the details when it comes to building relationship with receivers."

Lawrence, who will enter his fifth NFL season in 2025 working with his third head coach and offensive coordinator, called that "the situation we're in."

"I really like the people we have here now," Lawrence said. "I love the system. I love the staff, the players that we brought in along with the guys that were already here. I feel very confident in where we're going and the trajectory we're heading."

"You can't change the past. I would love to have had a little more success up until this point, but this is where we're at, and I love where we're at. I have a lot of confidence in it, and we just have to keep putting the work in out here every day to prepare ourselves for the fall."

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Jacksonville, Fla. — Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) and long snapper Ross Matiscik (46) during OTAs at the Miller Electric Center on May 19, 2025.