Trevor Lawrence steps in to break up scuffle at Jaguars-Buccaneers joint practice
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Trevor Lawrence steps in to break up scuffle at Jaguars-Buccaneers joint practice originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Several Jacksonville Jaguars felt a bit of a scare when quarterback Trevor Lawrence tried to play peacemaker at joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Lawrence's hands-on leadership caught him in the middle of a scuffle while holding back Bucs newcomer linebacker Alex Anzalone.
Jags center Robert Hainsey shared a humorous, but very real response from him and left tackle Anton Harrison to seeing Lawrence put himself in a risky situation that has ended in injuries for others.
"I saw him grab someone and lost my fricking mind. Me and Anton (Harrison) were like 'dude get out of here. What are you doing?' But credit to him. That's who he is. He loves his teammates, like the rest of us. It's what it's about. We are going to fight for each other no matter what," Hainsey said during media availability.
Based on how the team has played with and without Lawrence in recent years, Hainsey doesn't want to hand the ball off to anyone else, just as Harrison doesn't want to protect any other quarterback's blindside. No offense to backup Nick Mullens, who wasn't there during those lean times two seasons ago.
Lawrence had a much better year health-wise in 2025 than 2024. He missed no games last season after missing seven from a shoulder injury and a concussion during the 2024 campaign. Jacksonville went 2-5 during the Lawrence-less stretches. The overall record improved to 13-4 with a fully available Lawrence last year.
No Jaguars fan wants to hear about a needless injury from restraining another team's player right before the 2026 season kicks off. Especially a player who has such a heavy direct impact on the team's ceiling.
Crisis averted on the last day of training camp.
Trevor Lawrence dominates in practice against Bucs besides pick
Against a rebuilt Tampa Bay linebacker unit that lost Lavonte David to retirement in March and a young secondary that lost veteran corner Jamel Dean to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Lawrence was sharp in a familiar way.
Lawrence threw an interception to Bucs rookie Josiah Trotter during the first 7-on-7, but he completed 13 of 17 passes in both sessions. That included a touchdown pass to Parker Washington and a second session that featured seven completions to seven different receivers.
Lawrence's play against Tampa Bay was the continuation of a 2025 season in which the former No. 1 overall pick had 4,007 passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions on a 61% completion rate. PFF gave him the best overall QB grade from Week 13 through the end of the regular season (92.6) and seventh-best passing grade.
As long as Lawrence is healthy, the Jags have a chance against the other 31 rosters. He'll just have to avoid bringing his passive attitude to practices in a physical way like he did Wednesday.
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