Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence Hit Hard by Departures of Kirk, Engram

Trevor Lawrence is adjusting this spring to a new Jaguars coaching staff and a new playbook. But the toughest hurdle, he said Wednesday, is adjusting to life in Jacksonville without wide receiver Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram.

“Yeah, it's hard. You build relationships with guys,” the quarterback told reporters on Wednesday as the Jaguars opened their offseason program. “Those two guys are a little different because we spent three years together and I guess the majority of my time here, besides my rookie year.”

That 2021 rookie year was night and day compared to 2022, when Kirk and Engram arrived as unrestricted free agents. Lawrence and Kirk each enjoyed the best seasons of their careers in 2022, when Jacksonville advanced to the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. Engram had his best career year in 2023.

But when injuries and inconsistencies didn’t align with big contracts, new general manager James Gladstone moved swiftly toward a future without Kirk and Engram. He traded Kirk to Houston for a future draft pick on and released Engram in a cap move. Engram signed with Denver six days later.

“It's hard seeing guys go and it's part of the business, unfortunately,” said Lawrence, who added that the Jaguars have games against both players this season. “You’ve got to kind of take it for what it is and move on, honestly. But the relationship piece of it will always be there. We built special relationships and friendships that thankfully will last outside of us being on the same team.”

Lawrence was quick to point out that the Jaguars won’t simply stop targeting their tight ends. That means more opportunities for Brenton Strange, Jacksonville’s second-round selection in the 2023 draft.

“Brenton is beyond ready, just the way he practices, the way he works,” Lawrence said. “I think I do give a lot of credit to Evan. … Brenton’s a hard worker, naturally, but coming in and being behind Evan 
and having that kind of guy to look up to, and as far as Evan's work ethic and being out there early, staying late, putting in all the extra time, I think Benton really fell in line with that and has kept that going. 

“You're disappointed with Evan, losing a friend, losing a great player, but Brenton gets an opportunity to step up even more, which he did a lot at times last year. So, he's going to do great and I'm just excited to keep building that relationship with him.”

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