Trevor Lawrence has struggled in two starts against the Browns’ defense, but he looked like a different player last year

JACKSONVILLE, FL - AUGUST 12: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars shakes hands with Deshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns after a football game at TIAA Bank Field on August 12, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) | Getty Images

This Sunday, the Cleveland Browns are on the road as they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars to begin the 2026 season. To help preview a few topics from the Jaguars' perspective, we reached out to Gus Logue from Big Cat Country and exchanged five questions with him.

Chris: Trevor Lawrence is 0-2 against the Browns defense, but they didn't face him last year when he had. Lawrence seemed to take his game to another level last year under his new head coach. What are the expectations for him and the Jaguars this season?"

Gus: The expectation is for Lawrence to put together a full season of great quarterback play. We've seen it in flashes. He went nuclear toward the end of the 2022 season (his first with Doug Pederson) to earn MVP votes. Then he landed on season-ending injured reserve in 2023 and 2024. But Lawrence flipped a switch again at the end of the 2025 season (his first with Liam Coen) to earn more MVP consideration.

Lawrence is still just 26 years young. Now that he has a few years of NFL experience, is fully healthy, and is playing with the best supporting cast of his pro career, anything short of an AFC Championship appearance would probably be viewed as a disappointment."

Chris: What do you view as the Jaguars' biggest weakness right now?"

Gus: From a zoomed-out lens, I question if Jacksonville has the blue-chip talent to make a deep playoff push. Trevor Lawrence and Josh Hines-Allen clear that bar, but after them, there's a lot of guys who are almost-yet-not-quite there (Travon Walker, Anton Harrison, Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Hunter). The Jaguars could claw through the AFC playoffs just to be annihilated in the Super Bowl by a superior roster like the Rams or Seahawks or Eagles.

That doesn't matter a whole lot right now. Heading into Week 1, I would consider the running game to be Jacksonville's biggest weakness. Liam Coen himself called it the underlying stink" of their 8-0 run to cap the 2025 regular season. The addition of Chris Rodriguez Jr. should help the Jaguars stay ahead of the sticks more often, even if they miss the explosiveness provided by Travis Etienne."

Chris: Which of the Jaguars' 2026 draft picks has the best chance of making an immediate impact in Week 1?d"

Gus: This would've been a tough question to answer before training camp. The fact that Jacksonville used its top draft pick on backup tight end Nate Boerkicher indicates that there may not be many immediate contributors from the 2026 rookie class. After years of splash signings in free agency, the Jaguars are finally in a draft and develop" stage.

Third-round pick Emmanuel Pregnon was among those expected to redshirt this season. However, after Patrick Mekari underwent back surgery and Wyatt Milum failed to earn a starting role, the Jaguars promoted Pregnon into the starting lineup. He'll play at left guard; Ezra Cleveland will switch from that spot to right guard. Look for Pregnon to have a few highlight-reel blocks."

Chris: Tell us about one player who Browns fans may not have heard of, but who could have an impact on this Sunday's game."

Gus: How bout Bryan Thomas Jr. - ever heard of him? I'm not talking about the Jaguars' dynamic receiver from LSU. I'm talking about the undrafted pass rusher out of South Carolina.

Thomas, son of 2002 NFL first-round pick Bryan Thomas, became the latest UDFA EDGE to make Jacksonville's 53-man roster. B.J. Green II and Danny Striggow did the same last season. All three of them (plus fourth-round rookie Wesley Williams) will be rotating behind the star duo of Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. I bet Thomas or Green will have a 3rd down sack."

Chris: The Browns are underdogs against the Jaguars on Sunday (Browns +8.5 as of this question, per FanDuel). Who would you pick to win the game?"

Gus: I'll go with a score prediction of Jaguars 20, Browns 10. The path to a Cleveland upset would be winning the turnover battle and paper-cutting the Jags defense with quick throws to Harold Fannin Jr. and KC Concepcion. The quarterback disparity will be difficult for the Browns to overcome, though, especially since JAX DL > CLE OL will probably be the biggest mismatch of the game.

I'll be taking some Chris Rodriguez Jr. rushing props with the expectation that Jacksonville will have a multi-score lead in the second half."

Thanks again to Gus for taking the time to answer my questions.