NFL analyst hypes Texans’ "special" secondary as nightmare for Trevor Lawrence

Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to regain the AFC South after a collapse to 4-13 in 2024. But a certain corps of their divisional rivals could prevent that from happening.

Over the free agency period, the Houston Texans traded for recent Super Bowl winner GJ Gardner-Johnson, then made the burgeoning Derek Stingley Jr. the league's highest-paid cornerback with a three-year, $90-million extension. The moves solidify a monstrous secondary that already includes Jimmie Ward, Jalen Pitre, Kamari Lassiter, and Calen Bullock.

And Kay Adams believes that they may be key to a third straight title for their team. Speaking on her show "Up & Adams" on Saturday, she said:

"This might be the best secondary now... I think this collection of talent is special... Adding CJ Gardner-Johnson was the missing piece. This could be a generational secondary in Houston. I don't know how Jacksonville, with Trevor Lawrence and Eli Cox as his center, is going to score on this secondary twice a year."

As statistical proof of the strength of this unit, Lassiter led the league in lowest completion percentage allowed last season. He was trailed in that category by Stingley, who also had the lowest passer rating allowed. Gardner-Johnson tied his career-best six interceptions, while Bullock had five, the most among all rookies in 2024.

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Jaguars shake up Trevor Lawrence's offensive weapons in 2025

Back to the Jaguars themselves, Trevor Lawrence has a very different bevy of offensive weapons heading into his first season with the new regime of Liam Coen and James Gladstone.

Christian Kirk and Evan Engram are gone. Brian Thomas Jr. has emerged as a potential aerial superstar for the franchise, while Parker Washington and Brenton Strange are expected to have more significant roles. Dyami Brown, Hunter Long, and Johnny Mundt have also joined.

And according to information provided by ESPN insider Michael DiRocco, the changes could mean a cold start for the quarterback, given his lack of familiarity with his new cast:

"When targeting Kirk and Engram since 2022, Lawrence completed 70.2% of his passes and had 21 touchdowns (against) 10 interceptions... When targeting any other player on the field: 61.9% completions, 36 touchdowns to 19 interceptions."

Lawrence also had a lower off-target rate (14.3% vs. 17.2%), faster release time (2.42s vs. 2.67s), and higher average yardage (7.8 to 6.7).