Jacksonville Jaguars: Ranking the Bortles/Thomas combo
By Robby Sabo
Dec 28, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (5) throws during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Now equipped with a franchise quarterback and a bonafide pass catching weapon, where does Blake Bortles and Julius Thomas rank among the top NFL combos?
Not since the expansion days of the Jacksonville Jaguars have fans felt this enthused about an upcoming season. Now the Jacksonville faithful can slowly start to move away from names like Mark Brunell and Tom Coughlin and feel solid about a new era.
They owe this positive outlook to the work of general manager David Caldwell.
Caldwell put his stamp on the franchise while selecting Blake Bortles with the third overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft. The obvious hopes are that he can fulfill the franchise quarterback label placed on his shoulders.
In his rookie season he showed signs that he can. While statistically the year won’t look positive, keeping in mind his rookie status while being surrounded by less than stellar offensive talent is critical.
If the toughest job in obtaining a franchise quarterback was completed by Caldwell, then job number two was taken care of this offseason – acquiring a big fish in tight end Julius Thomas.
The Thomas acquisition not only provides Bortles with a beautiful safety net he can grow with over time (as Thomas is still young at 26 years old), but it proves to the league that star free agents are willing to come to Jacksonville.
Overcoming the stigma that Jacksonville is the least desirable place to play in the league could be the toughest thing any general manager in the league has to combat.
The natural question now is where does the combination of Bortles and Thomas rank among the top quarterback-tight end duos in the league?
We start our list with a very inconsistent tandem:
Next: An Inconsistent Treat