Jacksonville Jaguars: Is Blake Bortles the next roster move?
By Larry Brake
The Jacksonville Jaguars might move away from Blake Bortles if he does not improve at quarterback.
The Jacksonville Jaguars made a roster move because of inconsistent field goal kicking, adding Josh Lambo. As the season progresses, the Jaguars must put the best players on the field possible. In that vein, should Jacksonville explore all options at the quarterback position?
Oct. 31 is the NFL Trade Deadline. There have been suggestions that Eli Manning should be a target for the Jaguars to acquire. Manning has publicly stated that he did not want to leave the New York Giants.
It is no secret that Blake Bortles is under pressure to improve his play. Doug Marrone replaced Bortles with Chad Henne during the preseason. Bortles was named the starter for Week 1 because of his ability to extend the play.
Since the opener, the Jaguars are 3-3 and tied for first place in the AFC South. The emergence of Leonard Fournette has largely relieved Bortles of being forced into trying to make big plays. But how does the play of Bortles affect Jacksonville’s chance to win each week?
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In London during Week 3, Bortles played his best game so far. He threw four touchdown passes without showing an interception. He had 244 passing yards with 20 completions and had a quarterback rating of 128.2. Jacksonville crushed the Baltimore Ravens that day, 44-7.
Bortles’ worse day statistically was Week 5 in Pittsburgh. The Jaguars routed Pittsburgh due to an awesome defensive effort, but Bortles completed eight passes for 95 yards with one interception and a rating of 48.2. He has been an average quarterback the remaining four weeks. Jacksonville is 1-3 in those games.
Doug Marrone addressed the looming situation where opponents will play eight men in the box. Per John Oehser of Jaguars.com:
"“It was a 6-2, goal-line type front,” Marrone said. “That’s my fault. I didn’t think they would do that. I put that on me…Obviously going forward it’s something we have to be prepared for now. In another sense, we don’t want to just throw it every single time when people play that.”"
Next: NFL: 5 Teams on upset alert in Week 7
Does the play of Bortles inspire other teams to run an eight man front? There will be a game when Bortles will have to make plays, either with his feet or arm. Is Bortles the guy or is he the next roster move?