Countdown to Training Camp '18: Blake Bortles

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Five months before playing in the AFC Championship game, Blake Bortles almost lost his starting job to Chad Henne. It’s been quite a journey for the Jaguars quarterback. In February the team signed him to a 3-year, $54-million contract extension. 

Position: Quarterback

2017 Stats: 3,687 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions

2018 Projection: The bar has been raised for Bortles. There are no longer any questions about his job security. Now entering year No. 5 in Jacksonville, Bortles is the unquestioned leader of the Jaguars offense. 

News4Jax football analyst Mark Brunell has challenged Bortles to put this team on the back and carry them just like he did in the second half of Jacksonville’s huge AFC Divisional playoff win at Pittsburgh. 
The formula hasn’t changed for the Jaguars. Above anything else, Bortles’ primary responsibility will be to take care of the football. In 2017 he threw a career-low 13 interceptions and had an 18 to zero  touchdown to interception ratio in the end-zone. 

There isn’t a true No. 1 receiver on the roster. However the Jaguars are deep at the position and when you add in the addition of tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Bortles isn’t lacking for talented pass-catchers. 

Consistency will be the key for Bortles. If “Playoff” Blake shows up for most of the season, the Jaguars will have an excellent shot at living up to the high expectations that have been set going into the 2018 season.

Bortles on how much better he is at the pre-snap element of the offense:

“Compared to last year, I think a lot. When we started last year, it was kind of an elementary level, in terms of ‘I’m hearing the play, I’m thinking about the footwork I have to take, the identification, trying to remember what routes guys are running and all that.’ Now, I think I’m kind of owning the offense and having a better understanding of it. Obviously, it is a continuous study and a continuous grind to continue to master it and stay on top of it, but I definitely feel more comfortable with it.”