During the month of July, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will determine which three players deserve to be considered the faces of each franchise. For this series, we will only consider active players. In this edition, the Jacksonville Jaguars are the focus.
Faces of the Jacksonville Jaguars
Blake Bortles
The undisputed top face of the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise is Blake Bortles–the third overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft–who was brought in to revitalize the Jacksonville offense. While there were a lot of issues to be concerned with, Bortles showed that he has the ability to become a solid NFL starting quarterback.
Blessed with good size (6’5”, 232 pounds) and above average athleticism (419 rushing yards, 7.5 yards-per-carry), Bortles reminds me of a young Ben Roethlisberger, albeit he was not as polished coming out of college. Behind a lackluster offensive line, with a struggling running game and a group of top receiving options that missed a combined 17 games (Allen Robinson – 6, Cecil Shorts III – 3 and Marcedes Lewis – 8), Bortles was still able to put up 2,908 yards in his 14 starts. Although he accumulated 17 interceptions in those 14 starts, 12 of those picks came in his first six outings, with only five through his final eight games. With the advancement of Robinson and Lee in their second years, plus the additions of former Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas and rookie running back T.J. Yeldon from Alabama, a major advancement in numbers from Bortles is extremely likely.
With defensive-minded head coach Gus Bradley running the show, it is unlikely the Jaguars will become an offensive juggernaut any time soon, but with a roster attempting to emulate the Seattle Seahawks, I can see Bortles emerging into a similar role that Roethlisberger played for the Pittsburgh Steelers 10 years ago and Russell Wilson currently plays in Seattle. If Bortles can achieve even a slightly lesser version of these two stars, he will be a successful leader for a young roster in Jacksonville.
Jonathan Cyprien
The leader of the Jaguars defense is safety Jonathan Cyprien, another Florida collegiate product staying in state to help invigorate the Jacksonville fan base. Head coach Gus Bradley has tried to add some depth to this defense over the past two seasons, but following the unfortunate injury to rookie outside linebacker Dante Fowler, Jr., Cyprien needs to step up and become the leader of this unit for Jacksonville to have any success in 2015 and beyond.
After struggling on and off in pass coverage for his first two seasons, the team moved Cyprien closer to the line of scrimmage in the middle of the season, and the results were promising as he was ranked as the number one safety during Weeks 15-17 in rankings compiled by Pro Football Focus. With 100-plus tackles in each of his first two seasons, this move is an effort to try to allow Cyprien to become the “Kam Chancellor” of the Jaguars defense. Free safety Sergio Brown was signed as a free agent to reduce the reliance on Cyprien in pass coverage, which should in return allow him to be a force in run defense.
Cyprien has the onus on himself to become the chief of the Jaguars on the defensive side of the ball. With the talent in place, his new responsibility as strong safety should assist him in achieving that goal.
Julius Thomas
The third choice here was an extremely difficult one. A pair of other choices stood out to me: receiver Allen Robinson and rookie running back T.J. Yeldon. Although the Jaguars intend to emulate the Seahawks with a “rush and play defense” style of football, I do not think Yeldon is equipped to flourish with the poor offensive line playing in front of him. Although Allen Robinson flashed some impressive skills last season and in current OTAs, I am giving the nod to a potential difference maker in Julius Thomas.
At age 27, Thomas has only two full years of NFL wear and tear on his body, so he is still young. Although critics label him as a product of the Denver offense and Peyton Manning, Thomas has undeniable athletic skills as a former Division I college basketball player with nearly the exact same body type as future Hall of Famer Antonio Gates, another former D-I basketball player. The argument can be made that Thomas will become more of a focal point in Jacksonville, rather than a second-tier option in Denver, due to him possessing a higher talent level over of a lackluster group of receiving targets.
The biggest thing Thomas has going for him is his attitude. He wanted to go to Jacksonville. It was not a matter of the most money in free agency, but rather he wants to be a part of building something special, and he believes that he can develop a rapport with Blake Bortles. That is the type of attitude that helps lead teams.
