In the midst of an extremely rough 2016 NFL Season, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles has been questioned heavily over his ability to be a franchise quarterback. Despite the numerous improvements made to the Jaguars on both sides of the ball, they sit at 2-9 in last place in the AFC South. While Gus Bradley and the coaching staff deserve much of the blame, Bortles is certainly deserving of criticism surrounding the Jaguars rough start. However, despite this, Bortles has indeed shown flashes of brilliance in his young career, and can still be considered a franchise quarterback in the NFL.
Blake Bortles Is Still a Franchise Quarterback
Third NFL Season
Despite the recent struggles of Bortles, one must remember he is only in his third season in the NFL. In addition to that, some of his numbers have actually improved this season. His completion percentage has gone up by one percent, and he is on pace to have fewer fumbles than last season. Other than those two categories, Bortles has seen a decline in production, and his quarterback rating has gone down by just under eight points this season. While this may seem like a major negative for Bortles and negatively affects his appeal as a franchise quarterback, he is still extremely young and has plenty more to learn in his NFL career.
Just look at a player like Ryan Tannehill: after having his first four seasons marred by inconsistent play and questionable decision making, he has finally turned it around in 2016 and is in a position to lead the Miami Dolphins to the playoffs for the first time in his career.
Poor Offensive Line Play
Throughout his first three seasons in the NFL, Bortles has been sacked an insane amount of times. In his first two seasons, he was sacked over 50 times each and has already been sacked nearly 30 times through 11 games this season. While he may not get sacked over 50 times again in 2016, the amount of damage and fatigue that being sacked as often as Bortles does can do is extremely high. With pressure in a quarterback’s face on almost every pass play, it is tough for a quarterback to thoroughly diagnose coverages and make solid reads knowing there’s a high chance they get slammed by a defensive lineman in seconds. When the Jaguars get to the off-season and the NFL Draft, they must improve their offensive line so Bortles isn’t running for his life all the time.
A better offensive line changes quarterbacks. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan can certainly attest to this. Last season, Ryan had one of the worst seasons of his career, and was consistently facing heavy pressure on his passes. Then, the Falcons signed players like Alex Mack to help protect Ryan better, and invested in their offensive line to get the most out of Ryan in 2016. Thus far, Ryan has had a career year and is in the MVP conversation, in part due to improved protection and time in the pocket.
Too Early To Give Up
In the end, it is far too early to give up on Blake Bortles and his ability to be a franchise quarterback. Bortles is still just 24 years old, and is still a ways away from becoming the superstar quarterback the Jaguars want him to be. Given a few more seasons to prove himself and a better offensive line, Bortles can still become a franchise quarterback for the Jaguars.
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