The 2016 season has come to an end and it is time to take stock of what has been a rather disappointing year for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Whilst there are many moments throughout the year which were uncomfortable to watch- to put it in nicely, there were some bright spots throughout this young roster this year. As the Jaguars department at Last Word On Sports do our best to evaluate the Jaguars, today quarterbacks are under the microscope.
For the Jaguars, quarterback Blake Bortles had a shaky season, with plenty of ups and downs the entire way. Bortles’ mechanics were a big issue throughout the courses of the season, and have forced many fans to want him potentially gone. Though his mechanics have been off, we here at Last Word On Sports purely believe he can be matured into the quarterback of the future in Jacksonville.
Jacksonville Jaguars Quarterbacks End of Season Evaluation
Through the season, Bortles played through a shoulder injury and wrist tendinitis, which could have been a factor in his inefficient season. Though he didn’t live up to expectations, just as the team didn’t do, Bortles is still our quarterback and we, as Jaguars fans, have to believe in him. If he goes down due to injury or gets benched, Chad Henne is the next man up.
Jaguars Quarterbacks Evaluation:
Blake Bortles
Blake Bortles has been the starter in Jacksonville since being drafted in 2014 out of Central Florida. Coming in, we all thought he was the next great quarterback in Duval. He lived up to the hype in 2015, as he had his best season yet. As far as 2016, Bortles was inefficient and had his worst season yet, in my opinion. He finished 2016 368-625 with 23 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Not very good numbers for a quarterback who has a ton of talent, just with no good personnel to show for it. That personnel being the playcallers. For Bortles, he should leave 2016 behind and look forward to a bright future in the coming years.
Chad Henne
Chad Henne is currently the second-string quarterback behind Bortles. Henne didn’t take a single snap in the regular season. Although he did play in the preseason, his regular season was spent on the bench. No numbers to calculate for Henne as far as is concerned.
Brandon Allen
Brandon Allen, the rookie quarterback from Arkansas, is listed as the third-string quarterback on the Jaguars roster. Alike Henne, Allen saw no playing time in 2016, so there are no numbers to calculate for him into this evaluation.
Behind Bortles, there is a need at backup considering Henne isn’t that great of a quarterback and Brandon Allen may never see playing time. If Jacksonville could find an average quarterback in free agency to take the second spot behind Blake, then the Jaguars might be in a good position should Bortles go down.
Overall Quarterbacks Grade:
Considering Bortles was the only quarterback to see playing time in the regular season, and his inefficiency, I give this quarterback evaluation a C-. There is clearly room for improvement with Bortles, and I am a firm believer that he can get that improvement made should he get in contact with the right person to help with his mechanics. As far as the backups are concerned, just go get a backup in free agency to replace Henne. He has absolutely no use as the backup.
