The Jacksonville Jaguars chose not to trade for a quarterback before the trade deadline yesterday. But they have now decided to pick up free agent and former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Landry Jones. This comes after recent news that Blake Bortles has an injury to his left (non-throwing) shoulder. This may not be the move some fans were hoping for, but the team now has more depth at the most important position in football.
Jaguars expected to sign former Steelers’ QB Landry Jones as insurance due to some concern about QB Blake Bortles’ health following last Sunday’s game in London, per source.
Bortles still is expected to play in Week 10 at Indianapolis, as of now.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 31, 2018
Jacksonville Jaguars Sign Landry Jones as Insurance Policy
The move to add Landry Jones is best viewed as an insurance policy in the event Bortles’ injury is worse than expected. The Jaguars are at the start of their bye week so this gives Bortles extra time to rest. Another reason this should be strictly seen as a depth move is that the team did not trade for any quarterbacks at the trade deadline on Tuesday. Jones will likely be the third-string quarterback behind Cody Kessler.
So what has Jones done during his time in the league? He was drafted by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL draft. He played college ball at Oklahoma and is 6’4″ and 223 pounds. To this point, Jones has performed as a backup and has come in to relieve an injured Ben Roethlisberger. Jones has played in 18 games, completing 63.9 percent of his passes for eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.
As mentioned, this move is not to supplant Bortles as the starter. This provides the Jaguars with another option should Bortles not be able to play due to injury. What’s interesting is the fact that Jones and Kessler have strikingly similar career averages. Landry has a 63.9 percent completion rate. Kessler sits at 64.5 percent. Jones’s quarterback rating is 86.2, while Kessler’s is 86.5. Jones is not likely to see the field much this year. It will be interesting, however, to see whether Jones or Kessler stays in Jacksonville as the backup next season.
