Jacksonville Jaguars rumors: Blake Bortles won’t supplant Chad Henne
By Bryan Rose
When the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Blake Bortles, there was hope among many that they’d no longer be subjected to the woeful carousal of signal callers that had graced Jaguars fans in the past.
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One of those names was Chad Henne, who while a solid backup, isn’t exactly the type of franchise quarterback you wish for. That’s what many are hoping for from Blake Bortles, but it doesn’t sound like they’re going to see it this season.
Not long after the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Bortles, they came out and stated that it would be Henne who opened the season and barring some major oddity, Bortles would be ‘learning’ on the bench all season. They apparently aren’t going to change their decision, at least right now, even with Bortles reportedly impressing the coaching staff.
ESPN's @caplannfl on #Jaguars: "They're gonna stick to their game plan. Chad Henne is the starter. Blake Bortles sits all year."
— Evan Silva (@evansilva) August 4, 2014
While understandably disappointing for Jaguars fans, it may be the best move in the long run.
We’ve seen teams throw their rookie quarterback to the wolves and many times it doesn’t work out like they had hoped. There is the occasional anomaly but the Jaguars want to make sure their investment in Blake Bortles pans out and rushing him into a situation he may not be ready for goes against what they believe in.
The other issue here is the ‘re-built’ Jacksonville Jaguars team. With a very solid offseason, there are whispers of playoffs in Florida and with Henne under center, the team likely has a better chance right now of achieving that goal. The ability to give Bortles time to learn off the bench will also likely give he and the Jaguars a better chance for success when he is named the starter, whenever that time comes.
Certainly frustrating for those wanting to see Bortles take over the franchise, but the time will come.