Blake Bortles, Julius Thomas have to get on same page
By John Buhler
If the Jacksonville Jaguars want to grow in 2016, quarterback Blake Bortles and tight end Julius Thomas have to get on the same page, a goal both men want.
The Jacksonville Jaguars feel like a team very much on the rise in the AFC South. While Jacksonville finished with a 5-11 2015 regular season record and the No. 5 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Jaguars may very well have had the best offseason of any team in the NFL.
Jacksonville made several fantastic free agent acquisitions, including defensive lineman Malik Jackson and running back Chris Ivory. The Jaguars also made two high end selections with their first two picks in the NFL Draft in Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack (though both men have some injury concerns for the coming season).
However, for Jacksonville to really elevate to AFC Playoffs contender in 2016, the rapport between quarterback Blake Bortles and tight end Julius Thomas has to improve. Fortunately for Jacksonville, Bortles is making great strides in connecting with Thomas in the 2016 offseason.
Bortles told ESPN.com that he “had a chance this offseason to sit down multiple times [with Thomas to] watch film, and talk about things.” Bortles wants to see “how [they] can quickly get on the same page to grow together.”
Jacksonville’s major splash in 2015 free agency was to pay top dollar for Thomas to pry him away from the Denver Broncos. When healthy, Thomas had been a top five tight end in the NFL with Peyton Manning throwing him passes.
However, in the Jaguars’ first preseason game last summer, Thomas broke his finger and kept him out for much of his first season in Jacksonville. Both he and Bortles would develop chemistry in the second half of the season, but it wasn’t anywhere near the production Jacksonville would have liked for their prized free agent acquisition and their franchise quarterback.
Bortles emerged as a more than capable passer in his second season behind a great rapport with wide receivers Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson. With Bortles able to make all the throws and hopefully an improved defense, perhaps the improved chemistry between he and Thomas will be enough to end Jacksonville’s AFC Playoff skid in 2016.
For more NFL news, please check out our NFL category page.