5 reasons Malik Jackson to the Jacksonville Jaguars makes sense

3. Blake Bortles

While defense wins championships, this is a quarterback-driven league, and the Jacksonville Jaguars seem to have a promising pocket passer in 2014’s No. 3 overall pick (and native Floridian) Blake Bortles. In his second professional season, Bortles emerged as a fantasy stud under center for the Jaguars, moving the chains better than anyone not named Mark Brunell who’s ever played for the Teal and Black.

With the Denver Broncos losing a declining Peyton Manning to retirement and not exactly sure what they have in fifth-year pro Brock Osweiler, it may have been in defensive end Malik Jackson’s best interest to go to a franchise with a young future Pro Bowl quarterback under center in Bortles.

Jackson has to know that the 2015 Broncos defense was a good as anything he’d ever hope to be a part of again. That was a historically dominant defense that comes along maybe once every five years. His best opportunity to win another Super Bowl might be to be on a team with a quarterback that can throw a ton of touchdowns and make plays with his legs.

Bortles set a franchise record for most touchdown passes in a season in his impressive 2015 NFL season. He’s nimble when he has to be when the pocket collapses, but he doesn’t look to make plays with his legs all that much. If 2015 was any sign of what Bortles can become, Jacksonville may have its franchise quarterback for the next decade and thus able to contend for relevancy again in the AFC.

Jackson can help turn around the Jaguars’ defense in a season or two. Once Jacksonville becomes a more balanced football team on both sides of the ball, this team could play as well as the franchise did during the best years of the Tom Coughlin era in North Florida.

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