The Jacksonville Jaguars are going back to the Blake Bortles well once again after the embattled quarterback was benched early in the second half Sunday.
Head coach Doug Marrone said in a statement, “I spoke to both quarterbacks this afternoon and told them that Blake will be our team’s starting quarterback. I believe this gives us the best opportunity to win.”
The sad truth is that Marrone is probably right.
Cody Kessler did lead Jacksonville to a touchdown once he came into Sunday’s blowout loss to the Houston Texans. But overall, he’s not a starting-caliber quarterback.
That said, Bortles reportedly will be on a “short leash” this weekend.
Jaguars' QB Cody Kessler will get reps this week with Jacksonville's starting offense, and Blake Bortles will be on "a short leash", but he will retain his starting job Sunday against the Philadephia Eagles.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 22, 2018
As bad as Bortles can be, he really is the best option the Jaguars have right now. And that’s the sad truth.
This is a team that had a chance to really go hard after a franchise passer this past offseason. But rather than make a bold move for Kirk Cousins, Teddy Bridgewater or a trade to move up in the draft, the team extended Bortles’ contract two more years.
So far this season, Bortles has completed 60.6 percent of his passes for 1,735 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. Meanwhile, the Jaguars have a record of 3-4 heading into Week 8, tied for second place in the AFC South.