The Jacksonville Jaguars made the decision in the 2014 NFL Draft to pass on Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Manziel, and Derek Carr to select Blake Bortles to be their franchise quarterback with their first round pick. So far, that decision has been one of mixed feelings due to Bortles and the Jaguars failure to bring wins to the table in Jacksonville.
Since Bortles rookie season, the Jaguars have had a 10-25 record in games where their first-round pick has started at quarterback. That record is now a concern in Year 3 with both Bortles and the Jaguars still in the same place they were when they drafted the quarterback in 2014.
After big free agency spends and high draft picks, the Jaguars have yet to turn the corner and could finish in the bottom half of the AFC South for a third straight season. Their 2-4 record after a loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday was the likely end to any hope of Bortles and co. turning it around and contending for a playoff spot or a winning record this season.
Those continued struggles have now placed Bortles in a negative light as concerns have surfaced in regards to the former first rounder. The bust label has crept in for Bortles in Year 3 thanks to the team’s record in addition to his poor play. Fair criticism for a quarterback who still has a completion rating under 60% in his third season in the league.
Bortles’ bust argument is hinged off of his poor stats just as much as the Jaguars struggles as a team. The stats don’t lie, and Bortles has been subpar since he has entered the league. Statistical trends have emerged that should worry the Jaguars when it comes to their investment in a franchise quarterback.
Despite his 35 touchdown season in 2015, Bortles has struggled with completions and interceptions since he entered the league. 17 interceptions in his rookie season and 18 interceptions again last season show that Bortles not only struggles to complete passes at an over 60% clip, but he struggles to protect the football as well. Struggles that have been a significant factor for Bortles again this year, nine total interceptions in six games has him on pace for his career high in interceptions in a year with expectations that he would make the leap with further experience under his belt.
In fact, Bortles has a worrying 52 turnovers in 36 games for the Jaguars. Numbers that indicate Bortles still hasn’t developed into the player the Jaguars expected him to be when they selected the former UCF star to be their franchise guy.
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Instead, Bortles has regressed over the first part of the season where he has been nowhere near the type of player he needs to be. That regression was on full display on Sunday when Bortles went up against his 2014 draft class running mate in Derek Carr, and the two looked like they were in different worlds as players. Carr, taken in the second round, looked like the future star while Bortles looked like a player who still needs to develop if he is ever going to be an above replacement level quarterback in the league.
Film from the game on Sunday shows the disparity between the two quarterbacks in their throwing motion. Carr has a tight, fundamental release of the football that shows his progression from his time at Fresno State to Year 3 in the NFL with the Raiders. Meanwhile, Bortles still has throwing mechanics that need work with his arm dropping far too low. Bortles’ wrinkle in his throwing motion slows his release, which could be a reason for his lower completion rate.
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With a poor throwing motion, it is hard to see improvement in Bortles’ future until he puts a focus on the work needed to tighten up his fundamentals. The team can improve around him, and the receivers can start to make more plays, but it will all be for nothing if Bortles doesn’t do something about his obvious issues.
After two seasons and six games in 2016 to evaluate Bortles, it is clear that he has issues he needs to resolve if he will ever become a top quarterback. Whether Bortles turns things around and makes those changes is up to the player himself, but the Jaguars need to focus on what can be done to make sure their investment improves. The Jags are stuck with Bortles for now, but if things continue to go south there will be a tipping point where the franchise will ask themselves if they have a bust or a quarterback for the future. Right now, it looks as if Bortles is headed to the long list of first round quarterback busts who never could put in the work needed to take that next step from the NCAA to the NFL.
