Jaguars preview: Blake Bortles faces defining season at QB
Training camps are still in the distance, but USA TODAY Sports is providing five things you need to know about every team in the NFL to catch you up on the offseason. Today, the Jacksonville Jaguars ...
1. A promising defense was bolstered by free agency additions
The Jaguars finished sixth in the NFL in total defense last season, holding opponents to fewer than 300 yards eight times. Yet the unit finished 25th in scoring defense as the team slid to a 3-13 record. Jacksonville got to work in the offseason, signing defensive lineman Calais Campbell, safety Barry Church and cornerback A.J. Bouye. Campbell is a two-time Pro Bowl selection and veteran leader who had eight sacks and forced two fumbles last season. Church is a durable, experienced safety, and Bouye has the big-play capability to force turnovers opposite Jalen Ramsey.
2. The draft class could reshape the offense
Though quarterback Blake Bortles has a lot to prove, some of the pressure on him has been alleviated with the additions of first-round running back Leonard Fournette and second-round offensive lineman Cam Robinson. Fournette has the playmaking ability to become the focal point of the offense and reduce Bortles' workload. Executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin, the franchise's all-time winningest coach, rolled the dice on fourth-round pick Dede Westbrook, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist at Oklahoma but was arrested twice on domestic violence charges before he got there.
MORE COVERAGE:
NFL’s gambling policy appears consistently inconsistent
Five things to know about every NFL team in the 2017 offseason
3. The receiving corps could be poised to bounce back
Jacksonville returns its top three wide receivers in Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee. Robinson’s and Hurns’ numbers dropped in 2016 compared to 1,000-plus-yard receiving seasons in 2015, but Lee’s emergence as a threat and Westbrook’s potential in the slot could open opportunities across the board. With Julius Thomas shipped off in a trade after two disappointing seasons, the Jaguars will look to Marcedes Lewis and Mychal Rivera to fill the void at tight end.
4. It's Bortles or bust at QB
This will be the year Jaguars fans know whether Bortles is truly the future at quarterback. The former No. 3 overall pick took a significant step back last season after a 35-touchdown campaign in 2015, while he has not improved on his 59% completion rate or a proclivity for throwing interceptions (51 total). Jacksonville picked up Bortles' fifth-year option, but the move is guaranteed only for injury and hardly cements his future in Jacksonville.
5. The schedule could be troublesome
The schedule doesn’t look pretty for Doug Marrone, who was promoted after serving as interim coach once Gus Bradley was fired late last season. The Jaguars are favored in just five of the 16 games, according to spreads released by Cantor Technology. Jacksonville hasn’t won more than five games since 2010 or finished higher than third in the AFC South in that same time frame. Cantor has Jacksonville as a one-point favorite or underdog in six of the 16 games.
***
Follow Adam Woodard on Twitter @AdamWoodard
PHOTOS: NFL offseason workouts
