After taking a moment to catch his breath, Jaguars rookie quarterback Blake Bortles got back to work impressing his new teammates.
Though they’ve been clear that they want Chad Henne to start this year, Bortles made a good impression after his first day of work with the veterans at OTAs yesterday.
“I thought he did a great job going to the right place with the ball,” Henne said, via Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union. “He made some good plays out there. He’s a good kid. He comes in the mornings, asks questions and watches film.”
Offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch also praised Bortles’ approach.
“He is committed to working hard and doing things right,” Fisch said. “His study habits have been excellent. His questions have been excellent.”
The Jaguars, and many others, thought Bortles had the highest ceiling of any of the quarterbacks in this year’s draft. And the Jags are intent on making him earn his time this year, with a solid stop-gap in Henne in place.
So while other teams have to insulate their rookie from prying eyes and wonder what’s happening off the field, Bortles is grinding away quietly with the second team in Jacksonville.