All offseason, we have heard that the plan in Jacksonville is for Blake Bortles to spend his rookie season as a backup quarterback behind Chad Henne.
Until Henne is on the field in the regular season opener, there will be people wondering if Bortles can force a course correction with his strong play in the preseason. That group will only grow if Bortles were to turn in the same kind of strong performance while playing with the starters, something he hasn’t had a chance to do yet.
That will change next week. Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union reports that Bradley announced on Friday that Bortles will play a quarter with the starters when the Jags face the Lions next Friday night in Detroit. Bortles will also work with the first team at practice leading up to the game.
Giving Bortles time with the starters will, at the very least, give the Jaguars an idea of how he’d handle the job if he’s thrust into the lineup during the regular season. If Bortles plays well, though, Bradley and company will have to reassess their decision since there’s no reason to leave Bortles as the quarterback of the future if he’s the best choice in the here and now.