The Jaguars have declared their quarterback job a “wide-open competition,” which might be good news or bad news for Blaine Gabbert.
The previous regime’s first-round pick doesn’t have the same kind of mandate from a new coach and general manager, but he’s at least got a chance to reclaim a job that was handed to him previously.
Of course, the previous regime’s affinity for Gabbert might have been overstated.
According to Yahoo’s Mike Silver, in a thorough deconstruction of the quarterback trouble spots around the league, Gabbert’s not the most popular man in his own building.
He’s apparently referred to as “Blame Gabbert” for his willingness to move responsibility onto others.
“Nothing’s ever his fault,” one former Jags assistant told Silver.
Add that to his on-field issues such as an inability to feel a pass rush, and it’s hard to imagine the Jaguars new braintrust giving him too much rope.
But in a year when the second pick in the draft isn’t going to yield a Robert Griffin III (or even perhaps a Russell Wilson), the Jaguars aren’t in the best position to replace him, and might be forced to live with him until a better option presents itself.