The Jaguars are starting quarterback Chad Henne against the Raiders this weekend because of Blaine Gabbert’s thumb injury and Henne said Wednesday that he hopes to play well enough to hold onto the job.
It’s not the usual mode of operation for a quarterback to be named the starter and then lose the job after one start, but the Jaguars quarterback situation is hardly the typical one. Gabbert was not the choice of current General Manager Dave Caldwell and coach Gus Bradley and his struggles since coming to the team have been well documented, which perhaps leaves him more vulnerable than another quarterback. Bradley said as much Wednesday when asked about Henne’s comment.
“That’s good -- I would hope he would say that,” Bradley said, via the team’s website. “He’s a competitor. That’s why we have confidence in him playing. I really want him to go out here and capture this and be at his best. That was our conversation today, ‘Don’t wait until Sunday to compete.’”
There’s no way of knowing exactly what Henne would need to do to capture the job, but Bradley’s statement suggests that playing well enough to lead the Jags to a win over Oakland would be a pretty good start after the dreadful offensive performance against the Chiefs. If he does that, simply getting healthy might not be enough for Gabbert to jump back into the quarterback job.