Chad Henne now appears to be the leading candidate to start the regular season at quarterback for the Jaguars.
The Jaguars have confirmed that Henne, and not Blake Bortles, will start this week’s third preseason game. Typically the quarterback who starts the third preseason game also starts the first regular season game.
Bortles had been the presumed starter all offseason, but after he struggled in the preseason, head coach Doug Marrone said he and Henne would compete for the starting job. Now it looks like Henne is poised to win that competition.
If Bortles isn’t the starter, there’s a good chance the Jaguars will cut him: Bortles would be guaranteed $19 million next year if he suffers a serious injury this year and can’t pass a physical next year.
So Henne may be one solid preseason performance away from ending the Blake Bortles era in Jacksonville.