The Jaguars’ quarterbacks room has changed since last season. Blake Bortles remains, but Chad Henne is gone.
Cody Kessler and rookie Tanner Lee now back up Bortles.
The Browns traded Kessler to the Jaguars on March 28, and while ready for the move, Kessler believes his time in Cleveland will help him in Jacksonville.
“The time in Cleveland was ups and down, frustrating, but being able to start eight or nine games my rookie year really prepared me,” Kessler said, via the team website. “Last year didn’t go the way I wanted it to or I had planned, but it’s part of it. You take it and run with it. I took that time to work on myself saying, ‘What do I want to work today?’ It really did help me.
“It’s the same thing here. Obviously, Blake is the starter and a great guy to learn from, but you always prepare as the starter and prepare as if you’re playing on Sunday. That’s helped me and made my life easier as a backup.”
Kessler started eight games as a rookie in 2016. He started none last season, watching DeShone Kizer and Kevin Hogan pass him on the depth chart.
Kessler, 25, is starting over in Jacksonville.
Jaguars coach Doug Marrone calls Kessler’s progress “fine.”
“He’s still trying to learn the footwork and where we want to go with the ball,” Marrone said. “You’re going to see players that right now are going to make mistakes for not being in this type of environment before -- as long as you see what you see, which is players learning from those mistakes and getting better as you go.”