The Jacksonville Jaguars made one notable move at the trade deadline on Tuesday, trading defensive end Dante Fowler to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a pair of future picks. While that transaction made noise, the Jags could have sent bigger shockwaves across the league if they traded for a quarterback, which Jacksonville considered, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.
The Jaguars poked around but ultimately didn't trade for a quarterback, meaning they remain all-in on Bortles. Jacksonville believes it will be better if Leonard Fournette comes back healthy in the second half and the defense gets on track, meaning the Jaguars won't have to ask as much of Bortles as they have been. Last season convinced them they could be a Super Bowl contender with Bortles at QB. By not adding a QB at the deadline, they doubled down on that belief.
The Jaguars entered the 2018 NFL season considered as among the legitimate Super Bowl contenders. After all, they made it all the way into the AFC Championship Game last season on the strength of a stingy defense and the improved play of quarterback Blake Bortles.
However, both the team’s stop unit and Bortles are currently underperforming, largely explaining why the Jaguars are only 3-5 through the first eight weeks.
By letting the trade deadline pass without adding a new signal-caller, the Jags made a strong statement regarding their confidence in the former UCF Knights star.
On the season, Bortles has 2,021 passing yards and 10 touchdowns against eight interceptions.
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