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Blake Bortles is reportedly off to Los Angeles.
The former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback is “finalizing a deal to join the Rams as Jared Goff’s backup,” according to Jeff Darlington of ESPN, after being released in the wake of the Nick Foles signing.
The Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos were interested in Bortles as well, according to Michael Silver of the NFL Network.
The 26-year-old was the No. 3 overall pick by the Jags in the 2014 NFL draft and looked like he might live up to that billing in his second season, throwing for 4,428 yards and 35 touchdowns.
However, there were warning signs that despite those gaudy numbers, Bortles wasn’t going to be a great quarterback, namely his 18 interceptions and 58.6 completion percentage that season.
And indeed, he struggled from there, never eclipsing 4,000 passing yards in a season while throwing just 57 touchdown passes to 40 interceptions over the next three campaigns. And while the Jaguars made a run to the AFC Championship Game in the 2017 season, they limped to a 5-11 record last year.
Despite his struggles, the Jaguars committed to him to the tune of a three-year, $54 million extension in Feb. 2018. He lasted just one year into that extension.
The University of Central Florida product struggles with accuracy (59.3 career completion percentage) and isn’t an effective downfield passer (6.7 yards per attempt for his career). While he has impressive athleticism and is at his best extending plays and escaping pressure with his legs, his struggles in the pocket limited Jacksonville’s upside.
That prompted the team to sign Foles to a four-year, $88 million deal, and in the process ended the Bortles era.
For the Rams, Bortles is being brought aboard as a backup, likely his future role in the NFL after his struggles with the Jaguars. In that role, he represents solid value given his experience. As a starter, he was a liability. It was time for a change, and this should be a solid one for both sides.
In Los Angeles, Bortles will be adjusting to life behind Goff, the team’s franchise quarterback who has shown significant improvement under head coach Sean McVay. For Bortles, working with the team will be an opportunity to improve and show off those improvements in the preseason, where he could catch the eyes of other teams.
Take major steps in Los Angeles, and Bortles could be an option for teams looking for veteran starters at quarterback down the road. He may be Goff’s backup, but Bortles will still be working to eventually return to starting status elsewhere.
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