Blake Bortles looks much improved through two preseason games
By Daniel Lago
It’s only the preseason, but it’s hard not to get excited about the growth Blake Bortles has shown in two outstanding outings.
Even though it’s only the preseason, it’s hard to disagree with the assessment that Blake Bortles has been the best quarterback through two weeks of exhibition games. After a near perfect performance in the first week against the New York Jets (marred only by a dropped touchdown pass in the hands of tight end Julius Thomas), Bortles led the offense to two more scoring drives against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before calling it a night.
Bortles has shown improvement in a couple of key areas so far – accuracy, decision making, and reads. He’s still willing to attack downfield and utilize the envious weapons at his disposal, but he’s being smarter about where he goes with the football.
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Pro Football Focus can’t even continue their long-going dislike of Bortles this preseason, as
advanced metrics agree with the third year quarterback’s
dominant preseason performances.
"On the flip side, it was another strong performance from Jaguars third-year QB Blake Bortles. He completed 8-of-11 passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns, and one of those incompletions was a drop. His improvement as a quarterback was evident when compared to backup Chad Henne, who completed just 4-of-10 passes for 33 yards and two interceptions. Bortles has been extremely impressive thus far in preseason action and currently ranks in the top 10 in overall adjusted completion percentage, as well as deep accuracy and under pressure accuracy."
Among the young signal callers trying to take that next step, Bortles looks the most poised to do so. He appears to have a better offensive line in front of him, he most certainly has an improved running game, and his pass catching options might be the most diverse and effective of any in the entire NFL.
Week 3 of the preseason will be a good test as he faces a solid Cincinnati Bengals defense, but Bortles look downright unstoppable so far.