Blake Bortles to play with first team with the Jaguars on the road in Detroit

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars are back home after a 20-19 loss in Chicago on Thursday night.  The main storyline of camp has not changed after two preseason games, it’s only been fueled by a more constant discussion.

The quarterback situation is not at controversy height just yet.  The Jags feel good about Chad Henne and Blake Bortles after they performed well against the Bears.

Bortles is the future of the franchise and his play so far is an indicator that if the future is not now, it might not be too far away.

The Jags have planned to mix Bortles in with the first team in the preseason and that opportunity will come next week in Detroit.  Head coach Gus Bradley saying that Bortles will get a quarter of action with the first team.

The Jags running game was better against Chicago than it was against Tampa Bay.  Toby Gerhart’s debut was short but showed some moments of why the Jags have made him the feature back.

Denard Robinson continues to have a strong preseason as well.

On Thursday, second-round pick Marqise Lee caught four passes for a touchdown after being shut out in the preseason opener against the Bucs.

Third-round pick Brandon Linder is gaining a lot of ground at two positions on the offensive line.  Linder could play the center position if Mike Brewster does not play well.  The rookie was drafted as a guard and he could end up staying at that position as well.

The Jags did get some bad news on the offensive line when it was announced right tackle Austin Pasztor will need surgery to fix a broken hand.  It’s not season-ending, but could be a solid month before we see Pasztor again.  Cameron Bradfield will assume the starting role at right tackle for now.

The Jags did place fullback Bradie Ewing on injured reserve after he suffered a wrist injury Thursday night.

Bradley said Cecil Shorts, III and Dekoda Watson will likely play on a limited basis against Detroit next week.

WJAX