JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - For the first time in his NFL career, Blake Bortles is the most experienced player in the Jaguars' quarterback meeting room.
Entering his fifth season, Bortles is cemented at the top of the depth chart without veteran Chad Henne to back him up. Henne left for Kansas City in March during free agency. The longtime backup will now mentor Chiefs second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
"Chad was incredible for me for four years," Bortles said Tuesday. "To come in and have a guy like that in the room, he had no agenda, no problem taking the role he took on in helping me and helping everybody as much as he possibly could."
The Jaguars traded a conditional 2019 seventh-round pick to the Cleveland Browns to acquire backup quarterback Cody Kessler in March. The 2016 third-round pick is now the only other quarterback on the roster besides Bortles.
Building a bond between the two quarterbacks shouldn't be a problem. They have been training at the same facility in California for the last two offseasons.
"I think he's a year younger than I am, so it's not a huge difference in age," Bortles said, regarding Kessler. "But to be able to kinda have a relationship already built when he's coming in - I'm not just meeting him, trying to form one - we know each other pretty well. I think it'll be good. We get along pretty well, so it'll be fun to really work with him and spend time with him, kinda grinding and watching film and getting prepared and doing all that."
Having a background with Bortles should only help Kessler when it comes to learning Nathaniel Hackett's offense. Bortles can fill Kessler in on the nuances of Hackett's play-calling after spending last season under the coach's tutelage.
Kessler and Bortles have already begun working out together during the team's offseason conditioning program. Their relationship will be vital to the team's success during training camp, as the Jaguars are likely to house just three quarterbacks during the offseason program.
Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone was fond of Kessler's tape with the Browns. The Jaguars are hopeful that Kessler can become a strong No. 2 quarterback this offseason and beyond.
"I watched him on tape, I thought he could make the throws," Marrone said of Kessler. "You could see him throwing hot and you could see him doing a lot of things that are built into our system and I thought that it was a good get for us. He's young, we can get him better, so I'm excited to work with him and see him out there."
More News and Notes
- The Jaguars hosted their local workouts for the draft this week. Prospects who went to high school or college around Jacksonville were invited to the workouts.
UCF defensive lineman Tony Guerad, Florida defensive back Nick Washington (Trinity Christian) and tight end DeAndre Goolsby took part in the workouts, a league source told First Coast News.
- Bortles on the NFL Draft:
"It's kinda funny, each year - and I don't know how everyone is - but you get further and further away from it, I think, each year. I know I do and it's kinda like guys get drafted and it's such a cool process for everybody that goes through that but I know less and less about it every single year. I'll always pay attention to what happens. It's always interesting as a quarterback, you always pay attention to where quarterbacks go and obviously it's cool to see what we do, who we choose and what direction we go in."
- Jaguars defensive end Calais Campbell on the team's new jerseys, which are set to be revealed Thursday:
"I have seen the uniforms and I like them. You know, very classic look, smooth and I'm looking forward to putting them on and doing some damage in them."
- Campbell on linebacker Telvin Smith's leadership:
"I think Telvin is going to be a leader for us, as he [was] last year and as he continues to get more and more confident and grow, that's going to be huge for us."
Follow Mike Kaye on Twitter: @Mike_E_Kaye.