Should the Jaguars even play Blake Bortles Thursday?

The Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t officially named a starter for Thursday evening’s preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, but most believe it’s safe to assume that veteran Chad Henne will roll out for the first snap under center. The belief is also that barring a total meltdown against the Panthers, Henne will be the guy in Week 1 against the Houston Texans.

So, this leads me to the question: Should the Jaguars even play Blake Bortles on Thursday night?

It sounds like a dumb question, but hear me out. I’m of the belief that if Henne doesn’t meltdown against the Panthers, he is your Week 1 starter for the regular season. If Henne is your Week 1 starter for the regular season, I don’t think that you can carry Bortles on your 53-man roster. I don’t believe you can make that sudden change and keep the guy who lost the “competition” on your roster, because it means the team has already lost faith in him and I don’t believe it’s going to just magically come back, and potentially was never even there.

Bortles currently has an $18 million albatross around his neck right now that you have to be mindful of, which is also a big reason I don’t think he’s carried on the 53-man roster. Even if you go away from Chad Henne after five or six games, chances are your season is over anyway and trotting Bortles back out there with that injury guarantee is gross negligence.

If Henne plays well on Thursday, do you really gain anything by trotting Bortles out there? The competition is pretty much over, the chances Bortles has some epiphany and the light comes are are slim to nil. If, like I am, you’re also in the belief that you’re going to end up releasing Bortles anyway, aren’t you better off giving those reps to Brandon Allen to determine if you think you need to bring in a cheap veteran back up for emergency situations?

You also run that injury risk of Bortles blowing out his knee or something in the preseason, which at this point with him not being the starter anymore, isn’t really a risk worth taking.

I expect Bortles will be dressed and active for Thursday’s game against the Panthers, but unless Chad Henne is a total disaster, he shouldn’t go into the game.