The AFC South may be the most improved division in the NFL this coming season. It also might be the most exciting in terms of young quarterbacks and their potential for solid performances this year.
There are questions regarding each signal caller for all four AFC South teams.
Can Marcus Mariota erase a 13-touchdown, 15-interception season and lead the Tennessee Titans to the playoffs? Can Deshaun Watson come back from a knee injury after the start of a monstrous rookie campaign and make the Houston Texans relevant again?
Who starts a quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts? Will Andrew Luck show that his shoulder is completely healed from surgery over a year ago, and more importantly how will this team move forward if Jacoby Brissett must start week one?
Maybe the most important question is can Blake Bortles take the Jacksonville jaguars one more step and reach the Super Bowl? After off-season wrist surgery, is the fifth year starter the best passer in this division?
Blake Bortles looked like an All-Pro quarterback at times, and looked like his former self at others. His right wrist could have been the reason for inconsistency. But if the UCF stand out plays like he did in the two playoff games against Pittsburgh and New England, the Jacksonville Jaguars passing game will have a different look. With the addition of wide receivers Donte Moncrief and rookie DJ Chark, the Jaguars offense may be just a potent as its defense.
Let’s not forget the Jacksonville was ranked in the top 10 in NFL scoring last year. While the defense turned turnovers into scoring opportunities, this wasn’t an offensive game plan that resembled the 1981 Miami Dolphins. No other team in the AFC South has the fire power the Jaguars possess this moment.
Going into this season, not knowing if Watson will return to the same form he showed, Blake Bortles has to be considered the best of the lot. That’s a big step moving forward given the criticism he has taken since walking into the league in 2014.
A healthy Leonard Fournette at running back and a solid offensive line could mean another 4,000-yard season from the Jacksonville Jaguars passing game. And once again, the AFC South title will come back to Jacksonville.