BORTLES HAS ROUGH FIRST DAY OF JOINT PRACTICES WITH VIKINGS

David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire

Blake Bortles' strong offseason hit a road bump on Wednesday as the Jaguars practiced with the Vikings.

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Blake Bortles has had a very strong offseason. He's been healthy for the first time in over a year. He's shown command of Nate Hackett's offense - it's the first time Bortles has been afforded the opportunity to play in the same system for consecutive seasons. He's displayed good mechanics after working with 3D QB Camp for the second consecutive offseason. He's done everything you would hope for from a 26 year old QB that's coming into his own in the NFL. 

That trend did not continue on Wednesday when the Jaguars practiced against the Vikings for the first of two joint practices prior to the the the teams week two preseason matchup on Saturday - a game that will be nationally televised. 

Bortles completed just four of his 13 passes in 11-on-11, according to Phillip Heilman of the Florida Times-Union. He was picked off by Terrence Newman in 7-on-7 and should have been picked off on at least two other occasions. This is not the type of day that Bortles or the Jaguars would have hoped for. It's a road bump, of sorts, but it's not the end of the world. 

If Bortles is able to respond positively on the second day of joint practices, then this poor outing should be easily forgotten. The Jaguars haven't done any game planning for these practices and haven't studied much film in preparation for this week. It should also be noted that the Vikings were the highest rated defense in football last season and added more talent during the offseason. However, if Bortles has another poor day of practice against the Vikings and a poor performance against the Vikings on Saturday, it could lead to some concern for BB5. 

He's shown in the past that poor play can snowball and can very much effect his confidence for a time. 

At this point there's nothing to worry about. Kirk Cousins didn't have a great day against the Jaguars defense either.

Keep an eye on how Bortles respond to this the rest of the week. 

​Stay tuned for more. ​