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Tight End Julius Thomas has gone from Peyton Manning to… Blake Bortles? The 26-year old Pro Bowler has signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars after being drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2011. The multi-year deal is expected to be around $9 million per year.
Thomas is coming off of a 12 TD season, his second one in a row. He also racked up 489 yards on 43 receptions, both lower than his 2013 campaign but was still effective in scoring situations.
It is easy to go straight to how Manning is losing a big weapon but let’s focus on what really matters. Other than monetarily, is Thomas bound for success in Jacksonville? The current wide receiving corps already is made up of Marqise Lee, Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns (who broke out for 677 receiving yards in his rookie season) and Justin Blackmon. Despite Blackmon’s troubles, he is still effective when on the field. Overall, this group could be fairly decent. The only thing holding them back is the inexperience Bortles. Adding a talent such as Thomas would add so much more to the offense but it would be up to the second year quarterback to flourish and make the offense work.
As of right now, we will need to see how this Jacksonville offense develops in 2015.