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Jaguars intent on sitting Bortles this year

Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley is excited for the Blake Bortles era; even if it won't begin for another year.

Bortles, who was selected with the third overall pick, will instead spend the 2014 season learning behind incumbent starting quarterback Chad Henne.

"We really felt comfortable with (Henne) coming back with another year in the system," Bradley said during an appearance on NFL Network's "NFL Total Access" on Tuesday. "I think it gave us flexibility. When Blake was there available for us, we really wanted to capture that opportunity."

Bradley, who was not a part of the Jaguars organization when it decided to start former first-round pick Blaine Gabbert in his rookie season, said the team is confident the move will pay off.

"We do feel good about where Blake's at, but we feel like this time that he has under Chad, a year to develop, will be really good in the end result."

Gabbert, traded to San Francisco for a sixth-round pick in March, struggled mightily in his first year as a starter and failed to recover during his next two seasons in Jacksonville. He finished his career in Jacksonville with 22 touchdowns against 24 interceptions, completing 53.3 percent of his passes.

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