Blake Bortles Says It Can't Get Worse Than Being Benched by Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles came off the bench in Thursday's preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, and the three-year starter discussed his mindset following the game.

Speaking to reporters, Bortles addressed the demotion: "I don't know if it can get any worse than that. As a quarterback in the NFL, that's probably the last thing you want to hear. I think you can roll over and lay down or you can keep working, grinding and trying to win that spot back. So, you have two options, and I think you pick one and you go."

Due to Bortles' struggles during the preseason and training camp, head coach Doug Marrone started veteran Chad Henne on Thursday.

Henne completed eight of 14 passes for 73 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. In relief, Bortles completed 12 of 16 attempts for 125 yards, one touchdown and one pick.

Marrone said in a postgame press conference he hasn't decided who his starting quarterback will be when the regular season begins and didn't announce a timeline.

Bortles has been Jacksonville's starting signal-caller since three games into his rookie season in 2014.

Inconsistency has plagued the former No. 3 overall draft pick out of Central Florida, and he's posted an 11-34 record as a starter.

Although Bortles threw for 4,428 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2015, he completed just 58.6 percent of his passes and threw 18 interceptions.

Last season, Bortles threw for 3,905 yards, 23 touchdowns and 16 picks to go along with a completion percentage of 58.9 percent. The Jags were once again one of the NFL's worst teams at 3-13.

Jacksonville has a great deal of talent at the skill positions offensively and on defense, but quarterback issues have been key in its inability to climb out of the NFL's basement.