Why the Jaguars Could Sit Blaine Gabbert, Draft Matt Barkley or Robert Griffin

With a new head coach and ownership ready to take over the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason, the team is going to have a big decision to make with rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert. 

The 2012 quarterback class is one of the most promising in several years, and the Jaguars will have to decide if Gabbert is in fact the future of the franchise or if they need to go in a different direction with a guy like USC's Matt Barkley or Baylor's Robert Griffin III.

While you could argue that Gabbert has started just 10 NFL games and possesses few offensive weapons in Jacksonville, there's no denying that the problems Gabbert has dealt with during his rookie season go much deeper than just a lack of experience or playmakers.

Gabbert has failed to show any sense of pocket presence, accuracy or confidence to throw the ball down the field. His numbers against the Chargers looked respectable at the end of the contest, but that's mostly because Maurice Jones-Drew turned a shovel pass into a 48-yard touchdown. Everything else was dink and dunk.

Unlike other rookie quarterbacks like Cam Newton and Christian Ponder, Gabbert simply doesn't make any plays during a course of a game that make you think there's some real potential with him. That's the worrying part. You just don't see anything on tape that gives you the impression that Gabbert was a top 10 pick. 

When the Jaguars hire a new coach, he shouldn't be locked into starting Gabbert. In fact, he should get the opportunity to draft Barkley or Griffin III if there's a consensus that Gabbert isn't the guy.

You see teams all the time draft the wrong quarterback high in the draft and then stick with him for a handful of years because of the investment. The Jaguars traded up in the draft to get Gabbert, but a four-year, $12 million contract is far from the kind of money that binds franchises to top picks. 

And really, what would be wrong with drafting a top guy like Barkley or Griffin III and having him on the same roster with Gabbert? The Panthers drafted Jimmy Clausen in the second round in 2010 before taking Cam Newton with the No. 1 overall pick last April.

Carolina brought in a new coach, agreed that Clausen wasn't the long-term answer and then pulled the trigger on Newton. The same situation could play out in Jacksonville. Draft a top quarterback and then let him compete with Gabbert this offseason.

If Gabbert can't beat out the rookie, then you've made the right choice anyway. If a fire is lit under Gabbert's behind and he wins the competition outright, then you still have a guy you can have confidence in under center. 

I think we've seen over the past couple of seasons that having a franchise quarterback on your roster is one of the most important managerial aspects in all of sports. If the Jaguars feel—like many analysts already do—that Gabbert isn't the right guy, then by all means they should draft one of the top quarterbacks available next April.