Jaguars trying to fix QB problem

Is there some reason the Jaguars aren’t signing Colin Kaepernick immediately?

It appears, with ever greater certainty, that Blake Bortles isn’t going to turn things around for the new regime of coach Doug Marrone and front office boss Tom Coughlin. A segment of the fan base seems increasingly disenchanted with Bortles, who was booed during a recent preseason game.

Marrone is leaving open the possibility of going with Chad Henne, and there has been speculation that Bortles could be released. But what are the chances that Henne would be the answer?

The Jaguars have put relatively decent talent around Bortles on offense in recent years and have brought in a series of promising young players on defense. This should be a football-first decision, and Kaepernick would represent a pretty clear upgrade over the quarterbacks currently in the mix for the starting job.

Watson’s rough day

Houston’s rookie QB Deshaun Watson struggled in the passing game against the Patriots, which came after the two teams participated in two days of joint practices at The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.

Watson connected on only 3 of 10 passes and generally was outplayed by Tom Savage. But some long runs after catches boosted Watson’s passing-yardage total to 102, and he rushed for a touchdown.

Nothing that happened against the Patriots changes the view that the Texans should take a chance on Watson as their season-opening starter at quarterback. It could backfire, sure. But it could pay off, and if so, it would make the Texans a more viable challenger for AFC supremacy than they would be with Savage in the lineup.

Texans’ D

Whether Watson or Savage is the Texans’ starter at quarterback, the Houston defense is likely to be the team’s focal point. The Texans ranked first in the league in total defense last season even with J.J. Watt missing most of the season, and now the three-time NFL defensive player of the year is back.

Watt was asked if the defense feels additional pressure with the quarterback situation unsettled.

“We always put a lot of pressure on ourselves,” Watt said. “We always go out there and we try to do whatever we can to put ourselves in the best position. You control what you can control. And that’s always our goal.”

Gronk and Gronk

TE Rob Gronkowski said he’s enjoying having his younger brother Glenn, a fullback, on the Patriots for a second year in a row. The Patriots signed Glenn Gronkowski to their practice squad last October, then released and re-signed him three more times last season. He was signed to a futures contract in February and is in training camp with the team.

“It’s just fun,” Rob Gronkowski said a few weeks ago. “It’s fun watching my brother go out there. In the (preseason-opening)game the other night, it was a blast watching him and Tom make some plays. It’s awesome being in the same room.

“As a group, we all just try to help each other out at all times.”