Indications That Justin Blackmon Could Be Done With The Jaguars

 

On Friday, the Jacksonville Jaguars came away from the second round of the draft with USC WR Marqise Lee and Penn State WR Allen Robinson.

Shortly after the team finished trading up and selecting Robinson, Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell told reporters that they aren’t counting on former first-round pick Justin Blackmon returning to the team.

“I think we’ve covered that,” Caldwell said when asked about Blackmon future’s with the team, via the Florida Times Union. “We’ve moved on for this year.”

The Jaguars are unable to release Blackmon until he’s reinstated from his indefinite suspension, but there is no guarantee that he will eventually be reinstated.

Head coach Gus Bradley also mentioned that he’s disappointed with the situation and reiterated that they can’t rely on him in the coming years.

“I feel at times there’s probably a little emptiness,” Bradley said. “There are some unknowns there and you don’t know how it’s working. You don’t want to shut it off. I was hoping it would be better than where it is going. We haven’t heard much and it doesn’t sound like it’s going in the right direction. Like Dave said, we can’t count on him.”

The fact that the Jaguars felt compelled to take two receiver, and even trade up for the second, speaks volumes about the direction they are headed. Jacksonville could have used some help on defense, but they made a clear effort to rebuild the foundation of their passing take for the coming years, which includes the decision to draft QB Blake Bortles No. 1 overall.

Blackmon’s received an indefinite suspension back in November for what is believed to be a failed drug test. He also served a four-game suspension for substance abuse at the start of the 2013 season.

Last year, Blackmon wound up playing in only four games for the Jaguars. He totaled 29 receptions for 415 yards receiving and a touchdown, which is pretty decent production in a short period of time.