Former NFL head coach Jack Del Rio knew that former Tennessee Titans quarterback Blaine Gabbert was just another guy.
When quarterback Blaine Gabbert became a Tennessee Titan in 2018, most of us were excited to upgrade and move on from Matt Cassel. As the year went on, Titans fans witnessed his “abilities” firsthand.
If only former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio had warned us of our impending doom.
According to Barry Petchesky at Deadspin, Del Rio was not keen on drafting Gabbert that high and had no idea the Jacksonville Jaguars were selecting him 10th overall in the 2011 NFL Draft.
“No idea. In fact, I left to go get something to eat because our pick wasn’t for much longer in the draft. I go and then I’m sitting there filling my plate thinking, ‘Oh great, we’ve got a couple more hours until we pick.’ Then I see, ‘The Jaguars are on the clock.’ I’m like, ‘What the blank is going on?’
Del Rio’s trip to the buffet was instantly ruined.
“I walk into the draft room, and I could see it on the faces of the people in the room. They knew how uncomfortable that was, how wrong that was.”
Ironically, Del Rio had Gabbert ranked in the Nick Foles range. By that metric, the Jaguars could have had their starting QB for seven years already!
Of course, Foles was taken the year after Gabbert in the 3rd round—88th overall—but still, they were so close. Those middle rounds are known for grabbing career backups at QB, and that is where they should have left Gabbert.
Don’t get me wrong. I am grateful for the Titans’ 2018 Week 2 victory vs. the Houston Texans; however, in my defense, Kevin Byard was the best Titan’s QB in that game, so I’m not way off base.
The longest touchdown pass by a defensive player in the Super Bowl era gave the Titans Kevin Byard a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating. https://t.co/xPbXctOUk4
— Tennessean (@Tennessean) September 21, 2018
Gabbert has turned out to be a decent backup during his career, but was never worth the No. 10 overall pick. Before joining the Titans in 2018, Gabbert played three seasons with the Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers each, and spent one season with the Arizona Cardinals.
In eight games (three starts) with the Titans last year, Gabbert completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 626 yards, with four touchdowns and four picks. In the Week 17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts that ended Tennesse’s season, Gabbert threw for 165 yards, but tossed only one touchdown and two interceptions.
In a way, Gabbert will always be a Jaguar. Sure, he no longer plays in the Black and Teal, but he’s still just another guy. Bruce Arians can’t save you in Tampa Bay, Blaine.