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Jaguars Name Mike Glennon Starting Quarterback For Week 12

After Jake Luton threw four interceptions against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jaguars have announced Mike Glennon as the new starter.
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For the second time this month, the Jacksonville Jaguars have a new starting quarterback.

Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone announced Wednesday that eighth-year veteran quarterback Mike Glennon will start in Week 12 against the Cleveland Browns. Glennon is the third different starting quarterback the Jaguars have had this year. 

"I think he gives us the best chance to win," Marrone said.

"Mike is experienced and that is why we brought him in here, to be able to fill in whenever we need him. So he will get his opportunity."

The move sends rookie quarterback Jake Luton to the bench after a four-interception performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11.

"I spoke to the three quarterbacks this morning. Myself, Jay [Gruden] and Ben [McAdoo] spent a lot of time on it," Marrone said Wednesday.

"First I spoke to Jake. I told Jake that, hey, we really appreciate everything and really like a lot of things that you're doing, but we are just going to take a step back and digest things for a while and just kind of look at things and get you back on track. So, he's fine. I think he has a chance to become a good football player in this league."

With Glennon in the lineup, the Jaguars have their fourth different starting quarterback of the last two seasons and sixth of the last three. This will be the fourth season in Jaguars history where they have started three different quarterbacks. The Jaguars (1-9) are in the middle of a nine-game losing streak and a loss on Sunday would set a franchise record for consecutive losses in a single season.

The move to Glennon means it will be at least one more week before second-year quarterback Gardner Minshew has a chance to get back on the field. Minshew still recovering from a thumb injury that has kept him sidelined for the last several weeks. 

Minshew has missed the last three games due to the injury, which he reportedly sustained in Week 5 against the Houston Texans. Minshew would start the next few games before alerting the Jaguars of the injury but has been inactive since the bye week ended, and Marrone said today he wants to see Minshew have a full week of practice before he starts a game.

"Gardner said he is feeling good. He is still listed as limited on the report. I just feel like we can't get enough throws in during this week. I want him to have a full week, a full load of work before I put someone in there," Marrone said. 

"I don't have a problem with him backing up this week and if he has to go in there for a quarter or for half a game or whatever it may be if something happens with Mike, then at least he is available."

Glennon has 22 starts in his career and has played with Oakland (2019), Arizona (2018) and Chicago (2017) after beginning his career in Tampa Bay (2013-16), where he was originally drafted by the Buccaneers in the third round (73rd overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft. He has completed 488-of-801 passes (60.9 completion %) for 5,163 yards and 36 TDs. In 2019 with the Raiders, he appeared in two games and completed six passes for 56 yards and one TD. 

Through seven games Minshew has completed 65.9% of his passes for 1,855 yards (6.9 yards per attempt) with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions, giving him a quarterback rating of 94.4. He is 1-6 as a starter this season after going 6-6 as a rookie starter in 2019.

Luton, a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, has started each of the three games in Minshew's place. Luton impressed in his first start, scoring two touchdowns and setting a rookie record for passing yards in a debut. But since then, Luton has struggled with accuracy and decision making, and the Jaguars' offense has scored just one touchdown in the last eight quarters as a result.

Luton finished Sunday's 27-3 loss against Pittsburgh completing 16/37 passes (43.2%) for 151 yards (4.1 yards per attempt) and four interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 15.5. Through three games, Luton has completed 54.5% of his passes for 5.7 yards per attempt with two touchdowns and six interceptions, giving him a quarterback rating of 54.5.