Jacksonville Jaguars

Julius Thomas: Bortles has the right attitude

Published May. 21, 2015 1:30 a.m. ET

foxsports

New Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Julius Thomas spent most of his career playing with a pretty decent quarterback leading the offense in Peyton Manning.

So far, he's liking what he's seen from his new QB, Blake Bortles - at least in the leadership department.

"What stands out about him is his attitude,” Thomas said, according to Jaguars.com. “He’s very easy to get along with. That means a lot as a quarterback, when you can go out there and your players feel like they can be comfortable around you and they’re excited to play with you. He has a good amount of excitement around him. We’re out there at practice and the quarterback is 10-to-15 yards downfield to say, ‘Great catch.’ Those are the little things that help him be a great leader."

Thomas was equally complimentary of the Jaguars' group of young receivers: Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee, who are all entering their second seasons.

“I’m excited about them," Thomas said. "Those guys are great athletes. They definitely have all the physical tools they need to go out and be successful on Sundays. That’s an exciting thing for me, to be able to watch those guys work for the first time. You hear about your teammates you’re going to play with, then you get to see them. You get to see the ability they have.

"It’s going to be a big commitment for them. Going into Year Two, you have some snaps under your belt and a little experience under your belt, then you get to decide what kind of player you want to be known as, who you’re going to be when you show up on Sundays and the message you’re going to send to the league. I’m looking forward to what they can do, because they are very talented.”

Thomas will step on the field with his new teammates when the Jaguars open full-team OTAs May 26.

(h/t Jacksonville Jaguars)