Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles gets to work against a good defense in practice this summer and he has seen a positive change in his play since the start of training camp.

Bortles believes that he’s putting forth more consistent play than he has in the past. While he’s not mistake-free Eli Apple Jersey , Bortles said that the mistakes happen less frequently and are less costly than they have been in previous seasons.

“I think the positive is that the lows aren’t near as low as they were,” Bortles said, via First Coast News. “They are still up and down Sheldon Rankins Jersey , which is going to be when you play our defense every day. I think the floor has risen — the lows aren’t as bad. It is one, two, three bad plays Michael Schofield Jersey , compared to where there were times last year where I would go for a whole day of having a bad practice and not really feel good about it. I think as long as you continue to make those lows not quite as bad as they had been in the past, I think we will have a chance.”

Carrying over that trend into the regular season would be a good step for Bortles and the Jaguars. When he avoided big mistakes last season, the Jaguars tended to end up winning games. They went 8-0 when Bortles didn’t throw an interception and 2-6 when he did get picked off Tarvarius Moore Jersey , so finding a way to further limit those mistakes should be a plus to the chances of another run at a division title.

The standoff between the Chicago Bears and No. 8 overall draft pick Roquan Smith is over.

A person familiar with the situation says the linebacker has agreed to a four-year contract that guarantees $18.5 million and includes an $11.5 million signing bonus. The person spoke Monday night on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced.

The Bears sent out a news release announcing Smith will be available to reporters after Tuesday's practice, though they did not say an agreement is in place.

Smith is the final pick from this year's NFL draft class to reach an agreement 鈥?because of a hangup over the contract language. The sides disagreed over whether the team would be allowed to take back guaranteed bonus money if he was suspended for disciplinary reasons, including a violation of the league's new rule preventing players from leading with their helmet.

Smith participated in offseason activities Charles Clay Jersey , but has been absent since Chicago reported to camp on July 19 and has missed two preseason games. The Bears visit Denver on Saturday.

Smith is the first Chicago player of note to hold out since running back Cedric Benson missed 36 days in 2005. The Bears are usually among the first teams to sign all their picks.

With his speed and athleticism, Chicago views Smith as a potential cornerstone at inside linebacker for a defense that ranked 10th overall last year. Smith helped lead Georgia to the national championship game last season and was the Butkus Award winner as college football's best linebacker.

Chicago has four straight last-place finishes in the NFC North and just one playoff appearance since the 2006 team's Super Bowl run. The Bears fired coach John Fox and replaced him with Matt Nagy after last season.

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