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Chad Henne to start for Jacksonville Jaguars at QB

Chad Henne earned his way into the Jacksonville Jaguars' starting lineup with his monster performance against the Houston Texans.

Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey announced Monday that Henne will start at quarterback this week against the Tennessee Titans. It's a move that makes us wonder about Blaine Gabbert's future with the Jaguars.

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NFL Replay
will re-air the Houston Texans' 43-37 overtime win over the Jacksonville  Jaguars in Week 11 on Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. ET.

Gabbert is "questionable" this week because of his elbow injury, according to Mularkey. But the Jaguars aren't waiting around to see if Gabbert is healthy enough to start, like they would with a true "franchise quarterback."

Mularkey made it clear that Henne is starting because of his performance, not Gabbert's injury. This is a convenient way for the Jaguars to see if their offense would look better with someone other than Gabbert running the show.

Henne struggled badly in a Week 7 relief appearance against the Oakland Raiders, but his aggressive shots down the field Sunday against the Texans helped the Jaguars put 34 points on the board. Henne wound up with 344 passing yards and four touchdowns. Gabbert often does not throw the ball vertically or take chances.

Mularkey's future in Jacksonville is up in the air after this season. The same is true for Gabbert, the No. 10 overall pick in last year's draft. This is the first public sign the organization is losing faith in him.

Mularkey also said the Jaguars will stick with Jalen Parmele over Rashad Jennings at running back. It's unlikely that Maurice Jones-Drew (foot) will play this week.

Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.

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