JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Giving running back Bernard Pierce a second chance is nothing out of the ordinary for Jacksonville Jaguars coach Gus Bradley. After all, he and the franchise have stuck by and tried to help troubled receiver Justin Blackmon for the past two seasons.

Bradley said he had a good meeting with Pierce shortly after the Jaguars claimed him on March 19 and believes that Pierce's regret over his DUI arrest on March 18, which resulted in the Baltimore Ravens releasing him later that day, was sincere.

"In my meeting with him I wanted to see remorse, humility," Bradley said at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix. "We all make mistakes. Not that it's right or wrong but it's one of those things maybe to a fault of mine [that we believe] we can help in this process and get them back on track. And the guys in the locker room will help that process, too, so it will be interesting."

Sometimes, despite his best efforts, Bradley is unable to help. He certainly tried with Blackmon, having regular meetings with him during a four-game suspension to begin the 2013 season. Some of those meetings lasted more than an hour and they often included no football talk. The team even got permission to take Blackmon with them to the West Coast when they remained in California between road games at Oakland and Seattle.

But that didn't keep Blackmon from violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy for the third time and getting hit with an indefinite suspension that began in Week 9 of the 2013 season. The Jaguars don't have to pay Blackmon's salary during his suspension and he doesn't count against the salary cap and roster limit, either, so there's no financial reason for the team to cut him. But they're keeping him because they want to help him in his recovery.

If Bradley is willing to stick by Blackmon after three alcohol- or marijuana-related arrests, then it shouldn't be a surprise Bradley and the Jaguars are willing to give Pierce a second chance.

"I think what you want to do is ... stay consistent," Bradley said. "If this person gets in trouble and you kick him off the team -- how about if that person was your starting quarterback? Would you kick him off the team? To me it's more the team because as a leader you have to remain consistent.

"I learned that from Derrick Brooks. He said, 'Consistency creates credibility.' You have to be consistent in your decision-making. I'm a guy who likes to give another opportunity. I think if he [Pierce] is around our guys and around our culture we can help him."

It's a two-way deal, though, because the Jaguars are hoping Pierce can help them as well. Since Maurice Jones-Drew led the NFL in rushing in 2011, the Jaguars have had one of the NFL's worst ground games. They've averaged 88.8 yards per game -- worse than every team but Atlanta (86.3) and Arizona (84.2) -- in the past three seasons, and though the 2014 season was by far the best of the three the Jaguars still finished 21st in the NFL at 102.1 yards per game.

Toby Gerhart, signed last March to a three-year, $10.5 million contract, struggled because of ankle and rib injuries. Denard Robinson ended up leading the Jaguars in rushing (582 yards), but he missed the final three games with a foot injury. The offensive line, which started two rookies and a second-year left tackle coming off a fractured ankle, struggled to consistently open holes, as well.

Pierce, 23, had his best season with the Ravens as a rookie in 2012, when he rushed for 532 yards to help the team win the Super Bowl. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry during the regular season and topped that in the playoffs, averaging 5.2 yards in four games. He ran for 202 yards on 39 carries, including 103 yards in a wild-card victory over Indianapolis.

Since then, however, Pierce has struggled because of inconsistency and a long list of injuries: back, ankle, knee, shoulder, thigh, toe, and concussion. Now he has a fresh start -- on and off the field -- in Jacksonville.

"It's another guy that wants to come in and compete," Bradley said. "We provided him an opportunity."