Potential New York Jets Free Agent: Matt Moore

Dec. 23, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore (8) warms up before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

We all know that the Jets are looking to fix their quarterback situation. Tim Tebow is not likely to be here come training camp, and Mark Sanchez is on his last stand, if he is here at all. They aren’t sold on Greg McElroy to this point either, so the Jets are looking for a stop-gap quarterback to compete for the job, while they wait for the QB class in college to improve. One name that is on everyone’s lips is Matt Moore. Let’s talk about him.

His PFF grade is a 2.5, making Moore second among free agent quarterbacks, and far better than Mark Sanchez(-22.1). In his limited chances to play, he was efficient in 2012, when in only 56 snaps, he posted a passer rating of 96.6. We know that is light years above any Jets quarterback, we won’t even talk about their ratings.

Although for most of his career, he has been a backup, he has seen opportunities to start, and when he has, he has more than made the most of them. He started 12 games in 2011, the year before the arrival of Ryan Tannehill, for example. That year, he threw for 16 TDs vs only 9 INTs. That would be a nice ratio to see wouldn’t it? Moore put up a 91.82 QBR(that’s for you Frankie V.), against Mark’s 76.18.

He had a rough 2010, but his starting time in 2009 was quite good. He started five games for Carolina that year, throwing 8 TDs vs only 2 INTs, and a passer rating of 98.5. How long has it been since we ever saw a rating like that over an extended period of time? Chad Pennington might have been the last time. Nobody for the Jets has been anywhere NEAR that efficient for a long time.

Moore is only 28 years old, so and he hasn’t started much, so he is not a guy that has a lot of mileage under his belt. His career completion percentage is nearly 60%, a stark contrast from what we have seen around these parts for a long, long time. As a career backup, he is not going to command a great deal of money. It’s not as if they were trying to make an offer for Joe Flacco, the most un-free free agent in the game right now.

Matt Moore is clearly an affordable option that, if given the chance, can get the job done. The Jets must look into this guy, plain and simple.