New York Jets: Should team sign another quarterback?

Should the New York Jets sign another quarterback before the start of the regular season? Following the Geno Smith injury, many Jets fans are seriously concerned about the team’s quarterback situation. Smith is only scheduled to miss 6-10 weeks, ensuring that he will be healthy and available to play for most of the season. Although the organization shouldn’t panic about the Smith injury, the Jets should seriously consider adding another quarterback.

A current look at the Jets’ depth chart shows that the team is left perilously thin at quarterback until Smith returns.

With a decade of NFL experience and over 70 starts under his belt, Ryan Fitzpatrick is a savvy veteran. Additionally, he has displayed an ability to succeed in Chan Gailey’s offense. As long as Fitzpatrick is healthy, the Jets’ offense should be serviceable.

Behind Fitzpatrick however, the Jets quarterback options are highly questionable at best. The fourth-round pick out of Baylor, Bryce Petty, is considered a project player. Petty’s numbers in his first preseason game, 10/18 for 50 yards passing, did little to convince anyone that he’s ready to play this season. And despite the tremendous success of Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, undrafted quarterbacks like Jake Heaps seldom stay in the league for long.

Although Fitzpatrick is currently healthy and looked fine in his first preseason game (2/3 for 16 yards), he missed four games last season due to a broken leg. Because Petty and Heaps are not ready to take snaps in a regular season game, the Jets should sign a serviceable veteran quarterback to backup Fitzpatrick.

Aug 13, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) drops back to pass during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions in a preseason NFL football game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Who should the Jets target? Early reports have connected the Jets to a variety of names, including Matt Flynn and Rex Grossman. Neither of these quarterbacks have shown the ability to be viable NFL starters, but Flynn (who is younger and has a positive touchdown to interception ratio) would be a better choice than Grossman.

It’s clear at this point that the Jets are not going to rush to sign anyone. Considering the dearth of free agent quarterback options, it’s wise for the franchise to wait and see what other players may become available. Unless Petty shows early promise in the upcoming preseason games, the Jets need to keep digging until they find a trustworthy No. 2 quarterback.

Looking at this list of current free agent quarterbacks, who do you think the Jets should sign? Please feel free to sound off in the comments section below to see who everyone thinks would be the best option to bring in.

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