Backup quarterback competition wide open

The New York Jets have a competition for backup quarterback on the roster as two young hopefuls are working hard to climb the depth chart.

Many athletes relish the opportunity to compete in a high-stakes game where winner takes all. They thrive under pressure as the stakes rise. Unfortunately, despite their insatiable desire to make it in the NFL, some athletes falter.

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Quarterbacks Geno Smith and Bryce Petty of the New York Jets are facing a similar situation. Petty has everything to lose as he appeared to be the odd man out, until now. Battling not only for the No. 2 quarterback position, but also for a spot on the 53-man roster, Petty has shined these past few weeks leaving all his cards on the table.

On the other hand, Smith, who is entering his fourth year, has been up and down as of late and had a rough game against the Washington Redskins. Smith looked anemic completing six of 13 passes for 47 yards. He also made a questionable read throwing into triple coverage which resulted in an interception. His lackluster performance has enabled Petty to narrow the gap.

Petty outperformed Smith and breathed life into the Jets’ offense who didn’t complete a third down prior to his completion to Jalin Marshall in the third quarter.

He finished the night completing 16 of 26 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns.

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His 19-yard touchdown to tight end Zach Sudfeld displayed his pocket presence as he threw a dart between two defenders.

Petty also threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Robby Anderson on a stop-and-go fly route.

Both Petty and Smith faced a similar defense, but Petty looked more poised as he avoided the mental errors that Smith committed.

It was Smith who looked like the project player as many of his throws were off-target and his reads were ill advised.

While head coach Todd Bowles previously said via the Media Relations Department that Smith is the No. 2 quarterback and Petty is No. 3, he did note that “every position is open.” Now that the stakes have been raised, it’s up to the quarterbacks to claim it.

As Petty continues to make his case for a coveted spot on the final roster, his upside and intangibles give him an edge. 

However, Smith has valuable NFL experience under his belt as a starter and despite his 11-18 record. Petty has yet to take regular-season snap. 

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With only two more preseason games, the Jets don’t have very much time left to evaluate to make the difficult decision. Both quarterbacks will give it their best shot, but only one will win the No. 2 spot.