Spotlight on Bryce Petty in preseason finale

For the New York Jets, quarterback Bryce Petty is starting in their preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles. The second-year man will have all eyes on him Thursday night.

A strong preseason has quarterback Bryce Petty of the New York Jets all but locked into the 53-man roster. The second-year product has adjusted nicely through the first three exhibition games. He’s third in the NFL with 394 passing yards and has a pair of touchdown passes. He has limited the mistakes while battling with quarterback Geno Smith for the No. 2 spot.

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Another gutsy performance by Petty could open the door for the Jets to release Smith. Petty has proven to be a better decision maker, while also boasting a strong arm. Smith’s strong arm suffers from his poor decisions even after once being a starter for the Jets.

Thursday night’s match-up will also give Petty a chance with better talent. He’s made big strides tossing to rookie wide receivers Jalin Marshall and Robby Anderson. It’s time to see in a game situation with wide receivers Eric Decker, Quincy Enunwa, and running back Matt Forte. Being protected by the first-string offensive line could provide Petty time to make quality plays. To once again, “Favre it“.

Petty’s performance could also verify the scouting ability of the Jets under general manager Mike Maccagnan. After Smith didn’t clearly pan out, Maccagnan drafted Petty as his first rookie quarterback. This year, he went back to the draft and selected quarterback Christian Hackenberg. Maccagnan has built the Jets into a playoff-caliber team again, however, the team is still in search of a quarterback of the future.

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It’s time to see what Petty can do with a few series against a real defense.

If he can maintain his composure in the pocket and deliver strong throws, he can show his worth.

Petty has shown the most progression of the Jets quarterbacks.

Now he needs to buy himself one more year learning from starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to have the potential of making another leap forward.

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The Jets and their fans have wanted to see what Petty can do and now tonight should provide the Baylor product plenty of opportunities to showcase his talent. It isn’t often that a third-string quarterback gets all the attention. However, that’s the spot Petty will be in against Philadelphia. That’s the spot he’s earned himself.