Christian Hackenberg might not be ready until 2018

By all accounts, quarterback Christian Hackenberg is still nowhere near ready to be a starter on the New York Jets. He might not even be ready until 2018 or even later.

When the New York Jets kicked off their preseason against the Tennessee Titans, quarterback Christian Hackenberg stole the show. He went threw for 127 passing yards, 18 completion, and threw zero interceptions. For a player that got mostly criticism all offseason long, he silenced a few critics after that Week 1 preseason performance.

After that game, Hackenberg was getting so much praise, many thought he’d actually have a shot at dethroning Josh McCown as the frontrunner to land the starting quarterback job. The following three weeks, Hackenberg, unfortunately, regressed beyond words.

His confidence took a huge hit after failing to hit receivers in stride, throwing several pick-six interceptions, and again, that “lost and confused” look under center. You know, the one where everyone watching can sense a blitz coming but he fails to change the play and ends up getting sacked or hit.

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The truth of the story is, Hackenberg looks like he has a long way to go before getting to where he needs to be where he’s ready to be more than just a backup quarterback.

When he was selected as a 2nd Round pick back in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Jets knew he’d be a developmental player that would easily need a few years of coaching and development to take his football career to the next level.

Patience is key when it comes to Hackenberg since he did show a few signs here and there that he can be a decent quarterback. One can’t label him a bust yet since generally, it takes at least three full years of regular season time to get a grasp on a player if they can be successful or not in the NFL.

Until then, it’s best the Jets continue to stick him in a backup role so he can continue to be trained from the sideline. He’s not ready now and probably won’t be until next season or even later. Until then, all one can do is hope he steadily develops over the next few years and maybe, just maybe, he can put everything together at some point in the future.