The upside of Christian Hackenberg over Bryce Petty

Quarterback Bryce Petty isn’t the answer the New York Jets need as he’ll more than likely play his final game with the team on Sunday as the franchise has to move forward without him when it comes to the most important position on the team.

So far this season, quarterback Bryce Petty hasn’t proven to be the long-term answer the New York Jets need. As a matter of fact, he’s looked so bad in the past three starts that the Jets have more than likely seen enough to decide his fate.

In the grand scheme of things, Petty is inaccurate, has major issues with his footwork, and can’t play to what were his strengths of last season. He’s gone 36/76 for a 47.4 percent completion rate, 312 passing yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.

Petty has done and said all the right things when it comes to how he handles himself as a quarterback but at the end of the day, it’s what happens on the gridiron that matters the most. He’s simply not a good quarterback and the Jets are in dire need of one that can at least show some upside as they develop with young talent around him.

It’s been three years now and Petty seems to be on the outside looking in. The Jets surely can’t go into next season with the same quarterbacks on the roster since something has to change in order for them to find a franchise player that is worth building around. Unfortunately for Petty, he doesn’t have what it takes that warrants keeping him once this season is in the books.

Quarterback Christian Hackenberg, on the other hand, still has a huge question mark on whether or not he can be “the guy” the Jets need under center. He’s yet to play in regular season action but there is a small chance that he’ll get to see some playing time on Sunday. The Jets have invested a second-round pick in Hackenberg and it’s expected that he’s not going anywhere anytime soon, so it would make sense for the Jets to maybe give him a series, a half, or heck, even a quarter of action to see what he’s capable of.

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Personally, I would have given Hackenberg the start on Sunday against the New England Patriots since the Jets have nothing to lose. They’re obviously out of playoff contention and Petty has played so bad that it boggles the mind as to why the Jets want to keep him out there since it’s just not working out.

Even if Hackenberg starts or plays and does bad, at least he’ll have something to work with in the offseason since experience is everything in the NFL. If Hackenberg does well against the Patriots, then the Jets know he at least has some upside to develop over the next few years.

Either way, regardless what happens on Sunday, Petty is on the roster bubble. It’s expected the Jets will have a few new faces at quarterback in 2018 but still have to figure out what is in the best interest of the franchise. Should they bring back Josh McCown? Do they go after a top free agent quarterback? Do they use their first-round draft pick on the best player available at quarterback?

Your guess is as good as mine but one thing is for sure in that at this point in time, Petty, who has had more than enough opportunities to prove his worth over the past few years, is likely auditioning for a future job on another team. Hackenberg’s upside boils down to the time invested in his development, his draft pick status, and the fact that his potential already has him worth keeping around over Petty who has played like a third-string quarterback who just got into the pros.