Does Bryce Petty have any trade value?
By Ryan Patti
Plenty of questions surround the New York Jets and their plan at quarterback. Assuming they get their guy at sixth overall and sign a veteran, does Bryce Petty possess value to be traded?
The New York Jets currently have three quarterbacks on their roster; Bryce Petty, Christian Hackenberg and practice squad body Joel Stave. They face a mini dilemma with Petty who becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2019 and could be unneeded after this offseason.
Should Gang Green land the pieces they want at the position in free agency and the 2018 NFL Draft, general manager Mike Maccagnan may look to move the Baylor product to a team in need of depth. Let’s take a closer look at his track record to see if he merits trade value.
The 2015 fourth-round selection has six full games under his belt after riding the pine his entire rookie campaign. He took over in the middle of the other four contests he played in. He finished 2016 completing 75 of 133 passes (56.4 percent) for 809 yards, three touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Petty totaled 544 yards, one touchdown and three picks on an ugly 55 of 112 passing (49.1 percent) in 2017. If there’s one positive we can pull from the shaky season, it’s his mobility. He scampered for four first downs which helped bring his 2016 sack percentage of 8.9 down to a 6.7. The issue, however, remains his lack of production, largely due in part to continued inaccurate throws.
He saw dips in completion percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating. The grades he earned on Pro Football Focus make sense when you consider those regressions. Petty received a 47.3 overall grade in 2016 and a 43.8 in 2017. The 43.8 ranks 45th out of the 46 quarterbacks who saw 100-plus snaps. His 41.6 passing grade falls in the same boat.
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Those stats and grades aren’t appealing to any GM or coach, but the experience certainly is. Some teams would prefer Petty, his 10 games and his $843,424 cap number instead of a guy they might have to ink for several million per year. If you’re tight on cap space, it’s better to cough up a conditional pick in exchange for an option like Petty. There are a few financially-restricted franchises who need another quarterback on the roster.
After the deal to send Alex Smith to Washington, Kansas City has only one quarterback under contract in Patrick Mahomes. They’ll clear $17 million in room once the trade becomes official, although they have more important holes than a backup quarterback to fill via spending. Baltimore at the moment has just north of $10.3 million and a mere two quarterbacks on the roster.
Dallas has $19.1 million and three quarterbacks, two of which are Cooper Rush and Jameill Showers. Neither of the two has serious NFL experience on their resume. Of course, any of these teams can maneuver their way to additional cap space and sign a quarterback, but things could change come August when rosters are unsettled and injuries occur.
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With all that said, it’s possible to get a seventh-rounder out of Petty if the dominoes fall the right way. Even if New York can’t pull something off, cutting him would save $705,000, per OTC. The goal here nonetheless is to get Petty off the books before September as there should already be three other quarterbacks in the building.