Jets should sit Josh McCown out all preseason long

Once preseason action is here, the New York Jets should sit Josh McCown entirely and let the kids around him battle it out.

When it comes to quarterback Josh McCown, the New York Jets know exactly what they’re getting out of him. He’s a veteran leader, mentor, and is a solid game manager. He’s not going to win a lot of football games for the Jets but he’ll be competitive and do the best he can with the talent around him.

The Jets have confirmed that McCown will be the starting quarterback heading into training camp and of course, that could change depending on how the competition around him does throughout the summer. As of right now, the Jets have four quarterbacks on the roster in McCown, Sam Darnold, Teddy Bridgewater, and Christian Hackenberg.

By the looks of it, the Jets will likely head into the regular season with three quarterbacks on the final roster. McCown isn’t going anywhere and neither is Darnold. The big competition for a final roster spot will come down between Bridgewater and Hackenberg.

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It would be pointless to waste valuable reps in real-time football situations during preseason action by giving them to McCown. McCown is a 15-year veteran and will be just fine if he misses preseason action entirely. He’ll be practicing everything for the most part in training camp and of course in weekly prep and practices once the regular season arrives.

Ideally, not only for the development of Darnold but to see which quarterback is worth keeping between Bridgewater and Hackenberg, the Jets should just limit preseason reps to these three quarterbacks. Sitting McCown out all preseason long will not only keep him fresh for when the regular season arrives but will also give the decision-makers more than enough of a sample size to see which quarterback stays and which will be a training camp casualty.

Overall, this will likely be the last season McCown plays with the Jets since he’s a bridge quarterback and mentor to Darnold. McCown missing a few weeks of preseason action is best for the quarterbacks around him to develop towards honing their skills for the future. If McCown does end up being the Week 1 starter, he won’t miss a beat and will pick up where he left off from last season.