Jets Training Camp Position Battle: QB

As training camp draws near, here’s our breakdown of the position battles likely to face the New York Jets at quarterback heading into the 2019 NFL season.

For the first time in many years, the Jets head into Training Camp with certainty at the starting QB position, and that young man is the key to the Jets success. Although it’s only his second year in the League, Sam Darnold is the clear future of the Jets organization, but as we know, injuries can happen, making the battle for QB #2 a very interesting and important one.

Gang Green are finally confident in the most important position on their team, but here is how the rest of the QB battle is going to play out when the team head back to Florham Park for Training Camp.

No. 1: Sam Darnold

When the Jets landed the #3 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the expectation was Sam Darnold at #1 and ‘Broadway’ Baker would be arriving in New York, but fate felt differently. The Browns chose the Oklahoma product at #1, and while he had a fantastic rookie year in Cleveland, the fans of New York are excited for our 21-year old former USC star.

His rookie year had some ups and downs, as he ended the year with 17 Touchdown’s to 15 Interceptions, but he showed enough to have Jets Nation completely behind him. Sam has shown great aggressiveness, awareness and an ability to make plays on the run, and with more weapons around him, he’s ready to breakout in 2019.

Coming into camp last year, he was battling with Josh McCown for the starting role, but in 2019, Sam is the clear star of this offense, and hopefully he’ll be starting for years to come.

Next: Trevor Siemian

No. 2: Trevor Siemian

Trevor Siemian is the only other QB on the Jets roster with NFL experience, and as far as back-ups go, the Jets have quite a good one here. While he only has 26 games of NFL experience, Siemian served as the backup to Peyton Manning as the Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50, and there’s no better QB in the history of the NFL to learn from.

In those games, Siemian has thrown for 30 Touchdown’s with 24 Interceptions, and while he’s no threat of taking the starting job, the team would be confident if he needed to step in due to injury. In previous years, someone like Siemian would be competing for the starting job, but the Jets have finally got it right, and if he is to play, with the weapons around him, even Trevor would do an admirable job.

Next: Davis Webb

No. 3: Davis Webb

In 4 years of College, Davis Webb put together a great career, but since being drafted (87thoverall in 2017), he hasn’t managed to take a snap in the NFL. He’s been close several times, serving as the backup to Josh McCown in 2018 while Sam Darnold was injured, as well as taking first team reps with the Giants at the back end of the 2017 season.

Despite this, it’s clear that Webb just doesn’t have the overall tools to be a starter in the NFL, and with Darnold at the helm, the former Texas Tech and Cal QB will be battling for the #2 spot. While Webb can definitely play, he just doesn’t have the experience or the talent to take a spot away, and will be serving as the #3 on the Depth Chart going into camp.

Next: Luke Falk

No. 4: Luke Falk

Looking back on Luke Falk’s numbers at Washington State, you’d expect him to be a starter in the NFL right now, as he had a passer rating of 142 over 4 years, but that hasn’t translated to the professional game. He was drafted 199thoverall (196 spots behind the current starter) in the 2018 NFL Draft, but the Jets are his 3rdNFL team already, meaning that something just isn’t working.

It’s likely that Falk will be on the practice squad come the beginning of the season, but if anyone can change our predicted Depth Chart by the end of training camp, it will be Falk. Sure, he will only leap Davis Webb, but if he can start putting some of his talent to good use, Falk will make a good backup for any NFL team that he finds himself on in the future.