NY Jets: Joe Douglas ‘Fales’ to find a backup quarterback

Although NY Jets General Manager Joe Douglas has made many impactful free agent moves this offseason, his decision to resign quarterback David Fales was not one of them.

For the most part, NY Jets general manager Joe Douglas has had a successful, if unexciting, offseason.

In an effort to address the team’s greatest need, Douglas has found a litany of potential starting offensive lineman (Alex Lewis, George Fant, Connor McGovern, Greg Van Roten) at a discount price.

He also brought back talented defensive players Brian Poole and Jordan Jenkins on team-friendly contracts. Douglas has made a lot of intriguing moves this offseason, so the fans may have to forgive him for the occasional boring and questionable one.

Reports have surfaced this week that the Jets have re-signed quarterback David Fales to a one-year contract.

Jets have agreed to bring back QB David Fales on a 1-year deal, per source. Fales was the No. 2 QB to Sam Darnold for most of last season and could fill that role again this year. He played for Adam Gase and Dowell Loggains in Chicago and Miami.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 31, 2020

There are a few pros to this move. Fales was on the Jets’ roster last year, so he is already familiar with the offense. And given his lack of playing experience, he certainly didn’t cost the Jets much to retain.

That said, Douglas would be making a huge mistake if he fails to add another quarterback to the Jets roster.

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Fales has been in the NFL since 2014, but has only attempted an absurdly low 48 passes in that time. He is a career clipboard holder and not the kind of player a team can trust to fill in if the starter goes down.

Starting quarterback Sam Darnold has shown potential and improvement, but he is also yet to play in all 16 games in a season.

While the Jets should certainly hope that Darnold can break a string of bad luck (and mono) this upcoming season, they should nevertheless be prepared for the worst. The team needs an experienced and competent backup quarterback.

Fortunately, there are still good options out there on the free-agent wire. Here are a few names the Jets should consider.

Joe Flacco — Douglas was working in the Ravens organization when they drafted Flacco in 2008. Although he is older and not the player he once was, Flacco would bring experience and a winning pedigree to the Jets.
Trevor Siemian — Siemian suffered awful luck (and a season-ending injury) last year with the Jets. He is already familiar with the offense and would be a clear upgrade at backup quarterback over Fales if the team decides to re-sign him.
Matt Moore — Jets head coach Adam Gase coached Moore for two years in Miami. Moore is a respectable (49 TD/36 INT) veteran quarterback and would be a decent option for the Jets if Gase wanted a reunion.
Mike Glennon — Years ago this writer advocated for the Jets to bring in Glennon. Although his “star” has dimmed considerably since then, Glennon has been decent in limited playing time (7 TD/5 INT) over the last four seasons. It is unlikely that the Jets go this route, but they could do far worse than bringing in Glennon to backup Darnold.

Douglas did not make a mistake re-signing Fales, per se. He didn’t cost much and provides depth at an essential position.

However, if he doesn’t add another more experienced quarterback that will be a mistake.

Injuries to Darnold and Siemian last year illustrated how misfortune can strike at any time in the NFL (and it often does for the Jets). Effective NFL general managers mitigate risk by adding as much depth and talent to a roster as is possible.

Let’s hope that Douglas is up to the job.

Although NY Jets General Manager Joe Douglas has made many impactful free agent moves this offseason, his decision to resign quarterback David Fales was not one of them.

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