NY Jets are reportedly interested in signing a veteran quarterback

NY Jets (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
NY Jets (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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The NY Jets were reportedly interested in signing Andy Dalton before he signed with the Dallas Cowboys. That’s fueled speculation that the team wants to sign a veteran quarterback.

The NY Jets may have drafted a quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft, but it appears as though they’re not yet content with their QB room. And realistically, who could blame them?

ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported on Sunday that the Jets had interest in signing veteran Andy Dalton this past week before he was signed by the Dallas Cowboys. And apparently that interest was mutual.

They ultimately missed out on Dalton, but that doesn’t mean they still aren’t in the market for another backup option. Cimini later iterated that the fact “that they got involved shows they’re interested in acquiring an experienced backup.”

That would be a smart decision.

At the moment, the Jets are slated to enter the 2020 season with the likes of David Fales, fourth-round pick James Morgan, and Mike White as their only backups under contract.

Despite being drafted in the fourth round, Morgan is still a developmental project and may not even be ready to assume the backup role in his first season. The FIU product still struggles with his ball placement and decision-making and likely isn’t ready for NFL snaps just yet.

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That means it could be Fales or bust in 2020 if the Jets don’t add another backup. Besides, it probably isn’t wise to enter a season with your soon-to-be 23-year-old starter as your most experienced quarterback option.

The Jets saw firsthand just how poorly things could go when you don’t have a viable backup. Only it wasn’t exactly their fault that both Darnold and Trevor Siemian were forced out of action.

But if they plan on having Fales and Morgan compete for the backup job, any plans that go array at the quarterback position will be entirely their fault.

Now, the most obvious backup option is Joe Flacco. General manager Joe Douglas was the person who discovered Flacco way back in 2008 when he was an area scout with the Baltimore Ravens.

The connection seems obvious, but it’s far from the only connection.

Veteran Matt Moore is still a free agent after spending last season as Patrick Mahomes‘ backup in Kansas City. Moore has plenty of experience playing under head coach Adam Gase, but Cimini did say that “a reunion doesn’t seem likely at this point.”

Perhaps the Jets could also bring back Siemian who never really got a fair shake last year. A former starter with the Denver Broncos, Siemian would be a younger, cheaper backup who would come to the Jets with prior starting experience.

There are options out there and it seems as though the Jets are exploring those options.

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No matter what the Jets ultimately decide to do, it would be a mistake to go into 2020 with the quarterbacks that they have on the roster right now.