The New York Jets have dominated headlines over the past few days after drafting quarterback Geno Smith and that is exactly how they like it, as the team informed Tim Tebow that he was being released on Monday morning before he could workout at the facility, because naturally any other way would have been too much and now he is a free agent, allowed to sign with any team in the NFL.
According to ESPN.com, the team released Tebow just days after drafting Smith and sources close to the team said that the Jets could decide the same for Mark Sanchez, despite the fact that he is owed guaranteed money whether he plays for them or not. Smith is expected to compete for a starting position at quarterback with Sanchez (if he remains) along with David Garrard, Greg McElroy and Matt Simms, with Sanchez and Smith at the top. Initially some sources said that the Jets could end up keeping Tebow and releasing Sanchez, but clearly the team felt otherwise.
After picking Smith in the second round the Jets have invested their immediate future in him, much in the way they did with Sanchez when they traded up to get him with the fifth pick in the draft. That draft class is basically completely wasted and black hole for the Jets (just like the $4.1 million Tebow experiment) as Sanchez, Shonn Greene (now with the Titans) and Matt Slauson (Bears) were all taken during that class. The Jets added a nice amount of talent in the draft, including in Dee Milliner and Sheldon Richardson, but it remains to be seen how those players will translate to the field, as Milliner has had shoulder issues and Richardson may not be suited for the Jets' scheme. Smith will be the biggest wild card, as he has mobility and a solid arm, but there were questions about him playing under pressure and making bad decision while in college at West Virginia.
Smith will have the inside track on Sanchez since he is the hot new draft pick and Sanchez was awful last season and the Jets also like what they have seen in Garrard and expect him to be a mentor and veteran presence for Smith as he develops. Knowing Rex Ryan and the Jets they will likely throw Smith on the field before he is ready and that could potentially stunt his development despite the fact that the team thinks it could help them win games. Smith is now the second quarterback the team has drafted under Ryan and is trying to develop and while Sanchez looked like an unequivocal success after the team made it to two AFC Championship games, he has regressed in the two seasons since. Smith will need playmakers and while the Jets added Chris Ivory in a trade with New Orleans, they will need players like Santonio Holmes to step up and play to his full potential in 2013.