The New York Jets quarterback rotation is currently crowded with three very confident players. After two seasons of Geno Smith struggling, the Jets added Ryan Fitzpatrick and then drafted Bryce Petty hoping that someone emerges as the leading candidate to carry the team in 2015. While Smith enters offseason workouts at the top of the depth chart, Petty and Fitzpatrick are ready to challenge him to the job.
Smith might be catching a bit of a break for the upcoming season. According to NJ.com's Dom Cosentino, Petty struggled in rookie mini-camp over the weekend. While New York fans might be hoping that the Baylor star emerges as the next-best passer in the league, they might have to wait a bit longer. Cosentino reports that Petty did not look crisp over the weekend of practices, missing throws and struggling with the deep ball. The quarterback also tossed a few interceptions in the process. Early reports say that Petty is more of a project that originally predicted and is unlikely to contend for the starting job unless major improvement happens.
Head coach Todd Bowles has made it clear that entering practices Smith is the man in charge. Despite his struggles since entering the league, Smith believes the Jets are his team and he certainly has the support of players on the roster. Newly acquired Brandon Marshall told the media via ESPN.com that he and Smith are getting to work right away and things are going well.
"Twenty-four hours a day, we're getting after it," Marshall said, via ESPN radio in Chicago. "Go home, walk through plays. t's cool because he's a guy, he can make all the throws. He's super-duper smart. There are some things he just doesn't know yet."
Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan said in an interview that Smith is the starter for now, but the team remains confident in what Fitzpatrick can bring to the table. Right now the veteran quarterback is healing a broken leg suffered at the end of last season, but New York certainly traded for him with the expectations that he could easily be the starting quarterback in 2015. That plan and faith remains the same.
"It's so early in our process,'' Maccagnan said, via Newsday.com. "I know people kind of want to line up who's starting and who's backing up, and this will all work itself out. I will say that Geno is the first quarterback up in terms of reps, so right now, he'll get the No. 1 reps and Ryan, right now, obviously, is still limited.''
