The New York Jets are trying to eliminate the idea of quarterback competition and are simply just trying to push improvement on Geno Smith. As the quarterback enters his third year with the team, Smith is under pressure to show real improvement or else his roster spot might disappear when the season is over. The question is whether or not Ryan Fitzpatrick and Bryce Petty can do enough to truly challenge Smith for the starting job.
Head coach Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey are hoping that Smith feels the right amount of pressure to really make a jump in 2015. According to Rich Cimini of ESPN New York, Smith is the No.1 quarterback this season, but nothing is truly guaranteed after that. The Jets traded for Fitzpatrick and drafted Petty in the spring, but neither quarterback is expected to really upset Smith for the starting job in 2015.
Smith told the media that he is not feeling the pressure from the other quarterbacks and is simply focused on getting better for the upcoming season. According to the New York Post, Smith gathered receivers in Chicago to work out before training camp begins at the end of the month. Neither Petty nor Fitzpatrick were presence during the workouts, giving Smith another edge.
"I don't feel any pressure,'' Smith said, via Newsday.com. "I feel like we've got a lot of room for improvement, but I love the way we're working and competing. To have guys around me that are so, so good, it takes all the pressure off of me.''
Smith is not the only player on the hot seat for the New York Jets. Players like Muhammad Wilkerson and Dee Milliner must cement their spots with the Jets this season. For Wilkerson, he is not risking release per say, but he is battling to show the Jets that he is worth the contract he is preparing to demand in 2016 free agency. The addition of Leonard Williams certainly hurts his value with the team and he must put up strong numbers in the upcoming season.
Milliner is well aware that he is on thin ice with the Jets as injuries have ruined his progress with the team. With Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie on the roster, Milliner is expendable and will need to fight for his roster spot come training camp. He is the only player truly at risk of getting moved this year, while Smith, Wilkerson and players like Jeremy Kerley could be out after the season is over.
