One offseason goal the New York Jets had this year was to surround quarterback Geno Smith with as many weapons as possible in order to make the offense more successful in 2015. The Jets got the ball rolling by trading for Brandon Marshall who will make an immediate impact to the team. Then they signed Stevan Ridley to help the run game and drafted Devin Smith for another receiving option. However, injuries now have the roster looking a little weaker than before.
Smith's tenure in the NFL got off to a rough start after he collided with a teammate in practice, broke and rib and punctured a lung. According to ESPN's Rich Cimini, Smith is expected to miss the next four to six weeks which makes him doubtful for the start of the season. Smith was a second-round draft pick for the Jets as they hoped he would develop into the third option for the team. The injury certainly sets him back in terms of chemistry with Geno Smith and knowledge of the offense.
"Hopefully, he comes back sooner than that," head coach Todd Bowles said, via ESPN.com. "These types of things happen. It was a freak accident. We'll try to get him back as fast as we can, but we want him to be healthy."
Ridley is also battling injuries entering training camp. The running back signed with the Jets following an ACL tear with the New England Patriots. He joins a backfield with Chris Ivory and the newly acquired Zac Stacy. Ridley has been placed on the physical unable to perform list and his return to the field is uncertain at the moment. With Smith needing a dominant run game in 2015, this was not an ideal start for the Jets.
Smith is expected to be named the starting quarterback for Week 1 of the season, but it will not be because of a lack of effort from Ryan Fitzpatrick. Coming to New York in a trade with the Houston Texans, Fitzpatrick fully intends to compete for the starting job since healing from a broken leg suffered back in December of last season.
"The thing we stress every day and Coach Bowles stresses is he going to put the best guys on the field to help the team win," Fitzpatrick said, via ESPN.com. "That is what we are all here for, to win football games. Todd was hired as a head coach for a reason and we all really respect him what he did in his career as a player and what he has done so far as a coach. He really treats us like men."
