The NY Jets had a surprise issue Tuesday with Geno Smith suffering a broken jaw after a sucker punch from linebacker IK Enemkpali and now Ryan Fitzpatrick and Bryce Petty could battle out to start, while reports have New York already reaching out to QBs, with Rex Grossman an option along with Michael Vick.
According to Pro Football Talk, the team announced that Geno Smith suffered a broken jaw and will be out for 6-to-10 weeks after he was "sucked punched" by Enemkpali. The report says that Todd Bowles spoke about the situation and said that Smith did not put his hands on Enemkpali and that it came after morning workouts. Reports are starting to come out that the dispute might have been about money, but nothing is confirmed yet.
One thing that is confirmed is that Smith will be out for a long stretch and it comes at a very tough time. Smith is coming into the biggest year of his career and this was the season that he was supposed to turn the corner. Now Smith will be out and that could leave Ryan Fitzpatrick or Bryce Petty to take over in camp and the preseason. The Jets could look at some free agents and Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that the team already has, as they have "reached out" to Rex Grossman.
Grossman has not been in an NFL game since back in 2011 with the Redskins, but he was previously with the Browns for a stint in 2014. Grossman has not worked with Todd Bowles or offensive coordinator Chan Gailey before, but PFT points out that he has a connection with Mike Maccagnan from his time with the Texans. PFT points out that Michael Vick and Tyler Thigpen are other options, as Thigpen previously played for Chan Gailey when he was in Kansas City and in Buffalo.
The whole situation is a bit of a mess, as the Jets were planning on starting Smith as the QB to open the season. Smith was going to get a real chance to keep the job moving forward if he played well and now there is a chance he could have played his last game with the Jets in his career. If the team is successful with Fitzpatrick or Petty or a free agent over Smith, it would be hard for Bowles to turn to him once Smith is healthy and returns.
The Jets obviously hope they have a problem like that. Bowles said that it's possible Fitzpatrick could keep the starting job if he plays well and that he is "confident" in the QB. Bowles said that Smith was "sucker punched" and did not get the chance to react to the hit. Bowles said that Smith was having a "good camp" this summer.
Check here for more on the Jets QB situation and for the chances of Smith coming back.
