Jets head coach Todd Bowles said he will "probably" name a starting quarterback next Monday.
Bowles said on Monday that he wants to first watch film of Saturday's game against the Giants before making an announcement. The Jets will conclude their preseason schedule with a matchup against the Eagles at home on August 31.
Christian Hackenberg could only complete two passes, the Jets' defense failed to contain Matthew Stafford, and the Lions beat the Jets, 16-6, in the second preseason game.
Hackenberg was sacked twice and completed two of his six passes. During the Jets' opening drive, Hackenberg fumbled after he was hit by Detroit's Cornelius Washington, but the Jets recovered. Bryce Petty completed 15 of his 24 passes for 160 yards and threw an interception for the Jets, who were 4-for-13 on third down.
Myles White led the Jets in receiving with three catches for 43 yards, while Jordan Leggett hauled in two catches for 40 yards. Bilil Powell carried the ball nine times for 32 yards as the Jets were unable to get much going in the running game.
Darron Lee and Morris Clairbone had five tackles to lead the Jets on defense, while Demario Davis, Josh Martin, and Corey Lemonier each had a sack. >> Box score
The Jets are undefeated, which at the moment is insignificant. But really, given all the predictions of doom and gloom, some people probably thought they wouldn't even end up with one preseason win.
They did, but it wasn't pretty (7-3 over the Tennessee Titans at home last Saturday), and they barely answered any of the many, many major question marks surrounding their season and long-term future. Maybe their game in Detroit against the Lions on Saturday night will provide a few more clues about the direction they're headed.
In the meantime, here are five things worth watching at Ford Field tonight:
While New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles did name a starting quarterback for Saturday's preseason game against the Detroit Lions, he is expected to give Josh McCown more playing time.
McCown, who did not get receive any reps at Thursday's practice when the Jets did game-plan prep, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini, played the opening drive last week in New York's 7-3 win over the Tennessee Titans, but Christian Hackenberg then played the following eight possessions.
Bowles said he didn't anticipate any lineup changes, but left the door open to it by saying, "we'll discuss it."
With Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty still early in their NFL careers, Josh McCown is taking a leadership and mentorship role at quarterback in his first season with the Jets.
"Every quarterback goes out there and they want to finish each drive with a touchdown, so when those things are happening, there is kind of an inner fight of, man, do I need to do more?" McCown said, according to Newsday. "Things happen and you get kind of delayed, but the fight as a quarterback is to stay in the system, stay within the game and don't be greedy and force the ball. So my hat is off to both of them for not doing that."
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The last time anybody saw Christian Hackenberg in a game was the preseason finale almost a year ago. It was a disaster. He completed just 11 of 31 passes for 54 yards and threw an interception, too.
It was a much, much different and better Hackenberg that the Jets got to see on Saturday night.
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The good news is the Jets really have no choice but to play most of their starters in their preseason opener. Or maybe that's the bad news given the low expectations for this team.
But Jets GM Mike Maccagnan and coach Todd Bowles have promised competition all summer long for almost every job on the roster, and the competition begins for real against the Tennessee Titans at the Meadowlands on Saturday night. Not all jobs are up for grabs, of course, but quite a few are.
Here's an inside look at some of the battles and 10 intriguing players to watch:
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The first play of the Jets' intrasquad scrimmage was a false start on the offense, which then went three-and-out on three of its first four drives.
It was a terrible, though hardly unexpected start. But there was a bright side.
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Jets GM Mike Maccagnan has said over and over again this offseason how he's trying to build a "long-term future" for the Jets, not just a team that can be competitive for one year. He's doing it the right way, too, getting rid of high-priced veterans who stand in the way of talented, younger players.
Then why are the Jets almost certain to open the season with a 38-year-old starting quarterback in Josh McCown?
It's a fair question in light of the Jets' rebuilding effort. In a locker room filled with young players, McCown doesn't exactly fit in with the plan. But he's still the one getting most of the first-team reps at training camp. And Maccagnan wouldn't even hint at when the transition to the 22-year-old Christian Hackenberg will likely begin.
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
The word that defined the Jets during the offseason was "rebuilding" - unless, of course, you were Jets GM Mike Maccagnan. To him, it was all about "competition". And with a roster in flux, he certainly has created a lot of that.
Whether that's a good thing remains to be seen, and depends on the talent he has assembled. He will have plenty of training camp position battles to watch, though.
Here's a quick look at the Top 5..
Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.TV:
It's hard to pick out the most important players on a team that has such low expectations. In the case of the Jets, tomorrow matters more than today, and the most important players now might not be part of their long-term future.
Or to put it another way: Who is more important - Josh McCown or Christian Hackenberg? A resurgence by McCown could cause the Jets to surprise some people. But is that more important than Hackenberg proving whether he can be the Jets' quarterback of the future?
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
The evidence is hard to refute. They jettisoned almost every recognizable veteran they had. They didn't add any significant free agents. The veteran quarterback they added is a 38-year-old journeyman. The Jets were 5-11 last season, and it's hard to argue this year won't be worse.
So yes, it sure does look like the Jets are "tanking" this season, with their eyes on the top of next year's quarterback-rich draft. They're not, of course. Tanking is almost impossible to do effectively, especially in the NFL. But they are doing a bit of scorched-Earth rebuilding and know they are in for a long, losing season.
There'll be a lot of short-term pain. And intentional or not, for the long run that's not so bad...
Bent, theJetsBlog.com
Projected starters: Demario Davis, Darron Lee
Projected backups: Bruce Carter, Connor Harris
Bent, theJetsBlog.com
Preseason Stats: 17-for-47, 159 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, 1-15 rushing, one fumble
Regular Season Stats: Did Not Play
Quarterback Christian Hackenberg and Defensive Lineman Sheldon Richardson break down Jets minicamp and their expectations for the season.
Jets head coach Todd Bowles insinuated the team's starting QB is job still up for grabs, noting Thursday that there is currently no frontrunner.
The Jets, who are expected to turn to Josh McCown as their starter, have also been giving reps to Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty.
McCown, 37, signed a one-year deal worth $6 million this offseason.
Despite evidence to the contrary, Jets quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates has been impressed with Christian Hackenberg's passing in minicamp, according to Daniel Popper of the New York Daily News.
Bates, who previously coached the team's quarterbacks in 2005, likes the precision of Hackenberg's passes thus far at camp.
Jets QB Christian Hackenberg has been making lots of awful throws this spring -- first during OTAs and again on Tuesday when minicamp began.
A few of the team's beat writers tweeted during OTAs that Hackenberg had been hitting those on the sidelines with errant throws. On Tuesday at minicamp, one of those throws was filmed...
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It doesn't seem to make any sense that the Jets are rebuilding and going with young players at every position, but they will almost certainly be led by a 38-year-old quarterback. Everywhere else, the Jets purged their roster of veterans so the young players could get an unimpeded opportunity.
Yet McCown, who has no viable future with the Jets beyond this season, still stands in second-year pro Christian Hackenberg's way.
Jets quarterback Josh McCown said he has been working with younger quarterbacks Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty in the team's mandatory minicamp this week.
The veteran 37-year-old, who signed a one-year deal with the Jets this off-season, said Hackenberg and Petty have often asked him questions as they continue to learn the quarterback position.
Bent, theJetsBlog.com
Projected starter: Josh McCown
Projected back-ups: Christian Hackenberg, Bryce Petty
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Even with the Jets in full rebuilding mode -- or "tank" mode, depending on your interpretation -- it's still likely that 38-year-old Josh McCown will emerge as the starting quarterback on Opening Day. Christian Hackenberg's time is coming, but it'll probably have to wait a little longer.
Whenever it comes, though, the former second-round pick insists he's ready to play.
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - He appears to be the third man in a two-man quarterback fight that might not turn into much of a fight at all. It's hard to completely predict how the Jets' summer quarterback battle will turn out, but one thing seems certain: Bryce Petty doesn't have much of a chance.
Don't try telling that to the 26-year-old Petty, though. He may not be the newly signed veteran, nor is he the second-round pick who they hope is the quarterback of the future. But he is the only QB on the roster who actually played quarterback for the Jets last season.
And if that makes him the underdog … well, he doesn't quite understand how.
The Jets have been pleased with QB Christian Hackenberg's performance so far this spring, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Hackenberg is in the mix with Bryce Petty and newly acquired veteran, Josh McCown, for the Jets starting quarterback position. Offensive coordinator John Morton told NJ.com that the QBs will be "getting the same amount of reps [with the starters] throughout the week."
Hackenberg, a second-round pick by the Jets in 2016, has yet to see the field in regular season play.
Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - On the first day of spring practice, the Jets' presumed quarterback of the future was relegated to a far field to work with the third-stringers, while a 37-year-old journeyman got the first-team snaps on the main field. That's probably the way it'll be when training camp opens this summer.
But not definitely, because the Jets continue to insist that their quarterback depth chart is subject to change.
As they have all offseason long, the Jets insisted again on Tuesday that their quarterback competition will be wide open this year, and new offensive coordinator John Morton promised the three quarterbacks will all get reps with the first-team offense. On Day 1, Josh McCown got all the first-team snaps and Bryce Petty worked mostly with the second team, while off in the distance Christian Hackenberg worked with everyone else.
Jets QB Christian Hackenberg is more confident and comfortable heading in to his second season with the team, he said Monday, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.
Hackenberg, who will battle with Josh McCown and Bryce Petty for the starting job, said he's excited about the opportunity.
Jets head coach Todd Bowles said earlier this offseason that there will be an open competition for the starting quarterback job...
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
The Jets have seemingly been searching for a franchise quarterback since Joe Namath was wearing green. So it's no surprise that Namath doesn't want to see them waste any more time in their search.
The Jets legend made it clear that he wants to see Christian Hackenberg emerge as the starting quarterback for his old team this season, not the soon-to-be-38-year-old Josh McCown. Speaking before the United Way's Gridiron Gala in Manhattan on Tuesday night, Namath said he understands why the coaches might go with McCown.
But he said if there's a chance the 22-year-old Hackenberg is the future, then the future has to be now...
Former Jets quarterback Michael Vick, who doesn't know which quarterback will get the starting job this season, is not optimistic on the Jets' chances this year.
"Man, good luck," Vick said to Andy Vasquez of NorthJersey.com with a laugh. "I don't even know who the quarterback is going to be. Good luck. I know there's three of them."
The Jets do have three quarterbacks under contract, and will hold an open competition throughout training camp to determine who will be the starter. The team signed veteran Josh McCown to battle against youngsters Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg.
Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv
Jets fans have endured more than their fair share of pain over the years. Too many losses. Too many broken promises. Too much unfulfilled potential.
Unfortunately it looks like a lot more pain is on its way in the 2017 season, as the Jets embark on what sure looks like a complete rebuilding of the franchise. The best advice to Jets fans might be: Be patient.
New York Jets great Joe Namath is rooting for Christian Hackenberg to win the quarterback competition the team will hold during training camp for the starting job.
"I'd like to see Hackenberg get a shot, and I'd like to see him win the job," Namath told Bob Glauber of Newsday Tuesday at the BTIG Charity Day event in New York. "That would give us the [hope of], 'Hey, lookie here. Maybe we don't do it this year, but boy, we'll get ready next year. We'll get ready the year after that.' "
Hackenberg, last year's second round pick, will compete with the recently signed veteran Josh McCown and third-year QB Bryce Petty for the starting position. The second-year QB out of Penn State did not play a single down last season.
There is no doubt who the biggest winner was in the 2017 draft for the Jets. No one had a better three days than Christian Hackenberg.
Once thought to be the Jets possible Quarterback of the Future, he apparently still is after the Jets avoided the Quarterback Class of 2017 with all of their nine draft picks over the three days of the NFL draft. That wasn't a guarantee, either. They heavily scouted the top ones, and all of them except for North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky were available when they made the sixth overall pick.
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
Jets GM Mike Maccagnan has spent a lot of time this offseason looking at the quarterbacks in this draft. But that isn't necessarily unusual. In fact, he said, the Jets "feel pretty good" about the quarterbacks they already have.
"We have the two young guys (Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty) and we like both of them in terms of ability and potential," the Jets GM said during his pre-draft press briefing on Monday. "We feel pretty good about the guys we have."
That hasn't stopped him from looking, of course, and at least considering the possibility of the Jets drafting a quarterback with the No. 6 overall pick. They have scouted the top quarterbacks in the draft heavily this offseason and many believe the Jets will take one in that spot...
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
For the first time in three years, Muhammad Wilkerson showed up for the start of the New York Jets' offseason training program.
The big defensive lineman was pictured at the Jets facility in Florham Park, New Jersey, on Monday morning, as the team officially kicked off its voluntary workouts. Last year, Wilkerson declined to participate because he wasn't happy with being tagged as the Jets "franchise player." He skipped them in 2015 as he hoped to pressure the Jets to give him a new deal.
The Jets are bringing in North Carolina QB Mitch Trubisky for a visit today, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.
Trubisky is widely regarded as the top quarterback prospect in this year's NFL Draft.
The Jets have made their interest in Trubisky known over the last month. New York sent a large contingent of scouts for the quarterback's pro day, and followed it up with a private workout in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Corey Griffin and Brian Bassett are back (and on time) with a new podcast, as they sort through all of the Todd Bowles comments from the NFL Owners Meetings. They also discuss the apparent QB competition, if Christian Hackenberg truly has a Jets future, what the NFL Draft may deliver, and the search for hope on the current roster.
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
The Jets will have a private workout with University of North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky on Thursday, according to a report from the NY Post.
One day after signing veteran quarterback Josh McCown last week, the Jets' search for their quarterback of the future continued in Chapel Hill, N.C., when they attended North Carolina's Pro Day to watch Trubisky. A group of scouts and coaches -- reportedly including new quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates -- were in attendance.
The Jets currently are slated to pick sixth in the upcoming NFL draft and Trubisky and Clemson's Deshaun Watson are the only quarterbacks most NFL scouts and talent evaluators consider to be potential Top 10 picks. Some don't think any of the quarterbacks are Top 10 worthy, which means they could be available if the Jets decide to trade down.
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
PHOENIX - Todd Bowles has declared he will hold an "open competition" at quarterback this summer between the three quarterbacks on his roster, and maybe even a fourth one from the draft. He did not promise veteran Josh McCown the job when the Jets signed him, and he wouldn't say his experience gives him any edge.
All of them will have an equal shot to be the Jets' Opening Day starter. And that's the right approach. It's also the only thing the Jets coach could do.
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
One year after using a second-round pick on quarterback Christian Hackenberg, Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan said he "potentially" could draft a quarterback again. And no, he insisted, that wouldn't mean he's admitting a mistake on Hackenberg.
It would just be another step in the long process of finding "the right quarterback for this team."
"I don't think taking a player at one position is a referendum on another player," Maccagnan said on a conference call with reporters on Friday afternoon. "I think the goal is to put together best roster you can. Of course quarterback is a very, very important position in this process. But I wouldn't necessarily view it as a referendum."
Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv
Josh McCown is not the New York Jets' quarterback of the future, but neither were any of the other quarterbacks available on the free-agent market. There was no ideal answer to the Jets' biggest question.
But McCown is the perfect player to get them closer to the answers they need.
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
The No. 1 priority for the Jets heading into this offseason was unquestionably to find a quarterback. Nothing else came close. Without a quarterback, nothing else really mattered. The Jets were desperate.
Or so we all thought.
Free agent QB Josh McCown will visit the Jets on Friday and Saturday, SNY's Ralph Vacchiano confirmed.
McCown, 37, recently visited with the Cowboys.
He completed 90 passes for 165 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions in five games last season for the Browns...
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
The Jets don't seem to be in any hurry to figure out their starting quarterback for 2017 and they are "considering all options," according to a source. At the moment there are many. None of them are great.
But Jay Cutler does appear to be up near the top of their list.
The Jets have called to express interest in free agent QB Jay Cutler, who was released by the Bears last week, reports SNY's Ralph Vacchiano.
Cutler, 33, completed 81 of 137 passes for 1,059 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions in five games last season for the Bears while dealing with two separate injuries.
He threw for 3,659 yards in 2015 to go along with 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
LATEST UPDATE: Brian Hoyer will reportedly sign a two-year deal with the 49ers on Thursday, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports.
Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.TV
The Jets know they absolutely need to find a franchise quarterback at some point - a young, talented player who they can build around for the next 5 or hopefully 10-plus years.
Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.TV:
Players always talk about the non-financial intangibles when they enter free agency, about their desire to find the right situation and play for a winner. But the truth about free agency often is this: Money talks.
Still, the real top players in the market sometimes have choices to make when the money is close, and that's where things could get interesting for Mike Maccagnan and the New York Jets. He's got the money to spend to begin the makeover his roster (approximately $37 million in cap space and maybe more to come). But if his top targets end up with multiple, lucrative options, does the Jets GM have the rest of the package to lure those players to New York?
It could be an interesting question right off the bat with a report already emerging that the Chicago Bears are ready to battle the Jets for free-agent quarterback Mike Glennon. Not that the Bears are in great shape -- they're coming off a 3-13 season and have missed the playoffs the last six seasons just like the Jets. Maybe Glennon, or any player, could make the argument that the Jets are the more attractive spot between the two.
Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.TV
INDIANAPOLIS -- The New York Jets have already set their sights on some of the free-agent quarterbacks, and not many scouts think they'd find an instant starter near the top of the NFL draft anyway.
But the Jets sure are doing their due diligence, just in case.
The have either had or scheduled formal interviews with several of the top quarterbacks in the NFL draft as of Friday. The list included North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky, Clemson's Deshaun Watson. Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes, Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer, Pittsburgh's Nate Peterman and Tennessee's Josh Dobbs. All of them confirmed their interviews with the Jets when they met the media at the NFL scouting combine Friday afternoon.
Ralph Vacchiano, SNY:
INDIANAPOLIS - There's no guarantee that the Jets will find their quarterback of the future in free agency, but head coach Todd Bowles made it clear that they're at least going to try.
Bowles said the Jets are "looking into" the quarterbacks on the free agent market and have a few they are considering pursuing. That matches what a team source has told SNY: That the Jets are far more interested in the free agent quarterbacks than they are in the quarterbacks in the draft.
"We're looking into it," Bowles said on Thursday morning when asked if the Jets intend to sign a free agent quarterback. "I can't say we will or we won't. Once free agency starts I don't know what's going to happen. Things may get crazy. But we have our eye on a few people."
QB Colin Kaepernick will be opting out of the remainder of his contract with the 49ers, his agents informed the league on Tuesday, according to Ian Rapaport of NFL.com.
Kaepernick, 29, completed 196 of 331 passes for 2,241 yards while throwing 16 touchdowns and four interceptions in 12 games for the 49ers last season.
He also rushed 69 times for 468 yards and two touchdowns.
Ralph Vacchiano, SNY:
The Jets haven't begun to clear the salary cap room they need to be active in free agency, so it remains to be seen just how active they will be. But they'll have to do something when the signing period opens on March 9 because they have plenty of needs.
So what will they do? Last week, I took a look at five free agents who could (or should) be on the Jets' radar at several positions. This week, I'll focus on the most important position -- quarterback. The Jets will likely at least look for a quarterback-of-the-future on the market. Whether they sign one might depend on the price.
