If you were still thinking that Christian Hackenberg might be an option for the New York Jets if Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn’t work out, it’s probably time to let go of that notion.
According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Hackenberg has looked “like a typical rookie” during OTAs thus far – that is to say sloppy and inexperienced. Cimini describes his footwork as “robotic” and said his passes are prone to missing high and being inaccurate. Cimini goes on to describe one workout where Hackenberg twice threw over the head of his tight end on 15-yard pass attempts with no defense on the field.
Coach Todd Bowles isn’t worried about his rookie.
“Right now I expect him to look sloppy because he’s seeing a whole boat load of defenses that are coming at him daily, and there’s going to be a growth period,” Bowles said.
Cimini notes that second-year quarterback Bryce Petty hasn’t looked a whole lot better, so he doesn’t appear to be an option either.
So that leaves Geno Smith, who is currently penciled in as the team’s starter. With all this in mind, perhaps the Jets should reconsider whether they really want to move on from their pursuit of Ryan Fitzpatrick – or maybe consider an option such as this to supplant Smith as the team’s starter.
H/T Rotoworld
