NFL Preview: Breaking down the 2015 New York Jets

Quarterback

Starter: Geno Smith

Depth: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bryce Petty [R], Jake Heaps [R]

While the Jets added a lot of talent across the offense, the remaining weakness – the uncertainty of the quarterback spot – threatens to underman all of the gains they’ve made.

Geno Smith was their selection in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft, but his maddening inconsistency has made it tough for the team to believe that he unquestionably represents the future. Smith struggles early in the season and plays well at the end when it’s too late, forever giving the team false hope going into the offseason. This is his last chance – it has to be.

Smith has been working on his mechanics with quarterback guru Tom House this offseason. He gets first crack at the job – offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has said he’s the starter, though head coach Todd Bowles walked that back days later. This year though, he’s got some firm competition in the form of Ryan Fitzpatrick. Any slippage during training camp could result in Fitzpatrick gaining the starting job, regardless of what Gailey has to say. With the amount of weapons at his disposal, there is no excuse for Smith’s poor performance any longer. Secondarily, after adding the talent they did on both sides of the ball, this seems like a team which wants to win now. If Smith is holding them back, they will make a move.

While the Jets know that Fitzpatrick isn’t the long-term answer, he plays well enough to keep the chains moving reliably. His upside is far lower than Smith’s but Bowles isn’t going to wait 14 weeks for Smith to right himself again. He’ll pull the trigger on Fitzpatrick without hesitation. Even if Fitzpatrick is a far cry from Aaron Rodgers, he’s a guy who will be able to run the offense and take advantage of the weapons he has. Aside from bringing in real competition, trading for Fitzpatrick did something else: it reunited the quarterback with Gailey, formerly his coach in Buffalo.

Behind Smith and Fitzpatrick resides Bryce Petty, a backup with a lot of work to do – though he and Jake Heaps did enough in OTAs to make Matt Simms expendable. Having Gailey as an offensive coordinator was a great stroke of luck for Petty, who is a good fit for Gailey’s scheme. However, the Jets know he could take a lot of time to develop. So far it sounds like his leadership and overall presence has been good, and Bowles has talked a lot about the need for a strong leader at the quarterback position, meaning Petty should hang on the roster.

Finally, there’s Jake Heaps, who was signed as an undrafted free agent. But even with the departure of Simms, he’s a giant long-shot to make the team. Heaps has the ability to be more accurate than his college numbers made him seem – he had a lot of problems with receiver drops – but overall struggled to reach his potential and was prone to make some very poor decisions. Expect him to hit the practice squad.

This comes down to Smith and Fitzgerald. The Jets are praying Smith wins and performs, because next year’s free agent and draft pickings at quarterback look slim.

Next: Running Back