The New York Jets traded for Ryan Fitzpatrick right when the offseason started to add depth to the quarterback rotation. With Michael Vick departing, the team needed another option outside of Geno Smith and they felt Fitzpatrick might have the veteran experience to push the quarterback in his third year. However, Fitzpatrick has yet to truly get on the field thanks to a broke leg suffered last December. If rookie Bryce Petty improves enough to earn the backup job, is Fitzpatrick's time in the NFL over?
According to the New York Post, the Jets are not really sure what they have in Fitzpatrick right now because he has yet to really get active on the field. The veteran quarterback told the media that he will be healthy come training camp time and that he is on pace with his recovery. The issue is that he is missing valuable time on the field building chemistry with wide receivers. Smith has been working out with Brandon Marshall this offseason while the only thing Fitzpatrick can do is lean on his familiarity with Chan Gailey's offensive system.
"I was excited to reunite to Chan," Fitzpatrick said, via NJ.com. "This is an offense I've had a lot of history in and really enjoyed playing in it. I was really excited to be able to come here, and especially because of Chan and reuniting with him. They brought me in here as a guy who has played a lot of football and lot of football in this offense, to come in and compete. So for me, that's what I'm going to do. It's a fun offense to be in. It's one that [Gailey] does a great job of highlighting his talent. We've got some talented receivers here. We've got some talented guys in the backfield. I think we're still trying to figure everything out."
Smith will enter practices as the starting quarterback, but both Fitzpatrick and Petty intend to challenge him for it. During rookie minicamp, the return on Petty was hot and cold. The rookie missed some throws, but showed potential to improve. He is making it clear that he can excel with the Jets and be more than a system quarterback.
"He has all the intangibles, but that word is thrown around so much," Bowles said, via the Post. "It's sort of the new word for 'potential.' He has intangibles to be a good quarterback, as well as our other guys, so we'll throw him in the mix and see what happens."
