Floundering Jets consider changes — including at QB
At 1-5, Bowles won’t rule out benching starter Fitzpatrick.
Changes could be coming for the New York Jets.
Coach Todd Bowles was scheduled to meet with his staff — as he does the day after every game — Tuesday night, and switching things up at various positions was on the table. Including at quarterback. “We’re going to talk about more than that,” Bowles said during a conference call Tuesday, “but there’s a possibility every week that there will be some changes made player-wise.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick was pulled in the second half of the Jets’ 28-3 loss at Arizona on Monday night and replaced by former starter Geno Smith.
Fitzpatrick has an NFL-leading 11 interceptions, and Smith added one of his own in mop-up duty against the Cardinals. Bowles said in his postgame news conference the Jets would stick with Fitzpatrick for Sunday’s game against Baltimore.
Bowles said he revisited his postgame comments regarding the quarterback situation, but insisted he wants to meet with general manager Mike Maccagnan and his coaching staff before announcing whether or not he was making a change.
But many fans and media wondered if it might be time to look toward the future and see what Bryce Petty, a fourth-rounder last year, or rookie Christian Hackenberg, a second-rounder, can do with the Jets off to a 1-5 start.
Petty just returned to practice last week, though, following a preseason shoulder injury, and Hackenberg has been limited to scout team snaps.
“It’s possible,” Bowles acknowledged. “We’ve still got some stages to go before we get to that point, but it’s definitely possible.”
Fitzpatrick was re-signed to a one-year, $12 million deal on the eve of training camp, a move most Jets players celebrated after the veteran quarterback set a franchise record with 31 touchdown passes and led New York to a 10-6 record and within a win of a playoff spot.
But Fitzpatrick has had a rough go of it this season, including a six-interception performance at Kansas City on Sept. 25.
While the quarterback gets most of the blame, the secondary has struggled mightily, as has the offensive line and the running game, to name a few areas of concern.
The defensive line was expected to be a major force, but it has also not played up to par through six games.
And at 1-5, Bowles knows that New York’s postseason prospects are growing slimmer with each loss.
“They’re not finished, but they don’t look bright, that’s for sure,” Bowles said. “We’re just trying to win a ballgame. We’ve got to take it a week at a time.”