Bowles wants all three QBs ready
Todd Bowles insists he’s not looking for a competitive edge in the preseason and he isn’t trying to keep a secret. The Jets coach merely waits until the night before the game to tell his quarterbacks the plan going into the game.
“All three quarterbacks need to be ready to play because you need to see how they react in certain situations, when they have to come in, be it [off the bench] or come out as the starter,” Bowles said Tuesday, as he continued to withhold his plans for which quarterback will start and how many of the three will play Friday against the Giants. “You want to get reactions and it’s part of the evaluation process. I choose to do that, it’s not anything that I’m trying to keep hidden and a secret.”
It seems certain rookie Sam Darnold will get his second straight preseason start and Teddy Bridgewater will follow. Both continued to receive the bulk of the reps Tuesday, with Darnold working almost primarily with the starters. Meanwhile, veteran Josh McCown was idle for most of the workout.
Bowles plans to announce the starter for the regular season after the preseason is complete.
With kicker Cairo Santos dealing with a groin injury, the Jets are looking at possible replacements. They claimed Jason Myers off waivers from the Seahawks, the team announced, and former Viking Kai Forbath will have a tryout on Wednesday, ESPN reported. Taylor Bertolet has been in camp, but he lacks any regular season experience. Wide receiver Jonah Trinnaman was waived to make room on the roster for Myers, who lost out in a kicking competition to Sebastian Janikowski with the Seahawks this summer. Myers made 81 percent (64-of-79) of his kicks with Jacksonville from 2015-17, but was cut midway through last season during a slump.
Wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, left tackle Kelvin Beachum and safety Marcus Maye could all see action Friday, according to Bowles. Beachum is being brought along a little slower, though all three have been practicing fully. Bowles said Pryor “is close to” playing and he would like to see Maye get in there as well. The fact the game is on field turf and not natural grass will be a factor as well.
“Anybody with leg injuries, it has after-effects after practice is over or the next morning,” Bowles said. “So you don’t know with the guys with leg injuries, you have to be careful about [it].”
All three players are coming off lower-body injuries, complicating matters.
The Jets announced they will honor the Super Bowl III champions on Oct. 14 in a game against the Colts. It is the 50th anniversary of the franchise’s only Super Bowl victory, which coincidentally came over the Colts when they were in Baltimore.