Evaluating the Performances, Futures of Jets’ 2017 Quarterbacks

The Jets experienced some bright spots at quarterback, and some very, very, dim spots in 2017. Josh McCown exceeded expectations and had a career year before getting hurt in Week 14 against the Broncos. Bryce Petty, on the other hand, basically confirmed that he is not a pro-caliber quarterback. Here’s an overlook of how the season went for the quarterbacks:

Josh McCown:

McCown was quite the surprise this season. The 38 year-old veteran showed the league he’s still got it, leading a lackluster Jets offense that performed better than expected. He is not the future, but he provided the Jets a satisfactory leader to allow other plays to take flight. Receivers Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse, along with tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins all had career years due to McCown’s help. Imagine those three with Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenberg at the helm? One can only imagine what this offense would’ve been without McCown leading the charge. McCown had an overall grade of 77.1 via Pro Football Focus.

Final Grade: B+

Bryce Petty:

Alright, let’s get this out of the way early. Bryce Petty is not, and probably will never be a starting quarterback for an NFL team. After McCown broke his hand in Week 14 of the regular season, Petty took the lead position of quarterback. Let’s just say he didn’t fill McCown’s shoes very well.

Petty’s completion percentage was a full 18 percent less than McCown’s. Pro Football Focus calculated an overall grade of 43.8 for Petty this season. That is nearly 44 points less than McCown’s grade of 77.1. If you watched some of the games during the end of the season, you know just how bad he really is. He has major flaws in his accuracy and footwork.

Final Grade: F

Christian Hackenberg:

Well, Hackenberg has completed the second season of his NFL career, and he hasn’t played a snap yet. I mean, how bad can he be? We all know how bad Petty played in his stint, yet Hackenberg wasn’t even given a single play. He didn’t get a first-team rep in practice until Week 17. Something tells me we’ll never see Hackenberg play a snap in a Jets uniform.

Final Grade: Incomplete (DNP)

– James Cunningham is a staff writer for Full Press Coverage Jets and covers the New York Jets. Like and follow on Follow @nyjfansnationFollow @FPC_Jets