Jets Shouldn’t Shy Away From Bridgewater as Week 1 Starter

Oh how we miss football. Despite the start of the 2018-19 regular season still being months away, fans far and wide still lurk for the fix of football. Luckily for those who call themselves Jets fans, that fix has been feeding the hearts plentifully as drama continues to circulate during the team’s OTAs.

The spectacle of it all surrounds the quarterback position. After cutting ties with failed projects Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg, the Jets still stand with three quarterbacks on the roster, all of which have potential to be the No. 1 guy. It’s like a miniature version of The Bachelor in football form – which gunslinger will be the guy to take home the lovely position as the Week 1 starter? Seriously, I’d binge watch this if it was televised.

The current front runner seems to be the most surprising – Teddy Bridgewater. The odds were ultimately against him when he signed with New York. He was (and still is) coming off a gruesome ACL injury suffered two years ago while in Minnesota. Not to mention Josh McCown’s familiarity with the team combined with his leadership attributes made him an early favorite. Then the selection of the highly praised Sam Darnold pushed Bridgewater further into the shadows. But yet Teddy prevails.

Could He Start Week 1?

Of course he can. Why not? Bridgewater has flashed his potential in Jets’ OTAs while doing some really encouraging things. Insiders say he looked sharp and not too limited from his previous injury. He’s showing Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan that he has what it takes to regain his stance as a No. 1 guy.

But much of it will depend on the play from McCown and Darnold as well. Bridgewater is going to have to continue to thrive and outperform the veteran and the rookie. It won’t be an easy task. Sure, the Jets will give him every opportunity to earn the No. 1 spot, but that same opportunity will fall into the hands of the other two quarterbacks as well. This isn’t really earth-shattering information.

#Jets QB Teddy Bridgewater looking smooth in drills at OTAs today. pic.twitter.com/6v4cluqWc1

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But, Should He Start Week 1?

It depends on how the Jets feel about their quarterback room. There has been speculation on Bridgewater’s potential trade value after shining in OTAs, and that could be an option down the road.

If one thing’s for certain, the Jets shouldn’t shy away from giving him the chance to start Week 1. If they feel comfortable with all three of their guys, let Bridgewater get out there early and hope he can boost his trade value while also nabbing a win or two. There will be quarterback hungry teams this year, like every year. Somewhere, someplace, someone’s quarterback will go down, and I’m sure the Jets would love to be one of the first team’s on the phone when that happens.

Looking past the trade rumors though, Bridgewater getting the Week 1 nod wouldn’t hurt so much. It would allow Darnold to sit back and take notes, while giving McCown the opportunity to coach both quarterbacks from the sideline. Not to mention Bridgewater has also turned heads thus far in OTAs and during his previous years in Minnesota. So he may provide Gang Green with the best opportunity to win from the get-go.

However, as mentioned earlier, the season is still quite a few arm lengths away. Training camp and preseason may flip the script entirely, so we’ll have to see how it all plays out. But in this moment, it seems as if Bridgewater has every right to be the guy Week 1 against Detroit.

– Kyle Hirshkind is the Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage Jets and covers the New York Jets. Like and follow on Follow @kylehirshkind Follow @FPC_Jets