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Silverman: Competition Is Nice, But Expect McCown To Be Jets' Starter

By Steve Silverman
» More Columns

As the Jets prepare for the 2017 season, their quarterback situation is as muddled as ever.

It has not led to optimism among the team's front office, coaching staff, players or fans.

The starter will come from the likes of Josh McCown, Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg, and the best you can say about that trio is that none of them are named Ryan Fitzpatrick.

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Fitzpatrick is not an awful quarterback, but he did have a miserable season in 2016. When things went wrong early on, he had no clue how to turn things around. Chances are he will do a fine job as a backup for the Buccaneers if he doesn't have to play more than two games.

Of course, the Bucs are expecting Jameis Winston healthy for 16 games and that Fitzpatrick doesn't have to play at all.

McCown looks like the starter from this corner, because he has had the experience of reading NFL defenses with at least a modicum of success. He has a quarterback's personality and his teammates have always wanted to play for him when he has be afforded the opportunity.

The 37-year-old has been both a backup and a starter throughout his long career, but he has never been a quarterback of the first rank. When he started for the Bears, Bucs and Browns from 2013-15, he was the best of a bad bunch or an injury fill-in.

At his best, McCown is a smart leader who is going to put the ball where it needs to be when throwing short- and medium-range passes.

However, there is no evidence to support any belief in McCown as anything more than a caretaker when it comes to his play on the field, no matter how great he is as a teammate.

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The generous McCown is willing to share his knowledge, but just how much of it will rub off on Petty and Hackenberg is up for debate.

Jets QBs
From left, Christian Hackenberg, Josh McCown and Bryce Petty (credit: Getty Images)

Petty was a fourth-round pick in 2015 and the best thing you can say about him is that he appears to be a willing student at this point in his career. He played in six games last year, starting four. He completed 56.4 percent of his throws, with three touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Ugh.

General manager Mike Maccagnan and head coach Todd Bowles must know in their heart of hearts that Petty is little more than "just a guy," and he is not about to turn the Jets into a winning team.

Which brings us to Hackenberg, who did not get off the bench last year as a rookie after being selected in the second round of the draft.

Hackenberg was considered a top-potential quarterback at the college level and some scouts say the same thing about him at the NFL level. However, he needs to show tremendous growth as a leader and a performer before he can be respected.

Hackenberg has lessons to learn from McCown, but his track record is not good when it comes to listening to others and becoming an efficient quarterback and a leader in the locker room. The Jets would love to see that happen, but he may be too stubborn or thick-headed for that to happen.

Look for Hackenberg to have a challenging time at training camp this summer. I believe that when the Jets are looking for a new quarterback next offseason, the former Penn State star will be a distant memory.

The Jets are not the only team with quarterback battles going on this offseason, as the Bears, Browns, Texans and Broncos are going through similar challenges.

The Bears ended the dubious Jay Cutler era and brought in Tampa Bay castoff Mike Glennon and drafted Mitchell Trubisky. The job is supposed to belong to Glennon in 2017, but a sharp showing by Trubisky this summer could turn the situation into a full-fledged controversy.

The Browns have Cody Kessler, Brock Osweiler and rookie DeShone Kizer, with Kessler appearing to have the inside track on the starter's job. He is an ordinary quarterback at best, while Osweiler is too erratic and may not make it through training camp if he can't show some consistency. Kizer is the team's quarterback of the future if he can harness his great talent.

The Texans drafted the best college quarterback in DeShaun Watson, and he should emerge as the starter over hard-trying but ordinary Tom Savage. Many observers tried to downgrade Watson as a result of his 30 interceptions at Clemson over the last two years, but he is a star in the making.

Denver has a legitimate battle between Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, and a strong showing by either could lift the Broncos to fringe Super Bowl contender status. Siemian is the overachiever with a limited ceiling, while Lynch has much greater potential. Still, it looks like Siemian's job to lose.

Follow Steve on Twitter at @Profootballboy

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