INDIANAPOLIS — The Jets were intent last season to give rookie quarterback Bryce Petty a year to learn the offense without having to play. But it sounds as if he will have a chance to win the backup job in 2016.
Jets coach Todd Bowles indicated this week that Petty will get to compete with Geno Smith for the backup job behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, whom the Jets expect to re-sign.
“That will be determined in preseason and how well he does in summer camp and spring,” Bowles said.
Petty is an intriguing player. A fourth-round pick last year out of Baylor, Petty has shown he has great arm strength and was prolific in college. He threw for 3,855 yards and 29 touchdowns as a senior, but faced a lot of questions about whether he could succeed in the NFL or was just a product of Baylor’s system.
Petty did not play a snap as a rookie, but the Jets coaches liked what they saw from Petty in practice. Still, no one is ready to anoint him as the Jets’ long-term answer at quarterback just yet.
“I think he’s developed. I think he’s still developing,” Bowles said. “We’ll see when preseason and camp rolls around next year how much he’s developed and whether the game has slowed down for him a little bit. We know he’s a talent and he can throw. He’s bright and he’s learning and he will keep progressing forward.”
Petty’s progress could mean the end of Smith’s time with the Jets. The 2013 second-round pick is a cheap backup ($1.5 million salary-cap number) so there is no reason to cut him unless the Jets believe Petty is the better backup option.
Bowles did not exactly give Smith a ringing endorsement here when asked his thoughts on Smith.
“Right now, Geno’s our backup quarterback,” Bowles said.
This year, the quarterback competition to watch with the Jets might be Smith and Petty fighting it out for the No. 2 job.