He may not have been worth the wait.
Christian Hackenberg, who somehow has never taken an NFL snap in a regular-season after the Jets drafted him in the second round in 2016, finally got his professional football chance. It did not begin well.
Debuting in the Alliance of American Football on Sunday, Hackenberg’s first look as Memphis Express quarterback was rough: He began the game 1-for-5 for 10 yards, completing as many passes to his own team as his opponent’s.
With about two minutes left in the first quarter, the new-look QB — who has said he fixed his throwing motion — looked over the middle, and a linebacker was able to bat the pass up in the air. A Birmingham defender wound up with it, and we’re beginning to see why the Jets never even tried playing him before trading him to Oakland.