The football world came to a standstill when New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers exited the New York Jets’ season opener with an Achilles injury. Jets fans watched on in sorrow as Rodgers was carted off the field and quarterback Zach Wilson entered the game, a third-year signal caller who last year led one of the worst Jets offenses in franchise history.
Despite the disappointment of fans, however, Jets head coach Robert Saleh was quick to jump to Wilson’s defense after the team’s surprise victory over the Buffalo Bills.
“I want to make it very clear — Zach is our quarterback… We have a lot of faith in Zach, and we are really excited about this opportunity,” Saleh told reporters in a press conference last Tuesday.
Saleh has been a strong supporter of Wilson throughout his tenure as head coach, yet the quarterback’s play on the field raises big questions as to why. In nine games as the Jets’ starting quarterback in 2022, he proved to be one of the worst passers in football, finishing the season last in completion percentage (54.5 percent), last in passer rating (72.8), and bottom five in passing success rate (37.7), and sack & interception percentage (8.7 and 2.9 percent respectively).
Those inside the Jets building probably attribute Wilson’s struggles in 2022 to his youth, hoping that his play this year will improve with another offseason under his belt, yet the quarterback has shown no sign of development through two games. Against the Bills in Week 1 and the Dallas Cowboys this past weekend, Wilson showed all the negative traits that led to his benching in 2022, particularly poor decision-making under pressure and the inability to create out of structure or make big-time throws. Through two weeks, Wilson ranks second to last in quarterback EPA (expected points added, a measure of success which defines the value of each play by the effect it has on the offense’s likelihood to score) and has led a Jets offense which has scored only 13 points on drives not beginning after opposition turnovers.
With a bonafide top three defense and Pro-Bowl caliber skill players in wide receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall, the Jets are a team built to win now. Thus, even if no available quarterback amounts to Aaron Rodgers’ level of play, it is in the team’s best interest to acquire functional quarterback play to salvage the season. Let’s explore what the Jets are looking for at the position and possible targets that could help the team compete for a playoff berth.
What the Jets are Looking for
Before discussing specific names, we first must analyze the profile of quarterback that the Jets might look to target. With NFL insider Ian Rappoport reporting that Rodgers may target a playoff return after an innovative surgery to repair his Achilles, the Jets’ pursuit of a long-term franchise-level passer like Kirk Cousins or Matthew Stafford is definitely off the table.
Furthermore, the team would look to acquire a scheme fit for offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett’s West Coast offense, a system built around quick underneath passing to stretch defenses horizontally and get the ball to the team’s playmakers.
This leaves the team to consider a very specific type of quarterback: a backup or low-profile veteran who can make quick decisions and be accurate in the underneath and intermediate areas. With this established, let’s look at three passers who could help the team compete for a playoff spot.
The Most Realistic Option - Andy Dalton
Long seen as the baseline for starter-level quarterback play, Andy Dalton quietly put together a very solid year for the New Orleans Saints in 2022, finishing the season with 2,871 yards, 18 TDs, and 9 interceptions on 66.7 percent completion - No. 10 in the NFL. Dalton also ranked first among all quarterbacks in accurate pass percentage, fifth least in turnover-worthy throws and ninth in passer rating, all while posting above average or better numbers both when kept clean and when pressured or blitzed.
He’s a scheme fit, having excelled in an offense with West Coast principles; in 2022, Dalton got the ball out in 2.59 seconds (0.18 seconds faster than the league average), with outs, hitches, and crossers being his most targeted routes. Furthemore, Dalton was borderline elite in quick passing situations, ranking top ten in passer rating on throws less than two seconds from the snap and those 2-2.5 seconds after.
Dalton was signed in free agency by the Carolina Panthers to back up quarterback Bryce Young, the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. And while the Panthers probably favor the idea of having a high-end veteran backup to help their rookie learn the ropes, there’s no reason a mid-round pick couldn’t tempt them to part ways. Dalton proved last year he can be the perfect vehicle to operate a West Coast offense, and should be a frontrunner to keep the Jets’ afloat while Rodgers recovers.
The Long Shot - Ryan Tannehill
Since taking over as the Tennessee Titans starter in 2019, few quarterbacks have been as successful as Ryan Tannehill, who led the team to the AFC Championship Game in 2019, and ranked top five in passer rating and EPA in 2019 and 2020.
Tannehill endured his worst season as a Titan in 2022, throwing for 2,536 yards, 13 TDs, and 6 interceptions on 65.2 percent completion. But that can somewhat be attributed to the changing picture around him: Pro-Bowl wide receiver A.J Brown was traded prior to the season, and the Titans’ injury-decimated offensive line finished 26th in pass block rating.
Tannehill may have looked to take a step back, yet he still is a perfect candidate to take over as the Jets’ signal caller. For one, he excelled in an offense very similarly constructed to the Jets’ with a star running back in Derrick Henry and a true WR1 in A.J Brown. He’s both one of the most accurate quarterbacks over the middle of the field and one of the best play action passers in football, fitting the Jets’ current run-centric offense with Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook and the team’s West Coast style.
Tannehill may not currently be available with the team starting 1-1, yet the team clearly does not see him as the franchise’s future - the organization drafted quarterback Will Levis early in the second round in the 2023 draft and refused to extend Tannehill in the offseason, who is now scheduled to be a free agent in the offseason. If the team is struggling prior to the trade deadline, look for the former Dolphin to potentially return to the AFC East.
The Backup Plan - Jacoby Brissett
Signed to lead the Cleveland Browns offense while Deshaun Watson served his suspension, Jacoby Brissett outdid expectations to deliver a decent season in 2022, finishing the year with 2,608 yards, 12 TDs, and 6 interceptions on 64 percent completion.
Brissett was largely average by most metrics, ranking 19th in passer rating and 20th in EPA per play. Like Dalton, however, he operated a West Coast offense, with the 2022 Browns running underneath and crossing routes at an above-average rate, and provided solid play as an underneath and intermediate passer, posting league average grades on accuracy and efficiency metrics on throws from 0-20 yards in 2022.
This all makes Brissett a fit for what the Jets are looking for at the position, and while he may be no more than average, that is all the Jets could need to be a playoff team in 2023 with their defense and skill position players. Like Dalton, he is currently backing up first-year starter Sam Howell for the Washington Commanders, yet with Howell seemingly securing the starting job after a 2-0 start, Brissett could be available for a mid-round pick.