Jets Rumors: Christian Hackenberg Not Close To Ready

New York Jets Rumors: Christian Hackenberg is reportedly not close to being ready to contribute and will not be on the field to finish off 2016.

Recent New York Jets rumors revolve around the quarterback position. It has been an area filled with questions throughout the season. The Jets have gotten very little production from their quarterback throughout the 2016 season.

Ryan Fitzpatrick has regressed to the mean from a strong 2015. He has been benched twice this season; the first time for Geno Smith and most recently for Bryce Petty. Smith had the starting job for less than a half of football as he got hurt against the Baltimore Ravens. That put Fitzpatrick back at the helm and he did very little once again.

Petty received one start as well against the Los Angeles Rams when Fitzpatrick was injured. The Jets Petty with training wheels on and wrapped in bubble wrap in an ugly game 9-6 loss to the Rams. Petty came into the disastrous Monday Night Football game against the Indianapolis Colts last week to relieve Fitzpatrick and is now the starting quarterback.

More from New York Jets

Petty, barring any injuries, will be the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season for the Jets. With the playoffs officially out of the question, Petty will be given a shot to showcase his talent and see if he has a chance to be the start beyond the 2016 season.

Noticeably absent from all of this quarterback talk is Christian Hackenberg. The Jets selected Hackenberg with their second round pick, No.51 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. When selecting a player that high, usually he is someone that will have an impact right away for your team.

That has not been the case with Hackenberg. He has been kept as far away from playing as possible as it seems. With the season down the drain and the Jets in evaluation mode, you would think that you could see Hackenberg at some point. Don’t hold your breathe.

According to Rich Cimini of ESPN New York, Hackenberg is not close to being ready to play. He was answering fans mailbag questions on his Twitter account and also added that the Jets will not see what they have in Hackenberg until at least next season.

Here is what the fan asked Cimini, followed by his response.

Did Macc overshoot w/ Hack in 2nd round? Is he anywhere close to stepping on the field? You see other 3,4,5th rounders show signs #jetsmail
— Jim Hannon (@jedhannon) December 9, 2016

Not close to playing and, yes, he overdrafted Hackenberg. They'll keep him under wraps until next year. Most curious. https://t.co/3ynSNk8GO7
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) December 10, 2016

It is no surprise that Hackenberg isn’t ready to play. His performance at Penn State cratered after a strong freshman campaign without Bill O’Brien. His mechanics are a mess and he was battered constantly behind a poor offensive line and lacking supporting cast.

Some people will question just how poor of a supporting cast Hackenberg actually had. Penn State had a great 2016 season, finishing the season 11-2 and ranked fifth in the College Football Playoff Rankings. A lot goes into a team’s success and turnaround, but it is fair to question how much of Penn State’s struggles could be attributed to Hackenberg’s play.

There is nothing that the Jets can do now, as the pick has been made and Hackenberg is on the team. They just have to hope that he develops over the course of another offseason and becomes a useable piece.

Next: New York Jets 5 Biggest Needs In 2017 NFL Draft

Currently that looks unlikely, but if Hackenberg can contribute at some point, even if it is Year 3, the Jets will be happy. Better late than never for a prospect to develop, especially if he can help your team win games.

Home/New York Jets