New York Jets: What to Expect from Josh McCown

The New York Jets quarterback toss-up has been resolved as Head Coach Todd Bowles selected veteran Josh McCown to start under center Week 1. With a season of low expectations ahead, what can we expect McCown to bring on the field for the Jets?

As of Monday, the long-awaited question has finally been answered. New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles announced that he will be giving the nod to veteran quarterback Josh McCown to start week one against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The 38-year-old signal caller has been vying for the starting job all offseason against rookies Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty.

It was a foregone conclusion that the New York Jets would not be resigning Ryan Fitzpatrick after an abysmal second campaign in New York. The team decided to shift focus away from a “win now” mentality and rather put their efforts into grooming young talent.

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Many thought that this would be the year that the 2016 second round draft pick Hackenberg would take over under center. The New York Jets decided to sign McCown to a one-year deal worth $6 million as a safety net in case Hackenberg or Petty wasn’t ready for the task from the get-go.

It proved to be a smart move as Bowles decision says that neither of the young quarterbacks are ready for the role just yet.

Lets face it, I think we all knew that the odds were tipped heavily in the favor of McCown anyway. This very young and inexperienced team cannot be dropped in the hands of a young and inexperienced quarterback. There needs to be a seasoned leader to manage it. It is the safe choice to start a season already on thin ice.

McCown will start as the number one quarterback in yet another NFL uniform. As he heads into his 13th NFL season with the Jets, he has had stints with seven other NFL teams including the Cardinals, Lions, Raiders, Panthers, Bears, Buccaneers and Browns.

The Jets signed him for the exact reason mostly every other club has signed him for in his long journey and that reason is security. McCown will be slotted as the number one quarterback on the Jets depth chart but that doesn’t mean we won’t be seeing much of either Hackenberg or Petty.

Opportunities will most certainly arise for both of them regardless of McCown’s performance. McCown is only a short-term answer while the team needs to make Hackenberg or Petty into long-term ones.

McCown spent his last two seasons with the Cleveland Browns where he posted average numbers. Last season seemed to be a game of quarterback musical chairs for the Browns as every player they tried to start seemed to suffer an injury.

The veteran spent five weeks inactive due to a left shoulder injury and ended up playing in only five games where he posted six touchdowns and threw six interceptions.

It will be intriguing to see what McCown can make of the young receiving core with players like Robby Anderson and Charone Peake. Especially what he can make of the newly acquired Jermaine Kearse from Seattle.

A player that I predict will have great chemistry with McCown is tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins. That’s right I think a Jets tight end will be relevant this year given the circumstances. However, we won’t see that until Week 3 due to suspension.

The only reliable tools McCown will have as of Week 1 are in the backfield. The majority of this offense will obviously be put in the hands of running backs Bilal Powell and Matt Forte (if he is still around).

I think both backs will be getting at least a handful of receptions per game from McCown, but we will see a lot of rushing coming from the backfield.

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It goes without saying to not expect McCown to be anything flashy this year. The Jets need a “game manager” to maintain the tenuous offense this season. Josh McCown is exactly that as he has proved he can play that role in challenging circumstances like this before.

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