New York Jets five biggest positional needs this offseason

5. Backup Quarterback

This season the New York Jets played three games without Darnold and it was horrendous. Anyone who watched the games while Trevor Simien (one quarter) and Luke Falk were at the helm should have recognized that the offense couldn’t move the ball.

Just to have an idea of how bad the offense was, a total of 23 points were scored during the three games that Darnold was out. One touchdown was scored by the defense, another touchdown was scored by special teams, and the remaining nine points were scored by the kicker, Sam Ficken. Based on this information, it’s imperative that the Jets sign a backup to resolve the potential of having an anemic offense if Darnold misses time.

Some notable unrestricted free agents for the backup quarterback position are Chad Henne, Mike Glennon, Marcus Mariota, and Chase Daniel. All four of these quarterbacks have shown that they can be reliable NFL players.

Some may ask why I did not include Teddy Bridgewater on this list. Well, after starting five games (and winning all of them) while Drew Brees was injured, I highly doubt that the New Orleans Saints would let Teddy walk. Also, if Teddy did walk, he would be a starter on another team. He would be a starter because of his performance this season and his high talent level.

However, my top option would be Marcus Mariota because he was a starter in the league. The five-year vet has a solid 63 games under his belt (29-32 record as a starter) and he has a 63% completion rate. His TD/INT split is 76/44, meaning that he is capable of scoring if he were forced to take over for Darnold, due to injury.

All these QBs would probably be better options over Simien and Falk in my opinion. Anyone capable of managing the game, causing the least amount of turnovers, and can be an effective leader, is what the Jets need when they are without their primary signal-caller.