Jets Looking For Options At Quarterback

Ryan Fitzpatrick hasn’t been a revelation at quarterback, but for a team built on defense and running the football, he had been enough through the first six games.

The team had to turn to Geno Smith as Fitzpatrick suffered an injury early in the loss to the Raiders. It was initially reported as a ligament issue on his non-throwing hand, according to Dennis Waszak Jr. of the Associated Press (via Twitter). He was ruled out for the game, although he did return for one play late in the fourth quarter after Smith left the game with an injury.

At that point, the Jets were already making phone calls to inquire about quarterbacks who could potentially be available, either via trade or free agency, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio mentions that there aren’t many options available, highlighting Ryan Mallett and Zach Mettenberger as two potential targets. Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com adds Buccaneers backup Mike Glennon to the list of quarterbacks the Jets should consider (via Twitter). He also mentions Chad Henne, Kellen Clemens, Matt Schaub, Chase Daniel, Colt McCoy, and Dan Orlovsky as quarterbacks with expiring contracts (via Twitter).

To add another level of complexity, Smith was also injured in the game, consulting with a doctor presumably to have X-rays taken after the game, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter). Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News specifies that Smith is dealing with shoulder and ab issues (via Twitter).

Fitzpatrick is assumed to have torn ligaments in the thumb of his non-throwing hand, according to head coach Todd Bowles as reported by Mehta (via Twitter). Based on how quickly the organization looked to add another signal caller, the expectation is that he could miss some time.

The only quarterback left on the depth chart besides Smith is fourth-round pick Bryce Petty. If Smith also misses time is , which isn’t expected right now, Petty would likely take over, and the team would need to bring in another passer to round out the roster.

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