Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
New York Jets coach Todd Bowles has thrown his support behind Geno Smith as the team’s No. 1 quarterback heading into offseason workouts.
With the Jets acquiring Ryan Fitzpatrick in a trade with the Houston Texans, there were questions as to who might become the main man behind center for the Jets in 2015.
“We have a plan in place, and right now, Geno going in, with Ryan hurt and not being able to participate in OTAs and everything, Geno’s going to take the majority of all the reps,” Bowles said Tuesday. “He finished off last year and there’s nobody else we have. We’re still evaluating QBs in the draft, not saying we won’t add or will add a guy. But right now with Ryan being down and Matt coming back, Geno, he’s our guy right now.”
Several mock drafts, including NFLDraftScout.com, have the Jets selecting former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota with the sixth overall pick next month.
“We’ll spend a lot of time on it,” Bowles said of evaluating quarterbacks in the draft. “We’ve still got to work the two guys out. We’re going to do diligence, do our homework on those guys at the top of the draft, but we’re going to do our due diligence on all the guys who can possibly go at 6, and we got to see who is that guy that we want to take.
“It’s not just the quarterback, it’s all of them, but yes, we are going to look at those guys.”
Bowles, a former defensive coordinator who left the Arizona Cardinals for the Jets after last season, said it’s difficult to evaluate Smith until he gets to know him more. Smith is entering his third year in the NFL but was drafted by the previous regime of general manager John Idzik and Rex Ryan.
“It’s hard because you can’t talk to him and you can’t sit him down and see what he knows, what he doesn’t know, his philosophy, how he thinks, how he sees things,” Bowles said. “And not being here with the offensive scheme last year, you can’t judge him until you kind of know everything that goes on.
“So until you get your hands on him, yes, he had a good last game and he finished up well, but you see the mistakes. Whether it’s Geno or any other QB, you don’t want to turn the ball over. But with the rules we have in place, until we can get to April and get to the first days of Phase Ones and Phase Twos and talk to the guys, it’s tough to do.”
The Jets made one significant move during the offseason to provide a proven target for their quarterback, bringing in wide receiver Brandon Marshall in a deal with the Chicago Bears. He joins a pass-catching corps that includes include Eric Decker, Jeremy Kerley and tight end Jace Amaro.
On the other side of the ball, the Jets’ major addition this month was cornerback Darrelle Revis, who returns after spending last season with the New England Patriots and a year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“He has an impact everywhere he goes,” Bowles said. “He’s a good corner. He can play in any scheme. He’s a zone or man guy. I think he doesn’t get enough credit for his zone or his tackling or his awareness on the field. So whatever we decide to play back there, he’s very capable of doing it.”
