Newly signed Jets quarterback Joe Flacco says he will not be ready in time for Week 1.
Joe Flacco is set to become by far the most accomplished and skilled quarterback to serve as Sam Darnold‘s backup, but he will not available from the get-go.
According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Flacco said during a radio appearance on Sirius XM NFL that he will not be healthy enough for the team’s Week 1 game in Buffalo.
New Jets QB Joe Flacco, a guest on @SiriusXMNFL, confirms he won’t be ready for season due to April neck surgery: “I can’t speak to exactly when I’m going to be ready, but it will not be Day 1.” He’s throwing and working out. Mid-Sept is projection.
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) May 26, 2020
“I can’t speak to exactly when I’m going to be ready, but it will not be Day 1,” Flacco said. Cimini added that Flacco is currently throwing and working out, with mid-September as a projected return date.
In the meantime, the Jets have three other quarterbacks on the roster that will battle it out for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart (and thus No. 2 while Flacco is out) – David Fales, James Morgan, and Mike White.
Fales, 29 (30 in October), was drafted in the sixth round by Chicago in the 2014 NFL Draft. He has never started an NFL game, but spent two years with Adam Gase in Miami from 2017-18. Fales relieved Jay Cutler early in the Dolphins’ Week 17 loss to Buffalo in 2017, completing 29-of-42 passes for 265 yards (6.3 per attempt), one touchdown, and one interception (83.1 passer rating). The San Jose State alum only has six career pass attempts outside of that game.
On the positive side, Fales held the Jets’ backup role for 13 games in 2019, so he already has some experience with the job under Gase in New York.
Morgan, 23, was drafted by the Jets out of Florida International with the 125th overall pick in the fourth round of this year’s draft. The Green Bay native had a rough 2019 season that was marred by injuries, but in 2018, he led Conference USA with a 157.6 NCAA passer rating.
White, 25, was taken by the Cowboys out of Western Kentucky in the fifth round of the 2017 Draft. In 2019, White competed for the Cowboys’ backup job, but was cut after a poor preseason in which he completed 36-of-68 passes for 305 yards (4.5 per attempt), one touchdown, and one interception (76.3 passer rating).
It appears the Jets will have the weather the storm for a bit and utilize an unproven quarterback as Darnold’s backup for at least one week, most likely a few more.
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