The Jets signed Mike White to the active roster and promoted Josh Adams, Josh Malone from the practice squad to the active roster.
The Jets have themselves a new No. 2 quarterback — for now.
On Saturday, New York signed Mike White to its active roster for Week 1. Despite having no regular season experience, White got the nod over David Fales, who remains on the practice squad, while Joe Flacco continues to work his way back from offseason neck surgery. He will serve as Sam Darnold’s backup until Flacco returns to action. Rookie James Morgan will be the Jets’ third-string quarterback.
The Jets also addressed two offensive skill positions leading up to their season opener, promoting running back Josh Adams and wide receiver Josh Malone from the practice squad. Adams will presumably take the spot of the injured La’Mical Perine as the No. 3 running back behind Le’Veon Bell. The 23-year-old rushed for only 12 yards on eight carries with New York in 2019.
Malone will likely fill in for Denzel Mims, who is doubtful with a hamstring injury. Even with Malone up from the practice squad, the Jets are down to only five wide receivers — Braxton Berrios, Jamison Crowder, Chris Hogan and Breshad Perriman. The 24-year-old appeared in only two games with the Jets last season and played primarily on special teams. In three NFL seasons, Malone has caught seven passes for 75 yards and one touchdown.
The Jets re-signed David Fales and Mike White to the practice squad, but only one of them will backup Sam Darnold.
The Jets have a decision to make on who Sam Darnold’s backup will be Week 1 in Buffalo.
New York re-signed quarterbacks David Fales and Mike White to the practice squad Sunday. However, only one of them will be promoted to the gameday roster next Sunday against the Bills.
The Jets have three active quarterbacks at the moment: Sam Darnold, Joe Flacco and James Morgan. Darnold is obviously the starting quarterback, while Flacco is injured. He’ll be back from injury in a few weeks, so the Jets decided to keep him on the active roster. Morgan is just a rookie with no NFL games under his belt, so the Jets want him to get some experience on the sideline before entering a game.
With new practice squad and roster rules, however, the Jets can promote a quarterback for any games that Flacco misses. More likely than not, it will be Fales who gets promoted to the active roster. He spent the majority of the 2019 season as Darnold’s backup but didn’t see any game action. Fales is familiar with the offensive system that Adan Gase runs, as he’s been with the coach throughout his NFL career.
White had a solid training camp this summer, but the Jets need someone who has some NFL experience to backup Darnold. White has yet to appear in a regular season game since being drafted in 2018 by the Cowboys.
Jets Wire breaks down New York’s quarterback room with training camp and the 2020 season approaching.
With the beginning of training camp less than two weeks away, it’s time to take a closer look at the makeup of the Jets’ roster entering the 2020 season.
Gang Green’s 2019 campaign essentially went off the rails when QB Sam Darnold contracted mononucleosis. Backups Trevor Siemian and Luke Falk were thrown into the fire, effectively exposing the Jets’ lack of depth under center.
As training camp and the beginning of the regular season inch closer, Jets Wire will be providing an in-depth look at each of New York’s position groups and what could be in store for the unit in 2020. Let’s kick things off with a breakdown of the gunslinger situation at One Jets Drive.
The Starter
Thanks to the upgrades the Jets made to their offensive line this offseason and a couple of new additions at wide receiver, 2020 could be the year Sam Darnold finally comes into his own as New York’s starting quarterback.
Insufficient pass protection and an underwhelming group of wide receivers plagued Darnold’s first two seasons as a starter in the NFL. Fortunately for Darnold and the Jets, general manager Joe Douglas did his best to rebuild the offensive line and give Darnold two new viable weapons in speedster Breshad Perriman and rookie Denzel Mims.
New York will go as Darnold goes in 2020. If the third-year signal-caller plays well, the Jets will be in the hunt for a wild card spot and maybe even the AFC East title. If not, it will be back to the drawing board at season’s end.
Depth
Justin Edmonds/Getty Images
If Darnold succumbs to injury or illness in 2020, the Jets will not be left out in the cold as they were last season thanks to an improved quarterback room.
Veteran Joe Flacco is in as New York’s No. 2 quarterback. He won’t be ready for Week 1 due to offseason neck surgery, but the former Super Bowl MVP gives the Jets a reliable backup once he is 100 percent healthy and a potentially valuable mentor for Darnold.
Behind Flacco are David Fales, rookie James Morgan and Mike White. Fales is familiar with Adam Gase’s offense, but the Jets drafted Morgan for a reason. The 29-year-old Fales is all but a lock to break camp with the team while Morgan marinates on the sideline, but once Flacco returns to the field, Fales’ time in New York will likely end. White is nothing more than a training camp body and is not a serious threat to make Gang Green’s 53-man roster.
Outlook
Darnold is potentially in store for a breakout 2020 season. He will finally be able to stand in the pocket and go through his reads playing behind a decent enough offensive line and has an assortment of weapons to work with in a solid wide receiver trio, the two-headed monster of Ryan Griffin and Chris Herndon at tight end, and Le’Veon Bell out of the backfield.
With that being said, the Jets need those hopes to come to fruition if they want to contend this upcoming season. Darnold does not have to magically develop into a worldbeater, but he has to play well enough to convert close losses into wins. If that does not happen, 2020 stands to be another disappointing year — and one that could force the Jets to reconsider Darnold’s future in the Big Apple.
Jets quarterback Joe Flacco is guaranteed $550 in his one year deal with New York.
The numbers have come in for Joe Flacco’s contract.
The veteran quarterback signed a one-year deal worth $1.5 million with the Jets in May. His base salary, however, is just $1.05 million, including $550,000 in guarantees, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Flacco is also getting a roster bonus of $28,125 for every game that he is active. Since Flacco is not expected to be ready for the start of the 2020 season, he won’t be getting those roster bonuses right away. However, the max he can get in roster bonuses is $450,000.
Flacco can earn up to $3 million in incentives, while his cap charge for 2020 is $1.34 million.
The Jets were in desperate need for a veteran backup quarterback who could mentor Sam Darnold and win games if Darnold were to be hurt. Over the last two seasons, the Jets have gone 0-6 in games that Darnold has missed. In fact, the Jets have been outscored by their opponents 178-68 in the six games that Darnold hasn’t played in.
Flacco has proven over his long NFL career that he can win football games. He already won a Super Bowl MVP with the Ravens back in 2012 when Baltimore defeated the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.
Now Flacco is going to have to embrace a new role as a backup quarterback and as Darnold’s mentor. He’s experienced a lot of football throughout his NFL journey and that should help Darnold grow as a starting quarterback.
Joe Flacco wants to be a guy that Sam Darnold can lean on for mentorship.
Joe Flacco is ready to take on a new role in his career not only as a backup but as a mentor.
The Jets signed Flacco to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million deal that maxes out at $4.5 million with incentives. While Flacco does feel like he as some football left in him at age 35, he also understands that his value is going to come from being a voice that Sam Darnold can count on to be successful.
“I want to, first and foremost, help the team in any way possible, but also be a guy that Sam can lean on and can learn from,” Flacco said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I would say those are the two most important things; to help out the guys on the team and to help out Sam to do all he can.”
Flacco’s veteran presence should assist Darnold in his development as a quarterback. Flacco has never been considered a top quarterback in the NFL, but he knows firsthand what it takes to win at the highest level. Flacco led the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl title in 2013, defeating the San Francisco 49ers. He was named Super Bowl MVP, throwing for 287 yards and three touchdowns.
Flacco is not a quarterback who lights up the stat sheet, but the guy knows how to win. He is the 15th-winningest quarterback in NFL history with 108 total victories. Flacco is ahead of some of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time in Troy Aikman, Ken Stabler and Steve Young.
The Jets never want to see Flacco on the field in 2020, but they signed him for a reason. They need him to use his past experiences to help Darnold make a big jump as starting quarterback in the NFL.
The NFL’s new expanded roster rules can help the Jets maneuver Joe Flacco’s timetable in case he’s not ready for the 2020 season.
The NFL’s new expanded roster rules could help the Jets with Joe Flacco in 2020.
Flacco underwent neck surgery in April, but he probably won’t be ready to play until September. If the NFL season kicks off on time in mid-September and Flacco isn’t cleared by the team, the Jets are going to have to shuffle around their quarterback room.
That would mean David Fales or James Morgan serving as Darnold’s backup, with the other being the third-string. In a scenario in which Flacco isn’t ready for the start of the season, the Jets could opt to go with four quarterbacks at the beginning of the year.
Luckily for the Jets, the NFL expanded rosters under the new CBA. On gameday, the roster size now maxes out at 48 players after previously being set at 46 players. However, one of those extra players has to be an offensive lineman.
As for the practice squads, those rosters increased from 10 players to 12 players in 2020. Teams can also bring two players from their practice onto the active roster per week. So instead of 53 players on an active roster, teams can have 55 players during a game week.
The shape of the Jets quarterback room is going to depend on Flacco’s health. If he’s ready to play by September, the Jets could let Fales go without any harm. More likely than not, Morgan will be on the Jets practice squad most of the season unless disaster strikes.
Fortunately for the Jets, they’ll have the roster flexibility to manage in case Flacco is not ready to go in time for the start of the 2020 season.
Jets Wire breaks down why James Morgan will not factor into New York’s plans at quarterback in 2020 following the signing of Joe Flacco.
It always seemed far-fetched to think that the Jets were content with a rookie serving as Sam Darnold’s backup this upcoming season.
When New York selected James Morgan in the 2020 NFL Draft, many jumped to the conclusion that he would instantly assume the No. 2 spot on the depth chart in his rookie year. However, selecting Morgan in the fourth-round was a long-term move by general manager Joe Douglas, not one that was going to drastically alter the quarterback room right away.
David Fales, while well-versed in Adam Gase’s offense, lacked the in-game experience to give the Jets any reason to think he could make an impact in the event of an injury to Darnold. New York learned what happens when you don’t have a reliable backup quarterback the hard way last season when Darnold succumbed to mononucleosis. Trevor Siemian suffered a gruesome season-ending leg injury and his successor, Luke Falk, looked like a deer caught in the headlights every time he took the field. Without Darnold, the Jets did not win a single game and any hope of contending for a playoff spot went out the window.
The signing of veteran signal caller Joe Flacco gives New York exactly what it needs out of its backup quarterback. Not only will Flacco serve as a valuable mentor for Darnold, but he also has enough gas left in the tank to pilot the offense without much of a drop-off in production if Darnold is forced to miss any time in 2020.
Adding a veteran backup behind Darnold was always part of the Jets’ offseason plan — the structure of Fales’ contract is proof of this. Even with Morgan in the fold at the position, Douglas did not stray away from his goal of bringing in an experienced passer to strengthen New York’s depth. It was a no-brainer for him to do so, especially given the opportunity to add a player with Flacco’s track record.
The fact of the matter is that the Jets did not select Morgan with their eyes on instantly inserting him as the No. 2. That would be a lot to ask of any rookie quarterback, especially one from a non-Power 5 school selected in the middle rounds. If Fales’ lack of experience was the reason why the Jets yearned for more at quarterback, why would Morgan, who has yet to take a single professional snap, be the one to solidify the position in 2020?
Morgan has a very good chance to be New York’s backup quarterback of the future. That is not an illustrious role, but one he seems well-suited for once he gets a little seasoning at the next level. Learning from both Darnold and Flacco will be a boon for the Florida International product and will prepare him for the rigors of running an NFL offense in a pinch sooner rather than later.
Just don’t expect him to have any sort of impact for Gang Green this upcoming season. The No. 2 spot on the depth chart is simply not in Morgan’s immediate future.
Here are highlights of new Jets quarterback James Morgan from his senior season at FIU.
The New York Jets have found a potential backup quarterback to Sam Darnold in Florida International’s James Morgan.
Morgan is a project quarterback. He throws with velocity and has good accuracy. Meanwhile, he plays well under pressure and has a strong arm. Morgan’s best season came in 2018 when he threw for 2,727 yards and 26 touchdowns. He dropped off a bit in his senior season, only throwing for 2,585 yards and 14 touchdowns with a 58 percent completion percentage.
Here are Morgan’s highlights from his 2019 season at Florida International:
Tim Tebow took a shot at the Jets for how his trade to them didn’t work out and how they haven’t had many trades work out for them recently.
Tim Tebow is taking shots at his old team.
The former Jets quarterback, speaking in an Easter Sunday Instagram post, was using some of the all-time great sports trades to talk about his Christian faith. He mentioned Babe Ruth getting traded to the Yankees and Wayne Gretzky getting dealt to the Oilers. Then, Tebow brought up the trade that sent him from Denver to New York in 2012.
“I got traded to the Jets,” Tebow said. “How’s that for a trade? That didn’t work out for anybody. When’s the last time a Jets trade worked out? Anyway, that’s beside the point.”
Tebow was right in that his trade to the Jets didn’t work out for anybody. The Jets wanted to use him on both special teams and in the wildcat formation on offense, but he wasn’t of much use in either role. For the entire 2012 season, Tebow threw eight passes and completed six of them for 39 yards. He rushed for 102 yards on 32 attempts.
Tebow suffered two broken ribs in Week 12 against the Seahawks, but the Jets didn’t confirm the injury until about two weeks later. Tebow remained active in those two ensuing weeks. After the season, Tebow was released by the Jets. He never played in an NFL game again following the 2012 season. The former Florida star has since begun playing minor league baseball for the New York Mets.
Here’s how the Jets should approach David Fales’ free agency situation.
Before Joe Douglas can focus on who he plans to target in free agency come March, he’ll have a handful of in-house decisions to make.
The Jets have 32 players set to hit the open market this offseason. Some don’t figure to factor into New York’s plans for 2020, while it’s safe to assume the Jets would like to keep others around for a while. Either way, Douglas has a lot of work to do in his first offseason on the job.
David Fales was signed by the Jets after Trevor Siemian tore ligaments in his ankle and was ruled out for the season. Fales was Luke Falk’s backup until Sam Darnold returned from mononucleosis. He played in two games during the season, but didn’t record any stats. Let’s take a look at how the Jets should approach Fales’ free agency in another edition of Jets Wire’s free agent profile.
Pros of keeping him
Fales is familiar with Adam Gase’s offense as the two spent time together in both Miami, Chicago and now New York. He hasn’t played many games in the system though, only playing in three games prior to this season.
He’s also a veteran player in the NFL. Fales just completed his fifth season in the league out of San Jose State. His familiarity with the offense and him being a veteran could be why the Jets keep him.
Cons of keeping him
While Fales does know the offense, his skills at the quarterback position are just not that good to play in case Darnold were to be injured.
The Jets need to get a capable backup quarterback who can come in and at least keep them competitive. Fales has yet to prove in his five-year career that he can do that as he’s been on six different teams.
The verdict
Fales may be best buddies with Gase, but that can’t be the reason the Jets let him stay with the team. It’s time to get a backup quarterback who has some starting experience in the NFL and knows what he’s doing when he steps on the field.
The only way the Jets could let Fales stick around is on their practice squad. But if the Jets’ plan is to break camp next season with two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, then Fales shouldn’t be included.
