It’s popular to say the Jets need to draft a quarterback at No. 2 overall. Justin Fields will be released. Tyrod Taylor is a free agent. Brady Cook is not an NFL-calibre quarterback. But does drafting a QB have to be the be-all/end-all for the Jets? I think not, and here’s why.
The Jets need to find a quarterback who can lead them to their desired destination, such as winning games and making playoff appearances. Indeed, the Jets need to make sure they have that guy, or else they have wasted time and money drafting him. Zach Wilson and Sam Darnold are examples.
Fernando Mendoza was the sure thing in the draft. He can throw and take hits. However, the Las Vegas Raiders will likely draft him as the top overall pick in the draft. So the Jets are in a dilemma: Do they really need to draft a quarterback at No. 2 or address a need and draft a quarterback in the late round, or wait till next year?
My take from watching other QB options in the draft, including Dante Moore, Ty Simpson, Diego Pavia, and Garrett Nussmeier, it would be best if the Jets do not draft a quarterback this early. If the Jets aren’t really sure about those guys, they’re better off being safe than sorry here.
As much as they need a quarterback, they also have plenty of other needs. They need to find an offensive lineman who can complement Armand Membou and Olu Fashanu. They also need a playmaker to complement Garrett Wilson. And they could use a pass rusher.
The Jets have better odds of finding playmakers than quarterbacks early in the round. It would be prudent to find one rather than getting a quarterback.
It does the quarterback a disservice if the Jets draft him, yet do not give him a playmaker to work with or protection. That’s how you end up with Darnold, who struggled as he had no time to throw and no one to throw to.
Maybe the Jets can wait till the second or third round to draft Ole Miss’s Trinidad Chambliss as quarterback. Or they could wait till next year when Archie Manning and other better quarterbacks come out in the draft.
It just might be that the Jets have to wait another year here. They also have to consider if Aaron Glenn and his coaching staff are the right people to develop a quarterback.
Glenn may not have the patience to wait for a quarterback to learn on the job. His job will likely be on the line next season if he has another hideous start, as he has this season, when the Jets started 0-7 and finished 3-14.
At this point, he might want an established quarterback to coach for a third season with Gang Green.
Tua as a Jet (graphic courtesy Facebook)
Signing Tua Tagovailoa makes more sense for the Jets than drafting a quarterback next season. He can win games for the Jets now, and just maybe he can develop into a star quarterback that the team has long waited for. He could be their Ryan Fitzpatrick, who last led the Jets to an 11-5 winning season in 2010. He’s still in his prime at 27.
The Jets can do a lot worse than Tagovailoa. At least he has shown he can win games and take the Dolphins to the postseason. He actually can throw. The Jets would sign up for that after getting horrible quarterback play the last few years. Sure, he may be a concussion away from retirement, but he also showed toughness by playing through it.
Believe it or not, Tagovailoa might be the best quarterback in the market out there.
After watching young quarterbacks implode with the Jets, they may be better off just signing a quarterback who still has his best days ahead of him. The fans have no patience for a quarterback to go through growing pains, as they showed toward Darnold and Wilson.
If Tagovailoa turns out to be Fields, well, there’s always next year.
