The New York Jets are reportedly benching Ryan Fitzpatrick for Geno Smith in Week 7
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The 1-5 New York Jets are reportedly making a change at quarterback.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Jets are going to start Geno Smith over Ryan Fitzpatrick for their Week 7 game against the Baltimore Ravens.
In the fourth quarter of a 28-3 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the Jets pulled Fitzpatrick for Smith. Smith completed a few passes, but his lone drive ended with a sack and interception.
The move has been bubbling under the surface for some time. After starting 1-1, the Jets have lost four straight amid a brutal schedule, and Fitzpatrick has struggled mightily. His woes at quarterback were highlighted by a six-interception performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4. For the season, he's completing just 57% of his passes and has thrown five touchdowns to 11 interceptions.
After the loss to the Cardinals, Jets head coach Todd Bowles said Fitzpatrick would remain the starter for Week 7. However, on Tuesday, Bowles left the door open, saying they would consider a change at quarterback.
Smith, of course, has rarely seen the field since 2015 training camp, when he was punched by former teammate IK Enemkpali and broke his jaw. Fitzpatrick took the reins while Smith was out and never looked pack, putting together a career year for the Jets.
However, amid Fitzpatrick's struggles this season, many have called for the Jets to make a change at quarterback. Smith is just 26 years old and will be a free agent next season; it's worth seeing if he can play better than Fitzpatrick has (the bar is low). Behind Smith, the Jets also have second-year quarterback Bryce Petty and rookie quarterback Christian Hackenberg, who they took in the second round of this year's draft.
With the Jets playoff hopes virtually out of reach, they may begin seeing what they have in some of their backup quarterbacks, starting with Smith.
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