While it’s peculiar that quarterback Christian Hackenberg will more than likely not see any playing time in the season finale of the New York Jets, it’s too early to say he’s a bust.
Many are curious as to why quarterback Christian Hackenberg hasn’t gotten the nod to start in the season finale of the New York Jets at home against the Buffalo Bills. Even head coach Todd Bowles has said Hackenberg will dress for the game, he will more than likely only play if quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick gets hurt.
This has caused many to believe that perhaps the Jets made a mistake in reaching to draft Hackenberg in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Make no mistake about it, Hackenberg is a developmental project that everyone knew would take a few years of coaching and training to reach his potential.
The decision of the Jets to not start Hackenberg has drawn a lot of criticism from fans and experts across the football world since perhaps they’re not starting him since he’s actually a terrible quarterback. These are premature thoughts in the grand scheme of things.
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The Jets are wise to not start Hackenberg in a losing season. With their issues on offensive line and overall lack of talent, why would the Jets want to throw Hackenberg to the wolves too soon? For a franchise that has had issue after issue of handling potential franchise quarterbacks, they’re taking the right approach with Hackenberg in being patient.
They did the exact same thing last year with quarterback Bryce Petty as it only makes sense to follow protocol with Hackenberg. With no real experience during the regular season and a relatively small sample size, it’s too early to determine if Hackenberg is a bust or not.
As always in these kinds of situations, patience is key. Considering that both Geno Smith and Petty got season-ending injuries this year, it’s best the Jets play it safe when it comes to throwing another potential franchise quarterback out there in a meaningless game.
The best course of action would be for the Jets to end the season with Fitzpatrick under center and head into the offseason with hopes of turning things around for the better next year. It won’t be easy but Hackenberg playing in the season finale against the Buffalo Bills isn’t going to magically turn him into starting caliber anytime soon. He needs to stay on the sideline to learn as much as he can to hopefully have a bright future.
