The New York Jets worked out Will Levis and Jack Plummer this week for what amounts to a practice squad spot. If that is not a snapshot of where the Jets are as a franchise, nothing is.
Levis, a former second-round pick who flamed out in Tennessee, is now competing with a career backup for a spot behind the current New York starter. That is a full-blown career freefall in the span of two years.
The Jets did not disclose which quarterback they are leaning toward, but the fact that they are working out anyone this late in the preseason tells you they are not thrilled with what they currently have on the roster.
Levis has the arm talent that gets you drafted and gets you a workout even when you should probably be out of the league. Plummer has bounced around from Purdue to Cal to the NFL fringe with mostly quiet results.
Neither of these guys is going to save a Jets season. What this workout signals is that the Jets are hedging in case their QB situation implodes early, which is exactly what has happened in New York every year this decade.
Levis in particular is a fascinating case. He looked completely lost as an NFL starter and yet his physical tools keep him relevant. There are teams that will keep giving him chances just because a 6-foot-4 rocket-armed QB is hard to find.
The Jets desperately need to develop a real backup after last year’s disaster. Getting torched behind an injured starter set the entire season on fire before the leaves even changed color.
Practice squad quarterbacks are not glamorous, but they matter. Ask any coach who has had to activate a street free agent in Week 5 how badly it can go.
New York probably signs one of these two by the end of the week. Neither will excite the fanbase. But that is Jets football at the moment.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
