The Jets released Bryce Petty on Thursday, leaving three quarterbacks ahead of Christian Hackenberg on the depth chart.
Two years into his career, the 2016 second-round draft pick has yet to throw an official NFL pass. Is there reason to believe Hackenberg can push free-agent acquisition Teddy Bridgewater for the No. 3 job behind Sam Darnold and Josh McCown?
Last we heard from the team on Hackenberg's status, coach Todd Bowles said the former Penn State star has "got to correct a lot of things, obviously."
To that end, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported on Thursday's edition of NFL Up to the Minute, Hackenberg has been working with quarterback guru Jeff Christensen to rebuild his mechanics.
Christensen has worked with Jimmy Garoppolo, Kirk Cousins and Ryan Tannehill in the past. The crucial difference here is that Hackenberg has had to "start from scratch" on his throwing motion, Christensen told Garafolo. To this point, Hackenberg has been through 50 sessions with his personal passing coach.
If this story sounds vaguely familiar to Jets fans, it's because Tim Tebow underwent a complete reboot of his delivery in a last-ditch effort to salvage his career five years ago.
Even if Hackenberg is more successful in his own overhaul, his window of opportunity in Florham Park may have slammed shut.
Bowles has passed up prime opportunities to audition Hackenberg at the tail end of back-to-back lost seasons. General manager Mike Maccagnan traded a war chest of draft picks for the opportunity to hand-pick his quarterback of the future at No. 3 overall.
Without acknowledging it publicly, the Jets' actions suggest Hackenberg might not play an NFL snap before his rookie deal expires in 2020.
