New York Jets: Full Position Breakdown and Depth Chart Analysis at Quarterback

One giant green question mark. You might as well call the New York Jets' quarterback depth chart an "E. Nygma." 

Even where there are answers, there still seem to be questions. Yes, Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey said there "wasn't a thought" about an open competition at quarterback, according to ESPN.com's Rich Cimini. Even in this apparent vote of confidence, though, Gailey left some wiggle room for things to change. Gailey said that Geno Smith will "probably" be the starter for Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns, but added some caveats.

"That's the way we expect it to be," he said. "Unless something happens with an injury, something that you don't foresee, that's how we anticipate it going."

Gailey also hedged a little on his vote of confidence, per the New York Daily News' Manish Mehta:

Things could always take a turn for the unexpected; who knows what will happen once Gailey lays his eyes on Ryan Fitzpatrick, the quarterback he helped turn into a $60 million man back in 2011 when the two were an item with the Buffalo Bills. Now that the pair has been reunited in New York, their love affair may be rekindled.

There's also the possibility that Smith could exceed everyone's expectations in training camp and win the job outright. Either way, it wouldn't hurt to familiarize ourselves with the entirety of the Jets' depth chart at quarterback.

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Geno Smith

In two years, Smith has been great at best, awful at worst and turbulent all the while. He has had a difficult time completing passes (plural) at times, but has also dominated defenses with laser-like efficiency at other times. 

His highs may be the reason for the coaching staff's confidence in him, but his lows are definitely the reason for Jets fans' apprehension to embrace him as the face of the franchise. We've seen flashes of potential for Smith to become at least a serviceable passer, if not much more; we've also seen glimpses of a downward spiral from one of the 2013 draft's most decorated passers to a major bust.

Formation	Snaps	NFL rank
4 WR	586	1
3 WR	1,669	5
Shotgun	1,643	3
2 RB	616	24
2 TE	341	32

If there's one coordinator who can help Smith reach his full potential, it may be Gailey, whose offensive tendencies play right into Smith's hands. Gailey is known for his ability to accentuate the strengths of his passers and mask their weaknesses, but particularly as it pertains to Smith, Gailey runs an offense that aligns with Smith's skill set. 

Let Smith operate from the shotgun, spread out the field with three or four wide receivers and give Smith opportunities to put his athleticism to work, and this could be one of the most fruitful quarterback-coordinator relationships Jets fans have ever seen.

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Ryan Fitzpatrick

Believe it or not, Fitzpatrick is not down and out of the competition at quarterback.

The Jets traded a seventh-round pick to the Houston Texans for Fitzpatrick back in March, and immediately, speculation began that the Jets could be fielding a competition for the starting job at quarterback. With those rumors squashed (for now), it looks like Fitzpatrick will have to wait his turn.

Smith had a leg up on the competition already due to Fitzpatrick's recovery from a broken leg, as NFL.com's Dan Hanzus noted: 

That being said, there's no reason that Fitzpatrick can't insert himself into the competition once he is able to participate in team drills—according to Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media, Fitzpatrick has only been participating in seven-on-seven drills. 

The Jets would probably prefer to stick with Smith unless his wild inconsistency continues, but if Fitzpatrick gets the chance, he's proved he can play at a serviceable level. 

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Bryce Petty

Rookie Bryce Petty is somewhat of a wild card in the Jets' "nonexistent" quarterback "competition," in that no one expects him to be a factor in his first year in the NFL. The reason? Most scouts and talent evaluators pegged him as a raw prospect and potentially a product of Baylor's quarterback-friendly system who would need at least a year to develop into an NFL-ready quarterback. 

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein highlights these sentiments in his breakdown of Petty coming out of Baylor:

"

NFL evaluators felt like Petty's senior season was disappointing, but those same evaluators love his size, leadership and intangibles. He needs a year or two of practice time and camp work to learn how to get through his progressions, but has the intelligence to do that. Petty flashed plenty of arm strength at the NFL Scouting Combine and as the draft draws closer, teams might very well begin to conceptualize Petty fitting into their offense as a potential starter of the future.

"

Fortunately for the Jets, there's no conceptualizing about it; sure, Petty will eventually have to learn to go through his progressions, but as mentioned earlier, Gailey already employs a spread offense that should cater to Petty's strengths. 

Petty probably won't put up the video game-like numbers he posted at Baylor (8,055 passing yards, 61 touchdowns, 10 interceptions over the past two years), but given some time to learn Gailey's system and how to read NFL defenses, he could develop into one of the better quarterbacks to come out of this year's class. 

Unfortunately for Petty, he won't be given an opportunity for at least another year. 

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Matt Simms

CBS Sports'/Bleacher Report's Chris Simms believes that if Matt Simms had another last name, teams would want him as their backup quarterback. Whether that's true or not is debatable; the Jets don't seem to even want him as their backup after stocking up with not one, but two more passers this offseason.

The next opportunity Simms gets to prove himself as a capable starting quarterback will be his first, as he has only ever performed in mop-up duty at the end of four blowout losses. 

Simms has managed to stick around in New York for the past two seasons despite a limited physical skill set and a low ceiling to match. Undrafted out of Tennessee in 2012, Simms has completed just 48.7 percent of his throws for 195 yards with one touchdown and one interception. 

Barring a breakout offseason program in which he somehow outshines either Fitzpatrick or Petty, Simms is probably headed for the waiver wire or the free-agent market sooner than later.