Geno Smith’s return to the Jets comes with a familiar mix of intrigue and pressure, and at least one scouting department doesn’t think much of his outlook.
Bleacher Report ranked Smith No. 29 among NFL quarterbacks, placing him one spot ahead of Tanner McKee of the Philadelphia Eagles and one spot behind Jacoby Brissett of the Arizona Cardinals.
“Geno Smith is coming off a disappointing season and a rough two-year stretch,” Bleacher Report wrote. “He has turned the ball over at an alarming rate (32 INTs) in that span.
He hasn't declined physically or with accuracy. He can still drive the ball well and drop passes in the bucket.
His issues stem from being under heavy pressure, If protected, he's capable of being a solid starter.”
Smith is trying to reset after leading the NFL in interceptions last season with the Las Vegas Raiders. His best NFL work came in Seattle, where he put together strong seasons in 2022 and 2023. He earned Pro Bowl honors in both years and was named the 2022 AP Comeback Player of the Year.
The West Virginia product enters the upcoming season with 22,168 passing yards, 124 passing touchdowns and 89 career interceptions. His career starting record stands at 42-56-0.
While the ranking is harsh, Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich has been encouraged by what he has seen from Smith so far. Reich said the quarterback has impressed him with his “football mind.”
“It’s hard for me right now to not be overly, what's the word, effusive with praise, but I am just so impressed with Geno,” Reich said, via Jets.com. “I know we haven't played any games yet, we've got a long way to go, we've got a lot to prove.
But man, he is on point. His preparation is top-notch, his football mind is elite, the way he's communicating in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage and the way he communicates in the quarterbacks room.”
The Jets are coming off a 3-14 season in Year 1 of the Aaron Glenn era, and Reich will now be part of the effort to turn things around with Smith at quarterback.
Garrett Wilson is already on board, too. After the Jets acquired Smith from the Raiders, the receiver “immediately” reached out to Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had played with Smith in Seattle.
“Yeah man, when I heard we signed Geno, initially for me it was like I immediately hit up my dawg Jax, who had played with him for two years out in Seattle,” Wilson said on the Jets' official podcast, via Heavy Sports. “He had a lot of good insight. He just loved Geno, he spoke so highly of him.
“All of a sudden, I'm pumped, I'm excited, and then once I got to meet the guy, which would have been a month ago now, mid-April, I had constructed this view of him in my head and how he was going to be. It was cool, right?
I couldn't wait to meet him based on what I had constructed in my head. Then I met him and he just blew that out of the water.”
Now the real test starts. Smith is set to try to prove the low ranking wrong, and this may be his final shot to hold down an NFL starting job.
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