WATCH: Breaking down third string battle between Jets QBs Luke Falk and Davis Webb
With all the position battles that have taken place throughout the preseason, one that has flown under the radar for the New York Jets is the right to potentially be the last quarterback on the depth chart.
With Trevor Siemian already having the backup job locked down, the focus heading into the team’s final preseason game vs. the visiting Philadelphia Eagles will be squarely on Davis Webb and Luke Falk.
In a league where anything can happen on any play, teams must have enough depth to handle a situation where a starter goes down and the possibility his backup does too. This is the most importantly the case with quarterbacks.
We just saw Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck stunningly retire a week before the season, which means backup Jacoby Brissett is now the starter. And last season, the right leg injury to Alex Smith had the Washington Redskins scrambling to put someone on the field behind center.
Having that security blanket of knowing your backup and even the backups' backup can come in and hold down the fort is a comforting feeling for an organization.
The first quarterback to look at would be Webb. The third-year pro out of California was drafted in the third round in 2017 by the Giants but never played a game as he backed up Eli Manning. He was intended to be the heir apparent to Manning but that didn't pan out.
Last season, Webb was beaten out by Kyle Lauletta and Alex Tanney for the backup spots on the roster. The Giants released him and the Jets signed him to their practice squad a few days later. Webb spent most of the 2018 season on the practice squad for Gang Green and signed his exclusive rights tender back in March.
So far this preseason, Webb has worked with the third team in practice and usually taken reps as the third quarterback this preseason. In three games Webb has completed 11 of 22 passes for 77 yards. He’s also thrown two interceptions, both of which came in the first preseason game against the Giants.
Although Webb has been complimented by Adam Gase and seems to look good in practice, it just hasn’t carried over to the actual games. It’s not to say he has played bad however he hasn’t impressed either. Webb’s best game this season was the last one against the Saints where he went 7-for-10 for 56 yards.
Turning to the other option, Falk has made some waves this preseason, bumping up his stock in the eyes of the coaching staff. Drafted in 2018 with the 199th pick by the Tennessee Titans, Falk played fairly well in his preseason stint with the team.
However, he was beaten out by Blaine Gabbert for the backup role and was cut. He wound up on the Miami Dolphins but was waived in May. The former Washington State Cougar found himself on the Jets heading into training camp this year.
As mentioned before, Falk has put himself in a position to have a legitimate shot to make the 53-man roster. In the last preseason game against the Saints, Falk actually entered the game before Webb. He didn’t play much but did go 3-for-3 for 29 yards. Overall this preseason Falk has gone 16-for-18 for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
The 6-foot-4 Falk has shown some good accuracy and ball placement while only being sacked once. It’s worth noting that Falk has a familiarity with head coach Adam Gase from their time together with the Dolphins.
Both Webb and Falk have one more chance to prove their worth. None of the starters will be suiting up and it isn’t clear yet how much game action, if any, Siemian will get. That being said, expect Webb and Falk to each have more than their fair share of game action.
Off first glance, it would seem as if Falk has the better chance of making the team judging off of his performance this preseason and history with Gase. There is still the off chance though that the Jets decide to keep neither and use that extra roster spot for another position.
