Landry Jones seemed to secure his role as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ backup quarterback.
But he’s also shown signs he may not be the best option for that job.
With veteran quarterbacks Bruce Gradkowski and Mike Vick set to hit free agency, the Steelers have a decision to make in the coming weeks on if Jones will be the next man up if starter Ben Roethlisberger goes down. If not, they may be forced to sign a free agent quarterback, or draft one for competition.
After three underwhelming pre-seasons and 37 games on the bench, Jones finally made his pro debut in Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals.
All he did was throw two touchdowns and 168 yards in 12 attempts in relief of Vick while guiding the Steelers to a 25-14 win over the eventual NFC West champion Arizona Cardinals.
But his first career start the following week didn’t go as well.
Jones and the Steelers’ offense struggled to maintain momentum in a 23-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Jones threw one touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss.
Since then, it has been a mixed bag of results for Jones.
He did drive the offense down the field and put Chris Boswell in position to kick the game-winning field goal against the Oakland Raiders when Roethlisberger left injured. But he also threw two interceptions against the Seattle Seahawks in only four attempts, as well as what looked like the season-ending interception in the Wild Card Game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
It is worth remembering that Jones has only thrown all of 60 passes in his NFL career, so some struggles are to be expected – especially considering how long it took him to see the field for the first time. He also flashed potential in his limited time, more than he showed in the pre-seasons prior where he looked flat and afraid to push the ball downfield.
The selection of Jones in the fourth round 2013 NFL Draft was not a popular pick in Pittsburgh. Gradkowski had just been signed to a three-year deal, and the move to grab Jones to be what essentially became a clipboard holder in sweatpants and ball cap for two seasons seemed unnecessary. Now Jones has a chance to justify his selection.
Vick is likely done in the NFL, and the Steelers may decide to move on from the 33-year-old Gradkowski, who is coming off a slew of injuries since last season’s minicamps. Jones is no longer blocked by a veteran from being the team’s top backup quarterback – for now.
Whomever the Steelers add at quarterback this off-season will gauge how confident they are in Jones. If they add a late-round quarterback to round out the depth chart, it would stand to reason they are confident in Jones as a backup. But if they add a veteran like Matt Moore or a mid-round selection at the position, it could indicate they may have reservations about Jones.
Regardless, 2016 will be a big year for Jones.
With his contract set to expire after next season, how Jones performs will dictate either the Steelers bringing him back or another team wanting to sign him. If he does well, a team may give him a chance to be a starter, but if he does poorly his NFL career may end.
Jones was one of the most unpopular Steelers draft picks in recent memory. Now he has a chance to erase that sentiment.
