Getty New York Jets quarterback Chris Streveler warming up ahead of an NFL game.
The New York Jets enjoyed a first-world problem at the quarterback position this offseason.
They had their franchise hopeful in Zach Wilson, two capable backups in Joe Flacco and Mike White, and then received the ultimate surprise with Chris Streveler. A veteran journeyman that has bounced around the league but in limited opportunities dazzled throughout the preseason.
Despite those exciting pops, the Jets cut the veteran passer and successfully transitioned him to the practice squad ahead of the season. However, now another team may be eyeing his services.
Trey Lance Injury Opens the Door for Chris Streveler
Over the weekend the San Francisco 49ers lost their first-round pick quarterback Trey Lance to a serious ankle injury. That will now take him out of commission for the rest of the 2022 season.
While the starting gig is accounted for with Jimmy Garoppolo going from the bench to the top of the ladder, the depth is now a major question mark.
Doug Kyed, the lead NFL reporter for Pro Football Focus, explored a variety of options for the 49ers to consider.
One name that came up was Jets quarterback Chris Streveler.
Kyed said that the similarities between the Jets and the 49ers organizations from an offensive standpoint make it a natural fit.
San Francisco should be intimately familiar with the talented passer because he spent two years inside the division on the Arizona Cardinals from 2020 through 2021.
Although he was much more impressive during his spectacular run with the Jets in the 2022 preseason.
In three games he notched three come-from-behind victories and put up some impressive statistics:
- Five total touchdowns
- 277 passing yards
- 71 rushing yards
- 73 percent completion percentage
No Safety Net Exists for Chris Streveler
During COVID the NFL expanded every team’s practice squads and also created a player protection plan.
In other words every week a team could choose up to four players to protect so they couldn’t be poached by another team.
Sadly the NFL has since changed that rule and the practice squads are now open waters. If any NFL team wants to sign a player from another team’s squad, they can do so.
Sal Capaccio of WGR550 recently explained the rule change on Twitter:
In light of news that Bills practice squad RB Raheem Blackshear was signed to Carolina Panthers 53-man roster, FYI that practice squad protections no longer exist. They were put in place for COVID purposes but are no longer something teams can do to keep other teams from poaching
It is worth noting that every player has a choice. For example, Streveler is on the Jets practice squad and if the 49ers wanted to sign him, they could, but he would have to agree to it.
Now, normally players don’t say no because it would be an upgrade going from a practice squad spot to the 53-man roster. So naturally, that’s a promotion and with that, you get an NFL salary boost which is even more enticing.
The Jets really like Streveler and he is really only one injury away from a promotion to the 53-man roster. With the current construction of the roster, his upside is limited because the Jets have three passers on the active roster.
Although with Flacco and White set to be unrestricted free agents next offseason, that could be the perfect path for Streveler to rise to QB2 if he sticks around on the Jets.