On Tuesday, September 22, the New York Jets signed quarterback Will Levis to the practice squad. In a corresponding roster move, they parted ways with veteran passer Bailey Zappe. Why did they do that?
Jets analyst Joe Caporoso speculated that a possible injury to starting QB Geno Smith might have played a role.
“Not using any roster capital on Zappe is good and probably nothing but improved depth but I wonder if Geno is a touch banged up (not to the point of not playing but enough to have them concerned about not having another veteran on hand),” Caporoso posted on X.
“I’m curious if Geno is hurt. There is a play in the first half where he slid on the Green Bay sideline and got hit at the same time. I leaned over to my buddy and said Geno took an awkward slide – they showed it again on the Jumbotron and I said Yep I think he [tweaked] something,” Dom C of Jets X-Factor said.
“During the broadcast it looked like Geno was walking with a limp. They didn’t touch on it but he looked a little off,” a fan responded.
Jets Offensive Line Had a Rough Day at the Office
After not getting sacked a single time in Week 1, Smith was taken down four times against the Packers. The Green Bay defense finished with 10 total quarterback hits.
Smith didn’t miss a snap. He played all four quarters and the overtime possession. However, the former West Virginia product sat out the preseason opener because of a swollen ankle, and the team said they were being cautious.
Every time head coach Aaron Glenn was asked about Smith during the latter stages of training camp, he said no player is ever 100% in this sport, and everyone is always dealing with something.
After missing the preseason opener, Smith looked perfectly fine in the second preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He went right down the field on the one drive he played with no issues.
Does That Explain Everything?
Smith finished with five carries for 17 rushing yards in Week 2. However, on every run, he slid early to avoid contact even when the first-down marker was within reach. A savvy veteran QB move? Or being extra cautious while dealing with some type of injury?
The Jets caught a lot of flak after the game for running from shotgun in short-yardage situations.
“On the issue of whether it was a mistake to use shotgun on 4th-and-1 ([Braelon] Allen stuffed for no gain), some context: Teams have used shotgun on only six of 32 4th-and-1 plays this season (four runs, two passes). Jets are the only team to run the ball twice out of shotgun on 4th-and-1 (they converted in the TEN game). WASH and LV both 1-for-1 on rushes out of shotgun. So a 75% success rate (very small sample size) So what [Frank] Reich did was certainly against the grain, but he probably felt good about the call based on the TEN success,” ESPN’s Rich Cimini explained on social media.
Maybe that’s just a Reich staple in the offense. Or perhaps the Jets didn’t feel comfortable putting their 35-year-old starter in a QB sneak situation where there is a higher likelihood of getting hurt.
At this point, all of this Smith injury talk is reckless speculation. He did bang up his ankle in the preseason, but by all accounts he has been fine through the first two games of the 2026 regular season. This will be something to monitor because the timing of the Levis signing is certainly curious.
Is Levis a better quarterback than Zappe? Unequivocally, but why now? What changed? Why didn’t you sign him ahead of Week 1 when you were playing the Titans? Very interesting.
Jets Sign Young QB Amid New Geno Smith Injury Concerns