The Jets hope Hackenberg will beat out Josh McCown and Bryce Petty (shoulder) in a competition for the starting job, Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News reports.
Hackenberg will still have to earn the job with his performance in training camp and the preseason, but it does make sense that a rebuilding team would be rooting for its 22-year-old quarterback to beat out the 25-year-old Petty and 37-year-old McCown. Also working in Hackenberg's favor is the fact he was selected in the second round of last year's draft, whereas Petty was a fourth-round selection in 2015 and McCown was signed to a modest one-year contract. Given the general direction of the organization, Hackenberg could be the Week 1 starter even if McCown or Petty looks a little bit better during camp. McCown is still the best bet to earn the Week 1 starting job, though he's unlikely to hold it throughout the year.