Jets news: Josh McCown has no guarantees he'll be starting QB in Week 1

The New York Jets have made some interesting moves as of late, and there could be more to come. Veteran quarterback Josh McCown was expected to be the starter regardless of these moves, but now that might not be the case.

After striking out on the Kirk Cousins sweepstakes, the New York Jets quickly followed through with their contingency plan by bringing in former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and re-signing Josh McCown. The Jets also wasted no time in naming McCown as the starter going into training camp.

However, that ruling does not account for who will be under center come Week 1 of the 2018 NFL season. According to Calvin Watkins of Newsday, head coach Todd Bowles insists that every position will be up for grabs this offseason:

“Josh will go into it as the starter, and by the end of training camp, we’ll see who the starter is,” Bowles said. “It’s competition at every position, even with the two young safeties. Whether it’s Leonard Williams or anybody else, everybody has competition going in. If they’re not performing well enough, they won’t be the starter at the end of August, and that goes for every position. So that’s never changed since I’ve been here.”

The decision to roll with McCown should come as no surprise after serving as the starter for the majority of the 2017 NFL season. The veteran did a solid job under center and even took home Player of the Week honors in Week 13. Furthermore, his familiarity with the system will undoubtedly give him an edge, to begin with.

As a result, it seems Bridgewater will have to battle it out with McCown for the starting position. Although New York was adamant in their pursuit of his services, they still want confirmation that he is every bit the promising gunslinger he was a few years ago.

Meanwhile, the Jets also recently traded a bevy of picks to the Indianapolis Colts in order to move up to the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. While the team is not in any position where they need to start their future pick right away, there is no doubt that he will compete to become the starter eventually.