Bryce Petty won’t be the only rookie quarterback working with the Jets this offseason.
The team announced Monday that they have signed former University of Miami quarterback Jake Heaps after he tried out for the team during last weekend’s rookie minicamp. Heaps becomes the fifth quarterback on the roster, joining Petty, Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Matt Simms on the roster.
Heaps was a highly rated quarterback coming out of high school, but never found a permanent home in college. He played two years at BYU and spent a year at Kansas when Charlie Weis was coaching the Jayhawks before landing in South Florida. He played in only three games for the Hurricanes in 2014 and completed half of the 12 passes he threw. Fitzpatrick will be rehabbing his broken leg until training camp, which may be why the Jets opted to bring in another quarterback at this point in the offseason.
The Jets also signed fullback J.C. Copeland, who played at LSU before failing to make the Cowboys last summer. He joins Tommy Bohanon as the fullbacks on the Jets roster. The team waived cornerback Greg Henderson and safety Demarkus Perkins to make room for the new arrivals.