Yes, Jets quarterback Christian Hackenberg has changed his throwing motion. No, his head coach didn’t know it was happening.
“He hasn’t talked to me about it,” coach Todd Bowles said Saturday, via the New York Daily News. “He just worked on it. I’ve learned about it after that fact.”
In an ordinary situation, that would be odd. But with Hackenberg languishing on the bench to the point where some wonder whether he’ll ever play for the Jets or anyone, Hackenberg has every reason to do whatever he has to do to improve, because whatever he’s done to this point isn’t working.
A second-round pick in 2016, Hackenberg has yet to make a regular-season appearance. With four quarterbacks currently on the roster (Hackenberg, Teddy Bridgewater, Josh McCown, Sam Darnold), chances are that either Hackenberg or Bridgewater won’t be when the 2018 regular season begins.
UPDATE 1:11 p.m. ET: The initial version of this article said the Jets didn’t know Hackenberg was changing his motion. Apparently, the Jets did. Bowles didn’t. Which is odd, but which also demonstrates the relative irrelevance of Hackenberg at this point.