Desperate for quarterbacking depth, the New York Jets are signing veteran David Fales to back up third-stringer-turned-impromptu-starter Luke Falk.
Fales has appeared in three regular-season games with the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins during his five-year NFL career. He was taken in the sixth round by the Bears back in 2014.
He’s completed 31-of-48 passes in his NFL career for 287 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
The 28-year-old has previous experience with Jets head coach Adam Gase — which is believed to be the main reason why he’s joining the Jets before Week 3. The two worked together when Gase was the head coach of the Dolphins with Fales backing up Ryan Tannehill.
Fales worked with the Detroit Lions earlier this summer but was waived in August after some major struggles. He completed just 48.8-percent of his passes (20-of-41) for 310 yards, one score, and one pick.
The Lions opted to go with David Blugh and Jeff Driskel to back up Matthew Stafford instead.
New York’s decision to bring on Fales comes out of necessity.
With Sam Darnold recovering from mono, No. 2 quarterback Trevor Siemian suffered a season-ending ankle injury during Monday night’s 23-3 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
In relief, Falk came in and completed 20-of-25 passes for 198 yards but it did little to put a dent in an overwhelming Browns defense.
Falk and Fales will now have the daunting task of being the Jets’ quarterbacks against the New England Patriots in Week 3. The defending Super Bowl champions are off to a dominant start in 2019, outscoring their opponents 76-3.
The Jets will hope that Sunday will be their last game without Darnold, who believes he can return as early as Week 5 following a much-needed bye week.
