The Jets could actually learn something from the Browns’ quarterback situation

There aren’t many opportunities in this life to point to the 0-9 Cleveland Browns as an example for other teams. But New York Jets, you could learn something from Hue Jackson’s winless squad.

Despite a lost season, the Browns will go into 2017 with an understanding of how their young quarterbacks perform in real-game situations and whether they’ll be successful in the future. The Jets, stubbornly trying to wrench all $12 million out of journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick’s contract, can’t say the same.

Fitzpatrick has been one of the NFL’s worst passers this fall. He leads the league in interceptions (13) and ranks 32nd out of 32 starting quarterbacks in passer rating (67.6). In games where he’s attempted at least 28 passes, the Jets are 2-6 and scoring only 18.6 points per game.

Now, with the veteran hobbled by an MCL sprain and the season all but lost at 3-6, New York has an opportunity to see what it has in the two young quarterbacks it keeps on the roster. Even if rookie Christian Hackenberg is still too raw for game action, second-year passer Bryce Petty deserves an audition for what appears to be an open seat atop the depth chart for 2017.

Petty saw the first regular-season action of his career on Sunday while Fitzpatrick was being fitted for a knee brace and completed a pair of short passes for 19 yards. That performance earned faint praise from head coach Todd Bowles.

“He was OK,” Bowles told reporters after the game. “We put him in there, he did a good job. He didn’t panic, he took his reads, and I think he did a good job.”

But two passes isn’t enough to give any real impression of how Petty will perform as an NFL quarterback. If the Jets want to know what they have in the former Baylor standout, they’ll have to throw him onto the fire and work through his growing pains — just like the Browns are doing with Cody Kessler.

Head coach Hue Jackson announced Kessler would start Week 9’s game against the Cowboys after passing the league’s concussion protocol. He took the reins in a 35-10 defeat despite the presence of Josh McCown, another journeyman quarterback who stood in front of him on the depth chart as the season began.

Jackson took a pragmatic approach to Kessler’s return to the starting lineup, tying it to Cleveland’s future.

“As I am evaluating our team as we continue to move forward, there are a lot of things I want to find out and know,” Jackson said.

”The more I can see guys play, the better decisions I can make as we move forward. It is tough because Josh has done some great work for me and for this team and for our offense. I keep talking about the long-term picture for myself and our organization of knowing and seeing and making sure of where we are. That is really important.”

Kessler hasn’t been great, but he threw for 203 yards and a touchdown without turning the ball over against the NFC’s top team on Sunday. Cleveland has much more pressing issues when it comes to fixing its team, which is why Dan Kadar has the Browns passing over a handful of viable young QBs to select defensive end Myles Garrett in his most recent mock draft.

Granted, the Browns haven’t had much of a choice when it comes to throwing young quarterbacks to the wolves. Cleveland was forced to rotate through six passers in its first seven games thanks to injuries. Kessler only got a chance after Robert Griffin III and McCown got hurt. Fellow rookie Kevin Hogan only saw the field once Kessler was injured and Charlie Whitehurst was signed and released.

But now the Browns have to choose between Kessler and a healthy McCown, and they’re picking a glimpse at the future rather than a slightly better chance to win during a lost season. If New York sticks with Fitzpatrick, especially on a sprained knee, it’s settling for the latter.

What’s even more curious about New York’s commitment to the league’s worst starting quarterback is that its roster is dedicated to developing young passers. The Jets have a unique problem on their depth chart. Before placing Geno Smith on injured reserve, New York carried four quarterbacks on its 53-man roster.

Those are valuable spots that could be served building depth at other positions; 11 different teams across the NFL have only rostered two passers during the regular season. New York is committed to finding the man to lead its offense into the future. It’s just unable to commit to giving him snaps outside the practice field.

The Jets aren’t the only team guilty of trotting a journeyman quarterback onto the field to protect a young starter in a disappointing season — Los Angeles faces a similar predicament. While the Rams have a glimmer of hope in the NFC playoff race, New York’s postseason hopes are so near death its family members have signed a Do Not Resuscitate order.

Bowles seemed to commit to Fitzpatrick in Sunday’s postgame press conference. He told reporters “Ryan’s our quarterback” before shutting down any question of a QB change with a terse “no” later in the evening.

On Monday, Bowles said Fitzpatrick was “day to day” and confirmed Petty would start if Fitzpatrick couldn’t go.

But making a switch may be the only way to breathe life into a lost 2016 and set up a more prosperous 2017 in East Rutherford. Bryce Petty threw more than 33 passes per game as a starter with Baylor. The Jets can afford to give him more than two with the league’s least-efficient starting quarterback standing in his way.