FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New York Jets’ three-man quarterback competition could last the entire summer.
Coach Todd Bowles said Monday that he hasn’t pinpointed a specific date as to when he will decide between Josh McCown, Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Darnold to be the starter in the regular-season opener Sept. 10 at Detroit.
Bowles added that it’s possible he won’t make a decision until after the fourth preseason game. He could keep the team’s starter under wraps until the night of the game against the Lions.
Usually teams have their starters determined by the third preseason game, when the first-teamers play the bulk of the snaps.
McCown is the incumbent and still is No. 1 on the depth chart. But both Bridgewater and Darnold saw extensive action in practice Monday.
LIONS: Ziggy Ansah is back from the PUP list and has little to say about his contract.
The Lions removed the defensive end from the active/physically unable to perform list, but he didn’t shed much light on how negotiations went with the team. Detroit ended up bringing him back this season on the franchise tag.
“I’m just excited that I get to play here again in Detroit for this year. The future will just take care of itself,” Ansah said. “Right now I’m just focused on this year.”
TOM HECKERT, a former personnel executive for Denver who also served stints as general manager for Cleveland and Philadelphia Eagles, died Sunday night following a long illness. He was 51.
Heckert stepped away from the Broncos following last season after being diagnosed in recent years with amyloidosis, a rare disease that causes a buildup of amyloid proteins in the heart, kidney, liver and other organs.
Heckert spent 27 years in the NFL, including the last five in the Broncos’ personnel department. He was the team’s director of pro personnel from 2013-16 before becoming senior personnel adviser in 2017.
SEAHAWKS: Germain Ifedi was back with the first unit in training camp, two days after Coach Pete Carroll yanked the starting right tackle from the lineup during a scrimmage.
The embattled offensive lineman is hoping to keep his starting spot but didn’t help his cause in Saturday’s scrimmage when he was flagged for a false start and a holding penalty.
Penalties plagued Ifedi last season when he was flagged 20 times, the most penalties for any player in the NFL. New offensive line coach Mike Solari had a long conversation with Ifedi on the sideline after he was pulled from the scrimmage.
PACKERS: Left tackle David Bakhtiari avoided a serious injury after being carted off the field at practice during the weekend.
Bakhtiari was hurt during the Family Night practice Saturday at Lambeau Field. He walked to a cart with his left shoe removed before being driven back to the locker room.
Bakhtiari twisted his ankle while retreating in pass protection. He likened it to a “typical basketball” injury.
CARDINALS: Arizona lost starting center A.Q. Shipley for the season with a torn right ACL and will replace him with rookie Mason Cole.
Coach Steve Wilks confirmed the injury, saying the center “heard something pop” in his knee during a goal-line drill in training camp Saturday.
Shipley, a six-year NFL veteran, started all 16 games each of the past two seasons, the only member of the Cardinals’ offensive line to play every game either year. Wilks called him “a tremendous leader and hard worker.”
BILLS: General Manager Brandon Beane described the trade to acquire receiver Corey Coleman from Cleveland as a low-risk gamble in a bid to address an unsettled position.
Beane said he’s aware of Coleman’s struggles during his two seasons in Cleveland and hopes the former first-round draft pick takes advantage of a fresh start in Buffalo. Beane spoke less than 12 hours after Buffalo gave up a seventh round-pick in the 2020 draft to acquire the speedy but injury-prone receiver.
Coleman must still pass a physical. He’s expected to make his practice debut Tuesday, though it’s uncertain whether he’ll play in Buffalo’s preseason opener Thursday night against Carolina.
FALCONS: Atlanta agreed to a three-year contract extension with safety Ricardo Allen, who could have become an unrestricted free agent in 2019.
Allen has a combined six interceptions the last three seasons. He had 54 tackles and one interception last season.
GM Thomas Dimitroff has promised to reach extensions with key starters before they can become free agents.
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