FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- When evaluating the New York Jets' quarterback competition, it's important to remember that a new offense is being installed. That tilts the field in favor of the grizzled veteran, Josh McCown, who has experienced just about every style of offense over the course of 14 seasons.

Newbies Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty are at a disadvantage at this early stage because they're learning more than competing. Training camp is when you'd expect them to make their move. For now, anything positive should be considered a bonus.

That explains why the Jets were quite happy with Hackenberg's practice on Tuesday, his best out of the four OTA sessions.

Per the daily quarterback rotation, Hackenberg worked as the No. 2, behind McCown. He nearly threw a pick-six on his first pass in team drills (rookie safety Jamal Adams dropped a wobbly duck), but Hackenberg rallied and made a few throws that highlighted his arm strength. His best pass was a frozen rope to Charone Peake on a deep post route, a well-placed ball that should've been caught. Peake didn't hang on, but it still had to be a confidence-building throw for Hackenberg.

"For it being the fourth practice, he's coming along pretty good," Jets coach Todd Bowles said. "He's getting a grasp of the offense and learning it. With 11 guys out there for the first time, there are going to be mistakes on both sides of the ball, but he's coming along."

We have to be careful not to overanalyze. Remember, it's late May and no one is wearing pads. All we're saying is that Hackenberg took baby steps.

If the season started today, McCown would be the starting quarterback. That's a no-brainer. From a quarterback perspective, the primary objective in the offseason is to get Hackenberg and Petty as many reps as possible. That way, they can feel somewhat comfortable with the offense when they report to training camp in late July. At that point, the next step would be to get them into preseason games.

Really, the Jets are trying to do two things at once: conduct an open competition while developing their two young quarterbacks. Their hope is that the latter will go so well that at least one of them -- presumably Hackenberg -- will be able to push McCown for the starting job.

Chances are, McCown will be the starter when the Jets open the season Sept. 10 at the Buffalo Bills. That probably would upset many fans, who want the future to start now. Hello? The objective is to win games, especially the first one. But if the Jets can go into that game with a viable No. 2 quarterback -- i.e., Hackenberg, coming off a positive preseason -- they'd feel good about the inevitable passing of the baton.