New York Jets: Sam Darnold looking like a week one starter
After the conclusion of New York Jets OTAs, rookie quarterback Sam Darnold is believed to be a more likely than not week one starter…
The way most NFL rosters are constructed, teams like the New York Jets can afford patience with their young quarterbacks and let them learn from the sideline before being thrown into the fire as starters.
With that said, sometimes there’s no reason to delay the inevitable.
The Jets’ quarterback situation will be under the microscope until the start of the regular season, but it seems as of right now that Darnold has a decent chance of leading the Jets into the fire.
According to MMQB insider Albert Breer, the Jets have been very impressed with Darnold’s digestion of the playbook so far…
"I think if I had to bet on a rookie quarterback starting Week 1 right now, and a lot can happen between now and then, I’d put my money on it being Sam Darnold. The third overall pick has been a quick study through the spring, showing he can absorb and apply the information thrown at him. And the fact that he showed great ability to take hits and compartmentalize mistakes last year at USC mitigates the risk the Jets would take throwing him out there. I’d say there’s a better than 50-50 chance he wins the job outright in camp.Albert Breer, MMQB"
After the draft, the quarterback with the best chance of starting just based on the players he’s competing with seemed to be Josh Allen with the Buffalo Bills, but Darnold would be a close second.
Josh McCown is the perfect mentor and at this point, no one really knows what to expect from Teddy Bridgewater.
With Bridgewater signing a team-friendly deal, perhaps this development can allow the Jets to play Darnold with McCown backing him up, and then trade away Bridgewater to a team that needs a possible starter for the season depending on how he fares in preseason play.
Coming out of USC, it was clear that Darnold was ready for the professional game despite his propensity for turning the ball over.
Darnold’s turnovers were not always a result of poor decision-making, but often the result of him trying to play the role of ‘hero’ in games.
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As was stated throughout the college football season, it was hard to fault Darnold for thinking he gave his team the best chance to win.
One of Darnold’s best qualities at USC was his ability to bounce back from mistakes. That’s obviously one major reason the Jets are going to consider throwing him to the wolves right away. Not only do they really have nothing to lose, but Darnold can handle making mistakes because he learns from them quickly and doesn’t dwell on them.
If Darnold ends up starting week one for the Jets, his ability to bounce back from bad decisions will be a key reason why.