While other rookie quarterbacks Baker Mayfield, Josh Rosen, and Lamar Jackson will sit week 1, Sam Darnold has been given the nod to start in his first NFL game against the Detroit Lions. Despite missing the first 3 days of training camp, Darnold quickly caught up with the offense and finished with the most first team reps of all quarterbacks on the roster. In preseason, Darnold went 29-for-45 with 244 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He stayed poised in the pocket and was able to offset mediocre offensive line performance with his ability to make plays off-schedule. Clearly, there is much optimism in New York surrounding the rookie quarterback.
In fact, earlier this week the Jets traded quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to the New Orleans Saints. The former Pro-Bowl player showed promise in the preseason with his 104.7 QBR rating. The excellent performance by Bridgewater should only indicate fans that the Jets are extremely confident in Darnold’s ability. By trading away the qualified Teddy Bridgewater, the Jets are putting all their eggs into the Sam Darnold basket.
Sam Darnold scrambles for the first down on 3rd & 13
Darnold shined most in the preseason game against the New York Giants. Playing the entire first half with the starting team, Darnold led two touchdown drives. “I’ve seen Sam perform tonight better than I’ve seen any rookies that I can remember, really,” said Hall of Fame inductee Joe Namath, who won Super Bowl III with the Jets in 1968.
As the highest quarterback selected in the NFL Draft by the Jets since Joe Namath in 1965, the pressure is on for Sam Darnold. He holds the potential to become the franchise quarterback, but expectations should be tampered. Facing NFL defenses for the first time, Darnold will certainly make mistakes – his reaction to these mistakes will be what define his outlined potential. For instance, Peyton Manning threw a league high 28 interceptions in his rookie season with the Indianapolis Colts, but went on to have a legendary career by learning from his mistakes. It will be exciting to watch the Jets’ rookie compete in his first year, but his performance in the second year may be more crucial in his journey.
For the first time since Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez lead the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championships in 2009 and 2010, the Jets finally have hope for the future. Trading up for Sam Darnold with the #3 pick will forever define the current Todd Bowles era in New York. Do the Jets finally have their answer at quarterback?
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