It has been 106 days since Sam Darnold shockingly fell to the Jets in the first round of the draft like a gift from the football gods. On Friday, they finally get to unwrap that gift.
Darnold will make his NFL debut against the Falcons in the Jets’ first preseason game of the season at MetLife Stadium. Jets coach Todd Bowles did not say how he will deploy his three quarterbacks in the game, but expect to see plenty of No. 14.
Darnold has taken the majority of the snaps in practice this week as the Jets prepared for the game. The most likely scenario is Josh McCown starts and plays a series, Teddy Bridgewater gets the rest of the first half and then Darnold plays the second half.
“I’m really excited,” Darnold said this week. “This will be the first time that we’re able to get hit. So there’s no security blanket on us, we don’t have those red jerseys out there. So, we’re going to be ready to be able to get rid of the ball as fast as possible but also be able to trust our protection and trust what we’ve been working on for so long now.”
The preseason opener falls exactly one month before the regular-season opener in Detroit on “Monday Night Football.” Who is under center to start that game is still up for grabs. It is clear, though, the Jets are giving Darnold every chance to win the job. It largely will come down to these preseason games. Can Darnold prove to Bowles he can be trusted and should start immediately or will one of the veterans be the safer choice?
In his first week-plus of training camp, Darnold has shown a maturity beyond his age (21) and has made some throws that make you say “wow.” Like all rookies, he also has made some mistakes. But the early returns have been positive. Now, he has to take the next step against an opponent.
“I mean every single day that I step on the field, whether it’s practice or whether it’s a scrimmage or whether it’s a preseason [game], I’m just going to go out and take advantage of every single opportunity that I get,” Darnold said. “If I make a great play, awesome. Move on to the next one. If I make a bad play, it is what it is. Move on to the next one. That’s just kind of the mentality that I’m going to have every single day, whether it’s practice, the scrimmage or a preseason game.”
Darnold said he is not worried about being overwhelmed by the emotions of playing his first NFL game.
“I never really had a problem with that. I don’t think so, but I mean first NFL game, you never know. At the same time I’ve always been able to kind of control those emotions,” Darnold said. “I think I’m just going to go out there and play my game. I think, feeling those emotions is a good thing. Being able to go out there first real NFL game, even though it is preseason. First NFL game, going out there and being really emotional is something I’m looking forward to.”
While the quarterback competition will be the main event, there are plenty of other positional battles to keep an eye on. Wide receiver, tight end and outside linebacker all have some interesting competitions going. Bowles said he will be paying close attention to the position groups that will bring the Jets tough decisions in a few weeks.
“That’s why these games are important because [the competitions are] so close,” Bowles said. “Obviously, we want to see them against different people and different schemes, and going into Friday night will be the start of evaluating these guys fully that are very close and it’s going to be nip tuck. The better your team gets, the harder the decision gets to cutting anybody. So, it’s going to be key these next couple games.”
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