After Summer of Sam, expect Darnold to be the 1
Reduced to simplest terms, the Jets quarterback competition this summer will be Sam Darnold vs. Sam Darnold.
Forget about Josh McCown vs. Teddy Bridgewater vs. the rookie. Gang Green will give the No. 3 overall pick of the 2018 draft every opportunity to be the Week 1 starter without unnecessarily rushing his development.
One year after the Jets practically begged Christian Hackenberg to win the starting job, they might get their wish with a different young quarterback.
Although general manager Mike Maccagnan and Todd Bowles have taken tempered public stances, folks on One Jets Drive privately believe that if Darnold is who they think he is, then the rookie has a great chance to be QB1 when Gang Green kicks off the season in Detroit on Sept. 10.
Real talk: The Jets are borderline giddy — and relieved — that they might have finally found the right guy. Some people in the building still haven’t wrapped their heads around how Darnold fell to No. 3.
Regardless, this won’t be a redshirt year for the former USC star whether or not he takes the first snap against the Lions. Darnold absolutely will take over at some point in 2018.
The Jets plan isn’t overly complicated. Offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates will gauge how quickly Darnold is processing his playbook. This weekend’s rookie minicamp will be a good introduction. Although it’s silly to make sweeping conclusions when Darnold will be surrounded by many players who won’t actually be in the league this season, Jets brass will get its first real taste of the quarterback’s retention skills in a live setting.
“We’re going to basically expose him to everything,” Maccagnan said on The Rich Eisen Show Wednesday. “We’re going to give him the opportunity to go out there learn and earn the position. Of course, our focus is not necessarily to throw him into the fire until he’s earned it. We’re very excited about him, his upside and potential. He’s going to have every opportunity to go out there and hopefully fulfill every potential we see in him.”
Make no mistake: There won’t actually be a true competition between McCown and Darnold this summer. If there were, the 16-year veteran, who knows Bates’ system inside and out, obviously would win.
No, this summer will be centered on giving Darnold the tools to succeed in this offense. The rookie, in effect, will be competing against himself… and time.
Will he quickly understand and apply the concepts in this scheme? Will he be able to prove to Bowles and Bates that he has a firm enough handle of the playbook to be the starter by the end of the preseason? Will he have earned the job?
If so, the Jets won’t hesitate to give him the keys to the kingdom.
Recent history suggests that Darnold will get plenty of playing time even if he isn’t the Week 1 starter.
Twelve of the 13 quarterbacks taken in the Top 5 in the previous 10 drafts had at least 12 starts as a rookie.
Ten of those 13 signal callers started Week 1. Only Mitchell Trubisky, Blake Bortles and Jared Goff didn’t. Only four of them, however, had a winning record as a rookie (Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Mark Sanchez and Matt Ryan). So, don’t expect miracles from Darnold this season.
A closer look at the six QBs taken with a Top 3 pick in the prior five drafts reveals a rough early ride. None of the six signal callers had a winning record in his first season. In fact, their cumulative record was 23-53 with an 80-70 touchdown-to-interception split.
Maccagnan underscored this week that the organization will keep an open mind with their prized pick, which is smart. The last thing this franchise needs is to needlessly toss Darnold on the field if he’s not ready.
“This time when you’re developing a quarterback is critical,” McCown told me over the weekend. “Everyone’s different with the pace in which they take in information. It’s wise as an organization to understand that.”
McCown, who will be a terrific teacher and teammate to facilitate Darnold’s development, senses what everyone else senses.
Darnold’s time is coming sooner rather than later.