McCown grinding with Darnold right behind

With each practice, 21-yearold Sam Darnold makes the case to be the starting QB for the New York Jets, but 39-year-old Josh McCown is still the No. 1quarterback on the depth chart.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. » Josh McCown is still No. 1 on the New York Jets’ quarterback depth chart. At this point, though, he might as well be No. 100.

With each practice, it appears increasingly likely that rookie Sam Darnold will be the starter when the regular season kicks off in three weeks. Not that McCown has done anything on the field to hurt his chances of retaining the job.

It’s simply amatter of circumstances.

McCown is 39 and been there, done that. Darnold is 21, was the third overall pick in the draft, has immense talent and is considered the future of the franchise— and that future could be now. He has shined in his last several practices andwill likely start Friday night against the Gi- ants in the team’s third preseason game.

“Like I saidthewhole time, obviously, we traded up to (No.) 3 to draft a quarterback to get Sam because there’s a plan in place,” McCown said. “So we understand that.”

That “plan” has been to give Darnold and Teddy Bridgewater the bulk of the work in the preseason and see howthey perform. So far, so good — and that means McCown could slide down the depth chart very soon.

Coach Todd Bowles hasn’t announced a regularseason starter yet, and says he might not do so until af- ter the fourth preseason game. Fromall indications, it’s trending in Darnold’s direction. But McCown isn’t necessarily reading into the fact Darnold is getting the bulk of the first-teamsnaps and that is causing the perception that the rookie will be the starter.