Sam Darnold ready to step in for Jets
Jets rookie QB Sam Darnold looked solid in his pre-season debut against the Falcons on Aug. 10 at MetLife Stadium. Credit: George A. Faella
He comes off an impressive NFL preseason debut, took plenty of first-team reps in practice during the week and even picked up the endorsement of one of the game’s top cornerbacks.
Yes, it’s all looking so very good for Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold, who takes another important step on Thursday toward potentially becoming the starter sooner rather than later. While coach Todd Bowles wouldn’t say publicly what he had in mind for Darnold for a preseason game against the Redskins at FedEx Field, everything that has happened over the last six days suggests he will get his first chance to start.
That doesn’t guarantee Bowles is about to anoint him as the No. 1 quarterback for the regular season opener, but the way Darnold has carried himself to this point, it would hardly come as a shock if that’s what happens. An expedited timetable would be a welcome development for a team in dire need of a franchise quarterback, and Darnold has done everything so far to check off the boxes required of a starter.
That includes leaving a positive impression on Redskins cornerback Josh Norman during practice this week. Norman has always been one to speak his mind, and he never shies away from criticizing his fellow players. But after one particular play in practice, when Norman tried to bait Darnold into an interception, the cornerback was sold on the 21-year-old quarterback.
“I gave him some cheese,” Norman said of tempting Darnold to throw his way. “He held it, and he was going to throw it, and he pulled it back, and I jumped back real fast and I was like, ‘You little devil. OK, I see you working really good right now.’ I couldn’t bait him like I wanted to, and he saw it, and he read it out, and he read it out like a vet. You tip your hat to a guy like that, learning at an early age when guys are messing with him and when they’re not. It’s pretty awesome.”
Chances are Norman will have something else in mind to fool Darnold in Thursday’s game, and there’s no telling if the No. 3 overall pick will take the bait. But the fact that Norman expressed that kind of admiration this early in the process is yet another tangible piece of evidence that Darnold is developing as quickly as you can expect. Getting a chance to practice with the starters only helps.
“I think working with the first team just gets me more comfortable with those guys and I think they get more comfortable with me and the way I like to play,” Darnold said.
But he knows this is only the beginning.
“There is always a lot to improve on,” he said. “Just continue to do what I’ve been doing and going over my reads and evolving as a quarterback.”
Bowles still has the luxury of time in determining how he’ll deploy his quarterbacks for the regular season, and he’s giving Darnold the kind of opportunity this early the way he did last year with Christian Hackenberg. The Jets wanted to get a more definitive read on the former second-round pick during the preseason, and Hackenberg, and to a lesser extent Bryce Petty, took the Lion’s share of game reps. Bowles saw enough to realize that Hackenberg wasn’t ready, and the quarterback never saw the field in the regular season.
Darnold has seized his opportunity and already showed the kind of poise and game plan understanding that Hackenberg never exhibited. In last Friday’s preseason opener against the Falcons, Darnold was 13-of-18 for 96 yards and a touchdown.
He’d get a much better test if he plays against the Redskins starters, and the Jets will have a better read on just how far along Darnold truly is. But if Norman’s hunch is correct, Darnold won’t be overwhelmed when going against a far more accomplished group than the Falcons backups he faced last week.
“Every single time that I get in there,” Darnold said, “I just look to compete and play my best.”
The Jets will soon find out if his best is good enough.
“I gave him some cheese. He held it, and he was going to throw it, and he pulled it back, and I jumped back real fast and I was like, ‘You little devil. OK, I see you working really good right now.’ I couldn’t bait him like I wanted to, and he saw it, and he read it out, and he read it out like a vet.”
Redskins cornerback Josh Norman said of Darnold
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
