The Jets have waited a long time for this feeling, to be among the handful of teams with a promising young quarterback on their roster.
Green isn’t just the color of the jerseys the Jets put on, it also appears to be what’s flashing on all the traffic lights that lead them from training camp and into the regular season.
When it comes to Sam Darnold, all lights are indicating green for the number three overall pick to be the starting quarterback for the Jets in September.
Before the champagne starts flowing, with the green and white confetti falling from the sky, let’s all take a deep breath and pump the brakes just a little bit.
One week into training camp, minus the first three days he missed because of a contract holdout, Darnold has indeed shown he’s a quick learner. Poised, intelligent, excellent footwork, and a strong arm. These are all checks in the yes column for the 21-year old from USC.
The reviews of Darnold have been so good, he’s wasted no time winning over his teammates.
“Sam is going to be just fine,” said Teddy Bridgewater, one of the two quarterbacks technically ahead of Darnold on the roster. “He seems like a guy you can’t break. That’s what you want as a quarterback. He’s even-keeled. I just watch him. He makes throws. It’s like, Man, this guy is the real deal.”
Darnold is indeed opening eyes with how quick he’s catching on; those eyes include head coach Todd Bowles. But everyone knows there’s more to it than just what’s happening on the practice fields.
Bowles has four preseason games to help him evaluate if Darnold is indeed ready to leapfrog veterans Bridgewater and Josh McCown on the depth chart.
But if there’s one thing about Bowles all of us should already know it’s that he’ll use every second of those four games to help make his decision.
For Darnold, that evaluation will start this Friday night when the Jets open their preseason schedule against the Atlanta Falcons at MetLife Stadium.
“You got to play preseason games, Bowles said. “I’m not into hypotheticals and nothing that hasn’t happened yet but we are going to let him play, then after the fourth preseason game, sometime that week I’ll make my decision and go from there.”
McCown earned the respect of his coaches and teammates with his performance last season as the starter. Bridgewater is looking to earn back his spot as an NFL starting quarterback after a gruesome knee injury took it away while with the Minnesota Vikings. Darnold is the rookie the Jets moved heaven and earth to position themselves on the board to draft.
Two very capable veteran quarterbacks and a rookie, the team seems eager to give the keys to their future, is a conversation the Jets finally find themselves on right side of the room.
Could it be the team that rolled the dice on Christian Hackenberg, Bryce Petty, Mark Sanchez, and Browning Nagle has finally gotten it right?
It’s still too early to tell if the Jets actually got it right this time. But it sure has to feel good for them to know they can confidently sit in the room and discuss it.