By Jordan Long
The New York Jets hired Robert Saleh as their new Head Coach. He served as the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. Saleh is hoping to help the Jets make the postseason for the first time since 2010.
Saleh knows to advance to the postseason, the quarterback is one of the most important positions. The Jets have a young quarterback in Sam Darnold. They may engage in trade talks to land DeShaun Watson. If they can’t land Watson, Darnold is their quarterback moving forward.
According to NBCsports.com, Saleh said, “ He is an unbelievable talent. There’s a reason why he was the third overall pick. Just watch the tape. Production aside, just watch the player. He’s got tremendous mobility. He’s got arm talent, fearless, smart, and he’s a quick, precise decision-maker. He’s loved in the locker room, and people adore him around this building.”
The Jets have struggled with Darnold. His record is an unimpressive 13-25, not a record a starting quarterback in the league wants to have. A quarterback needs to help his team win. Darnold has yet to do that. The Jets won 7 games with him as the starter in 2019. Things were looking up but he took a step back and they won just 2 games last year.
The offense has shown glimpses of optimism with him under center. He has found the open receivers for first downs or longer. In his career, Darnold has tossed for 8,097 yards and 45 touchdowns. This season he had a career low 2,208 passing yards and 9 touchdowns.
His problem is reading defenses. He has thrown 39 interceptions in his career. Those picks might not be all his fault. The Jets offensive line hasn’t been able to protect Darnold and he throws the ball sooner than he wants to. The Jets offensive line allowed 98 sacks on him, far too many. Those hits have also cost Darnold 11 fumbles.
The Jets know he can improve his game in the right system. New York’s new offensive coordinator will be Mike LaFleur. He will use a play action type of offense. It might create time for Darnold, assuming he is the quarterback next year, to find his open receiver. The plays could also leave receivers wide open because it may trick the defense into thinking they are going to run it. This seems better suited for Darnold.
Darnold can still be the quarterback for the New York Jets. He is young at 23 years old. There is still time to grow at the NFL level. They can’t give up on him. Trading for Watson would show they have. Hopefully, Darnold stays to run the new offense which could suit him because he is a mobile quarterback.
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