The New York Jets have traded quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to the New Orleans Saints. As a result, this has cleared the way for rookie quarterback Sam Darnold to start in the Jets' Week 1 tilt versus the Detroit Lions.
There had been plenty of speculation regarding what New York planned to do with Darnold. However, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Bridgewater's trade means Darnold will start right away:
Trade of Teddy Bridgewater to the Saints is expected to involve draft picks. And with Bridgewater headed to Saints, Sam Darnold now looks to be Jets opening-night starter.
It goes without saying that the Jets had a surplus of talent under center this offseason. They managed to keep quarterback Josh McCown around after proving himself as a viable option during the 2017 campaign. Meanwhile, Bridgewater and Darnold have shown why they are both ready to lead an offense of their own. The latter was the obvious choice given that New York invested the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft on him. Fortunately, the Jets are still going to get a nice return for Bridgewater.
Darnold was pegged as the most naturally gifted of all the quarterbacks in his draft class. However, concerns about his small sample size in college led many to believe that he was not exactly NFL-ready.
Needless to say, the consensus has quickly changed after watching him in the preseason. It seems Darnold's progress has become even more evident to the coaching staff. This may be why the Jets finally felt comfortable enough to part ways with Bridgewater heading into this week's preseason finale.
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