New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles has said on more than one occasion that he has found it difficult to determine who among the trio of Sam Darnold, Teddy Bridgewater, and Josh McCown will be his starting quarterback for Week 1 of the regular season.
Bowles didn’t exactly tip his hand as to who his choice will be after the Jets’ 22-16 preseason loss to the Giants, but he did hint that the decision may no longer be as hard as it once seemed.
“I have a good feeling for where we want to go and what we need to do,” Bowles said per Rich Cimini of ESPN. “We'll sit down and discuss it as a coaching staff and move forward from there.”
Darnold, who seems like the clear frontrunner for the starting job, looked solid as he started his second-straight game. The No. 3 overall pick played with the starters into the third quarter and finished 8 of 16 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. Bowles sounded sufficiently pleased with what he saw from his prized rookie.
“He didn't turn the ball over, and he did everything he was asked to do,” Bowles said.
At this point, it would be quite a surprise if Darnold doesn’t end up starting in Week 1. The rookie hasn’t been overly spectacular in preseason, but he’s shown that he’s more than capable of leading the team competently right away.
While Bowles isn’t quite ready to say it just yet, it’s looking more and more likely that Darnold is the cause of his “good feeling” and that starting the rookie is where they want to go and what they need to do.
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