Since the New York Jets made the selection of former USC standout quarterback Sam Darnold with the third overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, there has been a spotlight on their situation under center.
The Jets have repeatedly made it clear that it will be an open competition that will see Darnold get a fair shot to earn the starting job outright prior to the start of the 2018 regular season. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, head coach Todd Bowles is hoping to keep his choice close to the vest with it being revealed once his team takes the field in Week 1.
“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], some time that week I’ll make my decision and go from there.”
Pressed for more on that point, Bowles said this: “I’m not pinpointing any decision [when] the guy runs out on the field [Monday night] in Week One, you’ll see who the starter is.”
This only further signifies that the starting spot is wide open with training camp and the preseason being the determining factor of who will get the first crack at it between Darnold, Josh McCown, and Teddy Bridgewater. It is a level playing field between all three with the opportunity to snag the role over the coming weeks.
At the same time, it is going to be quite a difficult task of keeping it a secret until Week 1 given the amount of reporting around the team. There will be much scrutiny on how the team manages the situation over the next few weeks that should give off an inkling of who is the leading candidate while the performance on the field in the preseason may also be a strong indicator.
Ultimately, this entire process will be watched upon closely leading up to Week 1 of the regular season with what could be a highly pivotal move that may have a large impact in how the season plays out.
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