Sam Darnold will be the New York Jets' starting quarterback for 2020. But will the Jets bring in some competition?
According to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, the Jets have “some level of interest” in Andy Dalton, who was recently released by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cimini notes that it is basically “due diligence” at this point but that New York could be looking to solidify the position, which is shaky in terms of depth.
At the moment, the Jets have David Fales and incoming rookie James Morgan behind Darnold, neither of whom inspires much confidence. At least not yet.
Article Continues BelowWhether or not Dalton would be alright with coming in and backing up Darnold is another story, but Dalton did briefly lose his starting job to Ryan Finley this past season. So perhaps he would be willing to accept that role at this stage.
It's also hard to ignore the possibility of the Jets bringing in Dalton to put some pressure on Darnold, who is entering a pivotal third season and has been very up and down over his first two years in the NFL.
Darnold missed three games due to mono in 2019. During the time he was on the field, he was fairly erratic, throwing for 3,024 yards, 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing 61.9 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 84.3.
Dalton spent the first nine years of his career with the Bengals, making three Pro Bowls. However, he threw just 16 touchdowns and 14 picks this past season in an abysmal 2-14 campaign. Cincinnati then took Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.