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New York Jets 2018 Preseason Profile: Sam Darnold

By Stephen Smith

SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 21: Sam Darnold #14 of the USC Trojans throws a pass in the first quarter of a game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on October 21, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 21: Sam Darnold #14 of the USC Trojans throws a pass in the first quarter of a game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on October 21, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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The development of rookie quarterback Sam Darnold is the most important scenario for the New York Jets this coming season. Here we take a look at his preseason profile.

The 2018 version of New York Jets Training Camp is underway and all eyes will turn to rookie quarterback Sam Darnold. The third overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, Darnold’s development into a future franchise quarterback is the most important scenario moving forward.

When will he be ready to start under center? What should be expected of him in his rookie campaign? Those questions may not be answered for some time.

Let’s take a look at Darnold’s preseason profile:

2017 Season Recap

The USC product had a little bit of a down year for the Trojans compared to his impressive freshman campaign. Still, with that being said, the 6-4, 220-pounder completed 63 percent of his passes for 4,143 yards and 26 touchdowns for the 11-3 Trojans in 2017. His major issue was turnovers.

Darnold committed 22 of them (13 interceptions, nine fumbles lost). That’s way too many and taking better care of the football must be addressed moving forward. With that being said, many scouts considered Darnold the number one quarterback prospect in this year’s draft.

2018 Training Camp Forecast

The Capistrano Beach, CA native is expected to get every opportunity to win the starting job. After he signs his rookie contract, his competition will be veterans Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater. Darnold needs to show that he has command of the playbook and must impress head coach Todd Bowles with his accuracy and leadership skills.

Can he make difficult NFL throws in tight windows? Can he protect the football better? He needs to work on keeping both hands on the ball when he is in the pocket so he is not stripped easily.

Preseason games will showcase whether he’s made improvement in that area. Can he audible into the correct play at the line of scrimmage? These are all questions that need to be answered by the end of the preseason.

2018 Season Outlook

If Darnold proves that he is ready to be Gang Green’s starting quarterback, then give him the nod and don’t look back. That will be determined by his performance in training camp and the preseason. If he begins the season ranked second or third on the quarterback depth chart, that’s not a problem — for now.

NFL Power Rankings 2018: Start of training camps edition. dark. Next

He’s just 21 years old and his time to command their offense will come soon. General manager Mike Maccagnan has to be correct about Darnold. He must develop into New York’s long-awaited franchise signal-caller, the first one since Joe Namath, to be honest. That was almost 50 years ago.

I expect either McCown or Bridgewater to commence the season as the starter. However, once the Jets are out of playoff contention, then Darnold should take over for good. His development is the most important storyline for the 2018 version of the green and white.

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