2018 NFL Power Rankings: Week 1 has finally arrived
By Dan Parzych
31. New York Jets (31)
Keeping things going in the AFC East, the New York Jets are another team with a quarterback in Sam Darnold looking to prove himself, although there situation is the complete opposite of what the Dolphins are going through with Tannehill. After years of going with short-term answers at quarterback with players like Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh McCown, the Jets seem to have finally found a quarterback to build the franchise around in Darnold after landing the former USC star in this year’s draft.
Originally, New York seemed to be leaning towards the direction of having the rookie quarterback learn from the sidelines during his first NFL while going with McCown or Teddy Bridgewater under center in 2018. Instead, Darnold showed enough progress during the preseason to prove to the Jets that he’s ready to go right away, and even if he experiences some growing pains over the next few months like most rookies, this will all be worth it in the long run.
Most rookie quarterbacks that end up playing right away see the early experience payoff in a big way, and there’s every reason to believe the same will happen with Darnold. Now that New York finally seems to have their new franchise quarterback, it’s up to the Jets to build the necessary offense around Darnold moving forward.