New York Jets: No need to rush Sam Darnold back
There’s no need for the New York Jets to rush Sam Darnold back from a foot injury, as it could hinder his growth of the franchise quarterback.
The last time the New York Jets played a game, Sam Darnold was seen in a walking boot at practice. This week he was seen without the boot, but he didn’t practice and won’t play against the New England Patriots.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com is reporting that he may also miss Week 13 as well. Taking things slowly is the right thing to do. It would be terrible for Darnold to be rushed back and re-injure the foot. However, there’s another reason to keep him out: his development.
This may seem counter-intuitive, because he can’t develop without playing. However, his development could be hampered beyond re-injury and being out longer.
We’ve seen center Spencer Long play injured, and it drastically affected the snaps. For quarterbacks, footwork is key to success. If Darnold were to play injured — or even hurt — it may negatively affect his development by forcing him to develop some bad habits to fight the pain.
Even though it seems like he has fixed the problem that led to fumbles at USC, it would behoove the Jets for him not to develop bad habits. There’s no reason to put him in a situation where they have to fix new bad habits on top of everything else he’s dealing with as a rookie.
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Darnold has made some strides and typical mistakes, but rushing him back might set him back in his development, and there’s no need to take the risk. If he was a veteran, and they were in a playoff push, it would be different. At this point in his career, it’s not worth it. Take it as slow as possible, even if it means being out for the rest of the season.