Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold played well in his preseason debut on Friday night, and afterward Todd Bowles said the race to start Week One is wide open.
Bowles said he’s liking what he’s seeing from Darnold, Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater, and all three of them still have a chance to earn the starting job when the Jets open the season on Monday, September 10, in Detroit.
“We’ll see how the preseason goes,” Bowles said. “Like I said, I’ll make my decision when it happens. I’m not going to jump to any conclusions after one game. I’m going to take my notes and watch practice and compare with the coaches and we’ll come up with a decision. It’s a tough decision. We’ve got three good players and we’re happy to have them.”
Although McCown has been the top quarterback on the depth chart throughout the offseason, it seems likely that if Darnold keeps playing well in the preseason, he’d get the nod. The Jets didn’t draft Darnold third overall to be a backup. Darnold completed 13 of 18 passes for 96 yards, with one touchdown and no turnovers on Friday night.
Bowles has indicated that he’ll wait until the last minute to name a starter, which means Darnold has plenty of time to move from third to first on the depth chart.