How does Sam Darnold fit into Jets depth chart?

The New York Jets selected quarterback Sam Darnold with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. As of right now, he’s going to likely be their third-string quarterback heading into next season.

When the New York Jets selected quarterback Sam Darnold with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, it was a decision that delighted fans like there was no tomorrow. Very few predicted that Darnold would even be available when the Jets were on the clock but he was and well, it was a no-brainer of a decision for general manager Mike Maccagnan.

Drafting Darnold finally gives the Jets a quarterback that can be developed, coached, and trained for a very bright future. Best of all, they have a great situation currently at quarterback in that they don’t have to rush Darnold at all as he transitions into the pros. At this point in time, where does Darnold fit into the current depth chart?

As of right now, the Jets have Josh McCown, Teddy Bridgewater, Bryce Petty, Christian Hackenberg, and Darnold. It’s expected that at some point in time this offseason, the Jets will likely part ways with at least Petty or Hackenberg. It’s just overkill to have five quarterbacks when they should trim the depth chart and go into training camp with McCown, Bridgewater, Darnold, and either Petty or Hackenberg.

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Ideally, expect to see Darnold be the third-string quarterback of the Jets once all is said and done. Both Petty and Hackenberg have been huge disappointments as it would make sense for the Jets to at least release one or both of them to give them an opportunity to sign with another team for a restart.

Perhaps a change of scenery might help out either quarterback but clearly, things just aren’t working out with the Jets. At least with McCown, he’s been a pleasant surprise for the Jets and manages football games extremely well thanks to his experience.

Bridgewater is the ultimate wildcard for the Jets but that might be a reason why they’d keep either Petty or Hackenberg since there is no guarantee he’ll be healthy or good enough to keep once training camp is over.

Going into the regular season, the Jets just need three quarterbacks which would make sense to have it be McCown, Bridgewater, and Darnold. If the Jets feel Hackenberg or Petty are worth giving one more shot and keep all five quarterbacks to compete in training camp, that’s fine. But come regular season time, they have to stop playing these games of keeping quarterbacks that just aren’t worth having on the final roster.

The Jets are likely to keep Hackenberg over Petty at least for training camp purposes since he’s never played a single snap in a regular season game and has a bit of that unknown factor. Petty? He’s a terrible quarterback and has shown the football world more than enough of a sample size to realize he’s not worth keeping around any longer.

Must Read: Grading the Sam Darnold pick in 2018 NFL Draft

Darnold is the future but is a raw prospect that will need at least a year or two in order to get ready for when he begins a new era under center. The Jets shouldn’t rush his development one bit and well, McCown/Bridgewater should be able to hold the fort down until Darnold’s number is eventually called either later this upcoming season or 2019 and beyond.

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