Jets teammates gush over Sam Darnold’s potential

As training camp is underway for the New York Jets, a few of Sam Darnold’s teammates are already gushing as to the great hope he brings to the franchise.

Hope is indeed a beautiful thing. As of right now, that is what rookie quarterback Sam Darnold brings to the New York Jets as he begins his rookie season with the team. It’s been decades since the Jets had a quarterback of his caliber being groomed to eventually be the next face of the franchise as he should be everything they’ve been dreaming of and then some.

Of course, a lot of how well Darnold does in the pros will come down to several key people. From veteran quarterback Josh McCown to new offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates, Darnold will have solid mentors helping him every step of the way.

Before he has yet to take a single snap in the pros, Darnold’s potential is already being felt across the locker room. Even his fellow teammates can’t help but get excited that he has the skill-set to be a very good quarterback once he puts everything together.

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In an article written by Steve Serby of the New York Post, here is what Darnold’s teammates said about everything he brings to the table:

Tight end Jordan Leggett: “We’re sitting there in film watching him, and he’ll make this throw on the sideline and you’re like, ‘Are you all watching this?’ It’s insane. … He’s gonna be a really good quarterback.”

Veteran wide receiver Charles Johnson: “Everything just comes natural to him. Like some throws he just makes are just natural. His command, how he controls everything, comes natural. … Once he learns everything like the back of his hand, sky’s the limit.”

In his collegiate career at USC, Darnold totaled 7,229 passing yards, 549 completions, 57 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions. He completed 64.9 percent of his passes which should translate well with the Jets as they surround him with the right supporting cast over the next few years.

At this point in time, McCown is the starting quarterback until he’s dethroned by either Teddy Bridgewater or Darnold in training camp. The truth of the matter is, Darnold will have his work cut out for him if he’s to start the regular season for the Jets and beat out two veteran quarterbacks.

Ideally, the Jets won’t be rushing Darnold or even holding him back as he’ll have every opportunity to win the open quarterback competition in training camp. Reality says, however, McCown will likely start the season for the Jets since he’s coming off the best season of his career and puts them in a position to win football games for now.

Will Darnold see action at some point this upcoming season? It most likely will happen since he’s a very smart quarterback that should be able to get the Jets offensive playbook memorized in no time and start making the case that he’s ready sooner rather than later.

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For now, it’s a great sight to see that for once in training camp, there is a lot more good than bad with the Jets quarterback situation. If Darnold surprises and does extremely well in training camp and preseason action to earn the starting job, that would simply be the icing on the cake to what he ultimately brings to the Jets.