Jets QB Sam Darnold working hard to master new offense

The New York Jets will have a brand new offense in 2019, and second-year quarterback Sam Darnold is putting in the work to master it from every angle.

Dating back to his time at USC, New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold is no stranger to learning a new offense. He’s already dealt with multiple coaching changes in his young football career, and he’s working through the latest one as he prepares for his second NFL season.

The Jets have a new head coach in Adam Gase, and he brings a new scheme that will look to attack opposing defenses early and often, maximizing the many dynamic playmakers at its disposal.

For Darnold, his offseason has been spent trying to master the ins and outs of this new offense, so that he’s ready to lead the unit at full speed once the season begins this fall:

Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains says that’s exactly what Darnold needs to do if he wants to maximize his potential in Year 2 (via team senior reporter Eric Allen):

Just mastering the offense and making sure that as he calls plays, a picture pops in his head, so he can start thinking about the defense, is really the next step of what he has to do to get better.

I think it helps Sam a lot, just seeing all of the different looks and he has so many different, multiple personnel groupings that you know. You’re seeing different fronts, different coverages, especially in the third-down stuff. He’s going to accumulate and stack reps of odd floater, overload pressures and trap blitzes and all of those things he’s going to get to see. It’s going to be tremendous value as the season goes on and it’s stuff that he can put away in his toolbox and it’s going to come up in week six, seven, eight, and he’s getting a lot of good experience from that stuff.

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, Darnold showed flashes of brilliance as a rookie, and he should continue to grow into the true franchise quarterback the Jets have lacked for years. He’ll be aided by an offense loaded with talent, led by free-agent addition Le’Veon Bell in the backfield, a young, explosive corps of receivers, and an improved offensive line.

Learning yet another new offense will certainly be a challenge for Darnold, but he’s already proven he can navigate that landscape with success at every level. This year should be no different, and the Jets offense should make huge improvements as the 2019 season rolls along.

What are your expectations for Darnold and the Jets offense this season? How long will this transition to a new scheme take before Jets fans see sustained success? Give us your take in the comment section!