Sam Darnold #14, New York Jets (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
Sam Darnold is poised to help the New York Jets take a big leap in 2020.
The AFC East is wide open now that Tom Brady has taken his talents to Tampa Bay, leaving a power vacuum atop a division that has been lorded over by the New England Patriots. Most pundits expect the Buffalo Bills to be the team that takes advantage of the new status quo, but the New York Jets shouldn’t be counted out.
One big plus that the Jets have is quarterback Sam Darnold, who has a chance to be the franchise quarterback the organization has been looking for since Joe Namath left in the mid-70s. Let’s take a look at five key reasons why the Jets can win with Darnold this season.
Why the Jets can win with Sam Darnold in 2020
5. Sam Darnold should take a big leap forward this season
Most quarterbacks usually take a huge leap forward between their first and second seasons, but that hasn’t happened for Darnold just yet. A change in systems didn’t help Darnold’s cause, but the larger concern was the fact that Darnold’s 2019 season was disrupted by mono.
Darnold came back after missing three games but it took him a while to find a consistent rhythm. The Jets saw tremendous progress from Darnold in the second half of the season, which could be a sign that the lightbulb is starting to turn on.
Quarterbacks like Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes are among the recent signal-callers to make a huge jump from Year 1 to Year 2. If Darnold can follow that path the Jets will be in fantastic shape.