AFC Notes: Jets, Darnold, Bowles, Browns, Kendricks, Texans, Foreman

When the Jets selected Sam Darnold with the number three overall pick, many assumed they would take it slow with the young signal caller. At just 21 years old, he would be one of the youngest quarterbacks ever to start an NFL game. But there are apparently some executives in the team’s front office who think Darnold will be ready to start from the get go, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

“Team decision makers see stardom in the former USC quarterback” Mehta writes, and although the team won’t throw them out there if he’s not ready, “there are smart people in the building who believe that Darnold will prove he belongs under center when the regular season kicks off September 10 in Detroit under the Monday night lights.” Mehta adds that “the summer quarterback competition will be Darnold vs Darnold” and that “the starting gig is there for the taking.” Clearly Josh McCown might not have as big of a lead in the race to be the starter as was previously thought. If Darnold does run away with the job during camp, Teddy Bridgewater would likely be made available in a trade.

Here’s more from the AFC:

• Mehta also notes that Jets GM Mike Maccagnan and coach Todd Bowles should be safe moving forward no matter what the team’s record is in 2018. Mehta writes that the duo were extended “without a 2018 playoff mandate” and to “expect organizational continuity moving forward.”
• Mychal Kendricks signing with the Browns last month “raised eyebrows” because Cleveland was thought to already have a few linebackers “entrenched as starters” writes Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal. Ulrich thinks Kendricks can play all three linebacker spots in Cleveland’s defense so he “should be deemed a threat to all of the returning starters.”
• The Texans expect D’Onta Foreman to be ready for the start of the regular season, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. The second-year player showed flashes as a rookie but his season was cut short by a torn achilles. The Texans seem high on him, and he should play a bigger role as a sophomore.