Sam Darnold - Pro Football Rumors

Jets QB Sam Darnold Won’t Play Vs. Eagles

October 4th, 2019 at 10:22am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets will be without quarterback Sam Darnold for a while longer. They were hoping for him to be cleared in time for this week’s game against the Eagles, but head coach Adam Gase says he won’t be able to play.

Darnold has been out with mono, which has badly affected his energy and potentially would put his spleen in jeopardy if he were to take the field. In the meantime, the Jets have turned to Luke Falk, a young and inexperienced QB. His last start dropped the Jets to 0-3, though that’s not necessarily his fault – there are problems abound in New York.

Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick in 2018, went 4-9 as a starter last year. He completed 57.7% of his throws in the Jets’ rocky offense and, so far, has only played in one game this season. In that losing effort against the Bills, he completed 28 of 41 passes for 175 yards with one touchdown.

QB Notes: Darnold, Allen, Bears, Colts

September 30th, 2019 at 3:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Previously targeting Week 5 for his return from mononucleosis, Sam Darnold did not hit a key checkpoint Monday. Doctors did not clear the Jets quarterback for full work Monday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes. This scuttles some momentum for a Darnold return against the Eagles. Adam Gase said Darnold remains a “question mark” as to his Week 5 availability. While Cimini adds the second-year passer received partial clearance and can begin doing some non-contact work, he points out Gase did not sound optimistic about having Darnold back for the Jets’ next game. This points to Luke Falk receiving another start, with recently promoted backup Mike White being the Jets’ QB2 against the Eagles. Falk completed 12 of 22 passes for 98 yards and an interception against the Patriots.

Here is the latest from some quarterback situations around the league:

The Bears have yet to announce anything on Mitch Trubisky‘s injury, but Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets the team may be without its starting passer for a bit. Trubisky’s MRI revealed a dislocated left shoulder and a slight labrum tear, per Schefter, who adds the third-year QB is unlikely to face the Raiders in London. Trubisky is not expected to need surgery. Chase Daniel has proven to be a capable fill-in, having piloted the Bears to two wins in relief of Trubisky in the past two seasons. Trubisky missed two games with a right shoulder malady last season.
As expected, Josh Allen is going through the Bills‘ concussion protocol. Sean McDermott said backup Matt Barkley will prepare this week like he will start against the Titans. With the Bills having a Week 6 bye, it would make sense if the improving team held its starter out this week.
Chad Kelly made his way back to the Colts after initially being waived. Now on Indianapolis’ practice squad, the 2017 Mr. Irrelevant will still make a fair amount of cash in his third NFL season. Kelly will earn $33K per week, Mike Chappell of CBS4 tweets. That comes out to around $570K for the season. The NFL’s practice squad minimum is $8K weekly. Kelly is back on the developmental track, serving as the Colts’ de facto third-string quarterback behind Jacoby Brissett and Brian Hoyer.

Jets’ Sam Darnold To Return Week 5?

September 23rd, 2019 at 4:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Jets quarterback Sam Darnold is “trending in the direction” to return to the field in Week 5, head coach Adam Gase announced. The only question, perhaps, is whether the Jets’ season will still be salvageable by the time he recovers from his bout of mono.

The Jets, now 0-3, will have a bye week before taking on the Eagles, who are presently 1-2, in Week 5. For now, Luke Falk will run the offense in practice.

The Jets were, predictably, outclassed by the Patriots on Sunday. Still, Gase did not place the blame on the shoulders of Falk, so he’s a good bet to stay on the roster, even if Darnold is strong enough to lift a pencil or football.

Jets’ Sam Darnold Eyeing Week 5 Return

September 17th, 2019 at 5:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Jets quarterback Sam Darnold is eyeing a Week 5 return against the Eagles, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. Darnold, of course, missed last week’s contest with mono and is still feeling sluggish as he recovers. In a few weeks, doctors say he’ll be ready to take the field again.

The Jets’ QB situation went from bad to worse on Monday night after Trevor Siemian‘s ankle folded like a Slinky. Siemian is out for the year, leaving young Luke Falk as the club’s de factor starter.

Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft, showed flashes of promise last year, though he finished out with only 17 touchdowns against 15 interceptions in 13 games. This year, the Jets were excited to see what he could do, but all they’ve seen so far was his start in a losing effort against the Bills.

At minimum, the Jets will be without the USC product for their contest against the Patriots on Sept. 22. On Oct. 6, after their early bye, they might just have Darnold back in action.

Sam Darnold Hopes To Return After Week 4

September 15th, 2019 at 6:41pm CST by cwcrouse

The Jets may not be without Sam Darnold for as long as initially expected. FOX’s Jay Glazer (Twitter link) caught up with Darnold and the QB told Glazer that he was feeling much better. Darnold, who was diagnosed with mono, said that he hopes the doctor allows him to re-join the team sometime this week.

Darnold’s been told it should take him 21 days to completely recover and with that timeline, the former No. 3 overall pick expects to return to Jets’ starting lineup after the team’s Week 4 bye.

It’s worth noting that previous reports have pegged this timeline as optimistic, instead, presenting Week 9 as a viable return date. However, hearing from Darnold (through Glazer) is encouraging.

The Jets have been uploading information and sending it to Darnold in hopes that he stays mentally sharp and up-to-date with the playbook. Yet, without game reps in Adam Gase’s offense, Darnold will certainly face an uphill battle in getting back up to speed once he returns.

Backup QB Trevor Siemian will start Monday’s game against the Browns and likely Week 3 vs. the Patriots.

Latest On Sam Darnold

September 15th, 2019 at 11:03am CST by Rory Parks

We heard yesterday that Jets QB Sam Darnold, who is suffering from mono, could be back on the field for Week 5, after the team’s Week 4 bye. However, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network hears that may be an overly optimistic prognosis, as his sources tell him Darnold could miss three to seven weeks (video link). Of course, if Darnold returns on the earlier end of that timeline, Week 5 would still be in play, but it sounds as if there’s a real chance the second-year signal-caller could be sidelined until Week 9.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports adds that there is no definitive date for Darnold’s return and that the Jets could be rolling with backup Trevor Siemian “well into October.” Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com also weighed in on the matter, observing that while Darnold remains quarantined, he is already feeling better (Twitter link). The team has not ruled out a Week 5 return, and Darnold will have more scans next week to monitor his spleen.

After dropping a Week 1 heartbreaker to the Bills, the Jets’ 2019 outlook is already grim. Though Gang Green was not necessarily viewed as a playoff contender this year, the team entered the offseason with high hopes given the promise Darnold showed in his rookie season and given the addition of several high-profile free agents and No. 3 overall pick Quinnen Williams. But in addition to Darnold, Williams and new LB C.J. Mosley have already been ruled out of Monday’s game against Cleveland, and new RB Le’Veon Bell is questionable. Plus, the more time Darnold misses, the longer it will take for him to master HC Adam Gase‘s offensive scheme.

Mortensen says the Jets are uploading daily practice installs for Darnold so that he can stay mentally sharp, and he is already studying future opposing defenses, but there is not substitute for regular season action (Twitter link).

Jets Notes: Darnold, Mosley, Bell

September 14th, 2019 at 9:00pm CST by cwcrouse

Sam Darnold will miss this Sunday’s contest against the Browns after being diagnosed with mononucleosis and the quarterback could miss extended time, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com relays. The risk of contagion is high with the infection and the Jets have quarantined Darnold so that he would not spread it to any of his teammates.

Trevor Siemian, who signed with the Jets this offseason, will start in Darnold’s place. Siemian is 13-11 as a starter, all of which from his time with the Broncos.

It’s unclear how many games Darnold will miss, though with New York’s bye coming in week 4, it would be surprised if we saw him on the field before then.

Here’s more from New York:

Brian Costello of the New York Post hears from a former NFL team physician that Darnold could miss four-to-six weeks with the ailment. “With this diagnosis of mono, an injured-reserve stint is not off the table,” Dr. David Chao said. “I’m not saying he’s going on injured reserve but this starts at four to six weeks. Any four-to-six-week injury puts IR in the conversation.”
LB C.J. Mosley and DL Quinnen Williams did not practice this week and are officially out for Monday’s game against Cleveland, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets. Mosley is dealing with a groin injury while Williams has a bad ankle.
Le’Veon Bell is dealing with an injured shoulder and is officially questionable for Monday’s game, per the team’s Twitter feed. New addition Demaryius Thomas is also among the players who may not play in the game.

Jets’ Sam Darnold Won’t Play Vs. Browns

September 12th, 2019 at 11:30am CST by Zachary Links

When the Jets take on the Browns on Monday night, they’ll be without starting quarterback Sam Darnold. Darnold will be held out as he recovers from mononucleosis, head coach Adam Gase announced.

Darnold was held out of Wednesday’s practice this week with an undisclosed and previously undiagnosed illness. The illness was a bit more serious than first thought and, according to Gase, Darnold has lost a significant amount of weight as a result. It’s possible that Darnold will miss additional time, but the team should have a better read on his condition next week.

Without Darnold, the Jets will turn to Trevor Siemian as their Week 2 starter. To back him up, the club has promoted QB Luke Falk from the practice squad.

Siemian, 27, fared reasonably well as the 2016 Broncos’ starter, leading the team to a 9-7 record and throwing 18 touchdown passes against ten interceptions. In 2017, he rated as one of the NFL’s worst quarterbacks, prompting the Broncos to change course. The Jets inked him to a one-year deal this offseason to serve as Darnold’s safety net and he’ll be thrust into action as the club looks to reach .500.

One Team Was Interested In Recently Retired Josh McCown

June 23rd, 2019 at 9:55am CST by Micah Powell

Earlier this week, longtime quarterback Josh McCown called it quits on a 17-year career. He had the opportunity to push it another year, ESPN’s Rich Cimini writes.

McCown, 39, who became a free agent this offseason, had at least one team interested in bringing in the veteran QB as recently as two weeks ago. The journeyman signal-caller decided to retire instead of take that offer.

It’s safe to assume that team would have pursued McCown as a mentor to a young quarterback, similar to the situation he was in with the Jets in 2018 as a de facto coach to first-round pick Sam Darnold.

Cimini also asked McCown about what Darnold could improve upon entering his second season. McCown responded with, “Playing fast and smart on early downs.” That criticism was dead on from the veteran, as Darnold performed better on third downs than he did on first and second downs as a rookie in 2018.

“He needs to know when to cut bait on a play and when to rip it,” McCown said. “That will be more fine-tuned this year because I know Adam [Gase] will help with that. That will be the biggest jump for him. If he can eliminate five or six incompletions per game, it’ll be a major improvement.”

As Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes, McCown has accepted a position as an NFL analyst for ESPN.

Jets Notes: Douglas, Powell, Darnold

June 8th, 2019 at 12:41pm CST by Ben Levine

We learned earlier today that NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah wouldn’t be joining Joe Douglas‘s staff in New York, but the Jets’ new GM could look to another TV analyst. ESPN’s Todd McShay told ESPN’s Rich Cimini that he’s under consideration for a front office role (Twitter link).

“Joe is considering multiple options and I’m one of the options,” McShay said.

The two go far back, as Douglas and McShay were teammates at the University of Richmond. The ESPN draft analyst is expected to meet with the general manager later this week.

Let’s check out some more notes coming out of New York…

Count Sam Darnold among those who are excited to have Bilal Powell back in green. The Jets announced yesterday that they re-signed the veteran running back to a one-year deal. “Great to have BP back,” Darnold told Cimini (Twitter link). “Can’t wait to get to work with him. I haven’t seen him in a while, so it’s going to be nice to just be able to see him. BP is a great guy and obviously a great player, so it’s great to have him back.” Cleared from a scary neck injury that was believed at one point to be a career-threatening malady, Powell will now be preparing for his ninth season in New York. The 30-year-old finished the 2018 season with 11 receptions for 110 yards and one touchdown in seven games (seven starts). He also added 343 rushing yards on 80 carries.
Darnold was also optimistic about the team’s hiring of Douglas. “I know that he’s done great things with the Eagles,” Darnold told Cimini (Twitter link). “Every other place he’s been, he’s done a great job, as well. Looking forward to working with him and seeing what he can do for our team.” It’s worth noting that Darnold and Douglas are both represented by agent Jimmy Sexton (along with head coach Adam Gase).
Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman released a statement regarding the hiring of the Eagles’ former vice president of player personnel. “We want to thank Joe Douglas for his contributions to our organization,” Roseman said. “We will miss Joe personally and professionally…He’s a tireless worker who played an integral role in helping to construct our Super Bowl-winning roster. He deserves this opportunity and the Jets are lucky to have him as their GM just like we were to have him in Philadelphia.”
It sounds like Gase will already have a task for Douglas. The head coach told Brian Costello of the New York Post that the team is thin at cornerback. “I think we’re thin at more than just corner,” Gase said. “There’s some other spots where if we have some injuries, it could be an issue. That’s why we have to keep finding ways to create competition.” Trumaine Johnson, Darryl Roberts and Brian Poole are currently slotted in as the team’s starting cornerbacks.
Either way, Gase is confident that the organization can find another defensive back as other teams begin trimming their rosters. “You kind of get in the middle of June and all of a sudden some guys get cut free due to salary issues, you get the waiver wire, you’ll just always comb that thing, see if you can create competition whether it’s a corner or at any other position,” Gase said. “That’s why the pro department’s got to do a great job going through, you know, when we get closer to those cuts and training camp, of just keeping their eyes open, and then you always have to be alert for if any trades pop up. I mean, you just never know the amount of phone calls that go in and out between organizations. It’s a lot more than what people realize sometimes, and we just have to be ready to be aggressive if we need to be.”