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After missing two games with an injured throwing shoulder, quarterback Sam Darnold will start on Sunday for the New York Jets without a win – their first game with the entire rookie squad.
“I think these guys want to see what it could have been since the start of the year,” coach Adam Gase said on Friday while confirming Darnold is set to face the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium .
Darnold, who suffered an AC joint sprain in Week 4, impressed the coaches this week in training. Gase spoke confidently of Darnold’s arm strength, saying only a setback in Friday’s practice would keep him out of the lineup.
“Which I don’t foresee,” Gase said. “Everything looks good to go.”
Darnold has missed four of the last six games because he made the injury worse in Week 8 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He tried to play the following week against the New England Patriots, but he didn’t feel well and withdrew from practice.
“The way he’s pitching football right now, you can see there’s a big difference in the control, the speed, his change of pace on the pitch,” said Gase. “It looks very different from the last time he tried to try to play in a game.”
Earlier in the week, Darnold said his only concern was how his shoulder would react to contact. After two days of fully participating in the practice, he clearly feels that the shoulder is strong enough to take a blow.
Unlike his previous six starts, Darnold will have his full roster of playmakers. Receivers Breshad Perriman, Jamison Crowder and rookie Denzel Mims, all injured at various times, are in good health. With Joe Flacco at quarterback, the passing game has shown signs of improvement in the past two games.
Now it’s Darnold’s turn. Gase said he was “excited” to see what he looked like. The Jets (0-10) rank last in score and total yards.
This is an important step for Darnold, whose future seems uncertain. The Jets could land the first or second pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, meaning they’ll have a quarterback decision to make. Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is the alleged first choice.
Darnold, the third overall pick in 2018, has struggled this season. He is ranked 30th out of 30 qualified quarterbacks in Total QBR with a career low of 39.5.
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