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New Jets coach Robert Saleh has praised quarterback Sam Darnold… to a point.
Saleh made a lot of nice statements about Darnold during the coach’s introductory press conference on Thursday, but he stopped before saying Darnold would be the team’s quarterback in 2021.
“He has an incredible talent for the arms,” Saleh said. “There’s a reason he was No. 3 in the draft. He’s fearless in the pocket. He has a natural throwing motion. He is mobile. He’s extremely smart and hard as nails. His reputation in the locker room is indisputable. Just that in general, there’s a reason he was the third pick in the draft and you can see all of those qualities on the board and around the building in the way people talk about him.
The Jets have a major decision to make on Darnold. He’s been a bummer in his first three seasons, but he’s only 23 and a lot of people think he can improve in a better offensive system and with better players around him. Saleh hired Mike LaFleur as his offensive coordinator to implement the attack on Kyle Shanahan, who is friendly with the quarterback.
The Jets have the second overall pick in the draft and may select the second-best quarterback in the draft. The Jaguars are expected to draft Clemson star Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick.
Last week, media and fans alike urged the Jets to explore a trade for disgruntled Texas quarterback Deshaun Watson. Jets general manager Joe Douglas was asked about Watson but couldn’t say anything because of the NFL’s tampering rules.
“I cannot get into discussions about a player who is not on our team,” said Douglas. “As [Saleh] hinted and I’ll say it now, our next step in the process is to get together as a staff, go over all of our team, really understand their perspective while watching the tape and include the point of view of the people who have been here for a few years. It will be a very nice meeting that will lay the foundations for our offseason.
Douglas said the only player conversations he had with Saleh were during the interview process. Saleh focused on training his coaching staff. They can now begin their assessment of not only Darnold, but everyone on the list.
“There are a lot of things we need to do to move forward,” Saleh said when asked if Darnold would be his start at training camp. “We just bring the staff into the building. There is so much we need to do from an evaluation standpoint when it comes to the whole roster, not just the quarterback. Giving you that answer now would not be fair. There is a lot of talk to be had with Joe’s staff and himself. To give you that answer now would be a bit premature. “
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