2020 New York Jets Position Preview: Quarterback

Jets Wire breaks down New York’s quarterback room with training camp and the 2020 season approaching.

With the beginning of training camp less than two weeks away, it’s time to take a closer look at the makeup of the Jets’ roster entering the 2020 season.

Gang Green’s 2019 campaign essentially went off the rails when QB Sam Darnold contracted mononucleosis. Backups Trevor Siemian and Luke Falk were thrown into the fire, effectively exposing the Jets’ lack of depth under center.

As training camp and the beginning of the regular season inch closer, Jets Wire will be providing an in-depth look at each of New York’s position groups and what could be in store for the unit in 2020. Let’s kick things off with a breakdown of the gunslinger situation at One Jets Drive.

The Starter

Thanks to the upgrades the Jets made to their offensive line this offseason and a couple of new additions at wide receiver, 2020 could be the year Sam Darnold finally comes into his own as New York’s starting quarterback.

Insufficient pass protection and an underwhelming group of wide receivers plagued Darnold’s first two seasons as a starter in the NFL. Fortunately for Darnold and the Jets, general manager Joe Douglas did his best to rebuild the offensive line and give Darnold two new viable weapons in speedster Breshad Perriman and rookie Denzel Mims.

New York will go as Darnold goes in 2020. If the third-year signal-caller plays well, the Jets will be in the hunt for a wild card spot and maybe even the AFC East title. If not, it will be back to the drawing board at season’s end.

Depth

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If Darnold succumbs to injury or illness in 2020, the Jets will not be left out in the cold as they were last season thanks to an improved quarterback room.

Veteran Joe Flacco is in as New York’s No. 2 quarterback. He won’t be ready for Week 1 due to offseason neck surgery, but the former Super Bowl MVP gives the Jets a reliable backup once he is 100 percent healthy and a potentially valuable mentor for Darnold.

Behind Flacco are David Fales, rookie James Morgan and Mike White. Fales is familiar with Adam Gase’s offense, but the Jets drafted Morgan for a reason. The 29-year-old Fales is all but a lock to break camp with the team while Morgan marinates on the sideline, but once Flacco returns to the field, Fales’ time in New York will likely end. White is nothing more than a training camp body and is not a serious threat to make Gang Green’s 53-man roster.

Outlook

Darnold is potentially in store for a breakout 2020 season. He will finally be able to stand in the pocket and go through his reads playing behind a decent enough offensive line and has an assortment of weapons to work with in a solid wide receiver trio, the two-headed monster of Ryan Griffin and Chris Herndon at tight end, and Le’Veon Bell out of the backfield.

With that being said, the Jets need those hopes to come to fruition if they want to contend this upcoming season. Darnold does not have to magically develop into a worldbeater, but he has to play well enough to convert close losses into wins. If that does not happen, 2020 stands to be another disappointing year — and one that could force the Jets to reconsider Darnold’s future in the Big Apple.