Le’Veon Bell is impressed with how Sam Darnold is operating in training camp compared to last season.
Bell, talking with reporters Wednesday, said he thinks the Jets quarterback is a lot more comfortable in the huddle now than he was in 2019. Bell added that Darnold is holding players more accountable for their actions and has even corrected Adam Gase on a few occasions.
“Like night and day with Sam,” Bell said. “It’s clicking.”
Darnold had his struggles last season, Bell’s first with the Jets. The quarterback wasn’t the best decision-maker, and that led to plenty of turnovers. Darnold threw 13 interceptions in 13 games and lost three fumbles. The lack of playmakers and a poor offensive line certainly didn’t help Darnold, though. The same goes for Bell, who had one of the worst seasons of his career.
In order for Darnold to be better in 2020, Bell is going to have to pick up some slack. He only averaged 3.2 yards per carry last season, which put Darnold and the Jets in a lot of long-yardage situations. Bell also failed to impact the passing game the way he did with the Steelers.
While it is early in training camp, it is encouraging that Bell is seeing differences with Darnold. If both players make vast improvements from 2019, the Jets will be a much more formidable opponent.