Sam Darnold’s tenure with the Jets did not result in too many smiles or memorable moments, but New York’s former quarterback can reflect on his stint with the team with a sense of humor.
Now with the Panthers, Darnold fielded questions Thursday after Carolina’s joint practice with the Ravens. When asked if he needed to take a hit or two in preseason play to get back into the swing of game action, Darnold responded with a crack referring to his days playing behind the Jets’ offensive line.
“Obviously, I have experience with it in the past, ya know, the last few years,” Darnold said.
As the rapper J. Cole once said, “all good jokes contain true [stuff].”
Darnold is not exaggerating his experience playing behind a porous New York offensive line. The USC product was sacked 98 times in just three seasons with the Jets, frequently being flushed out of the pocket at the snap of the ball.
Joe Douglas has upgraded New York’s offensive line since dealing Darnold to the Panthers this past offseason. The Jets moved up nine spots in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft to select Alijah Vera-Tucker, giving Mekhi Becton a promising partner to work with on the left side of the offensive line. Douglas also signed veteran tackle Morgan Moses late in the offseason to start at right tackle, shifting George Fant back to the reserve swing tackle role he played throughout his career with the Seahawks.
Darnold did not have the benefit of playing behind a solid offensive line with the Jets and that largely contributed to his downfall with the organization that drafted him. Zach Wilson is already in better shape in that regard, although the Jets struggled to slow down the Packers’ pass rush in joint practices this week — albeit with Vera-Tucker sidelined due to injury.
When the Jets and the Panthers meet in Week 1 of the regular season, Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich could have plenty of blitzes dialed up and ready to throw in Darnold’s direction. Carolina’s offensive line will be put to the test if that happens, and Darnold will have the chance to see if history is going to repeat itself with his new team.
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