Sam Darnold heads into his third season after seeing some positive developments in 2019. His completion percentage, passing yards and touchdown-to-interception ratio all improved despite a three-game absence earlier in the year because of mono. In turn, he won three more games than he did his rookie season.
Now would be the time to load up on offensive weapons and fuel Darnold’s exponential rise as an NFL quarterback, right? Especially a year after the Jets finished 31st in points scored and 32nd in yards. Well, the Jets didn’t exactly do that during the 2020 offseason, but they laid the groundwork to give Darnold the tools to succeed without relying on the talent around him. Is that enough to elevate his game? Only time – and the offensive line – will tell.
The Jets don’t have any proven skill position players on the roster with the exception of Le’Veon Bell and Jamison Crowder. None of their starting wide receivers have eclipsed 900 yards in a season. What the Jets do have, though, is a collection of players who have flashed enough ability to become valuable weapons if Darnold can utilize them properly.
Crowder is an adept slot receiver who will be Darnold’s safety net in 2020. Chris Herndon should be a bruising, big-bodied target. Quincy Enunwa, if healthy, can be a reliable weapon in the middle of the field. The newest pass-catchers – free-agent Breshad Perriman and rookie Denzel Mims – have the requisite physical attributes to become potent weapons on the outside and down the field. Out of the backfield, Bell is as versatile as they come for running backs and has the experience to become dangerous again.
All of these players, in theory, should be enough for Darnold. But they’re all mostly unproven and need Darnold more than Darnold needs them. Outside of Perriman and Mims, it’s almost the same offense from last year.
On its surface, Darnold doesn’t have enough around him to become a truly great quarterback. A more proven outside receiver would be nice, as would a second running back or more dangerous tight end. Those are all hard to come by, though, unless you have the capital to pay up for one in free agency or on the trade market or the competence to draft one. At this point, there aren’t many players available that would drastically improve the Jets’ current weapons, though.
But even if the Jets had better offensive weapons for Darnold, none of it will matter if the offensive line fails him again. Darnold proved throughout his first two seasons in the league he can make high-caliber throws and win games despite an absence of top-tier talent. But when he didn’t have time to throw, he crumbled. Whether that was with an ill-advised throw or sack or interception, Darnold couldn’t perform in spite of the offensive line in front of him.
Joe Douglas did an admirable job trying to stabilize that line this offseason. First-round pick Mekhi Becton is a mauler in the trenches who should provide substantial run-blocking support and develop into a nice pass-blocker as well. Connor McGovern is a huge improvement over the Jets’ most recent centers. George Fant could be solid at tackle and the return of Alex Lewis rounds out a solid core for the Jets offensive line.
If that group keeps Darnold upright, maintains a solid pocket and opens up running lanes for Bell, the Jets have enough to be competitive in 2020. The collection of skill position players, while lacking a true star outside of Bell, gives Darnold a number of options on offense. But if the line breaks, like it did for much of 2019, the Jets will see a repeat of the past two seasons, and Douglas will look back and wonder what more he could have done for Darnold.