Sam Darnold sat out Monday’s practice as the Jets prepared for the Patriots, but the rookie quarterback feels good about his progress.
Josh McCown and Davis Webb were the only quarterbacks practicing for the New York Jets on Monday morning, which marked their first practice since their bye week.
Quarterback Sam Darnold did not practice on Monday morning, the team’s first stage of preparation for Sunday’s post-bye week showdown against the New England Patriots (1:00 p.m., CBS).
While Darnold was not wearing the medical boot that adorned his right foot two weeks ago, as an injury kept him out of the Jets’ Week 10 game against the Buffalo Bills, he was dressed in green sweats and took no passes. Josh McCown and Davis Webb remain the team’s active quarterbacks headed into the New England game, and Darnold observed their progress on Monday. The early practice was the Jets’ first since returning from their Week 11 bye.
Darnold off to the side in street clothes whole Webb and McCown work with coaches and Jermaine Kearse #Jets pic.twitter.com/Au51GjFcZ7
— Geoff Magliocchetti (@GeoffMags5490) November 19, 2018
Darnold, 21, was in good spirits when meeting with reporters after practice.
“I’m just following protocol right now, but it feels really good,” Darnold said. “(I’ve) been walking around on it fine. It’s just stable progressions throughout the week, I think.”
Prior to speaking with reporters, Darnold was seen working out on a treadmill.
“I’ve started jogging. It feels good. It feels great,” he said. “Nothing for me to complain about. No pain either.”
The rookie quarterback mentioned he spent part of his bye week with friends in New York City, though, like many in the tri-state area, he got caught up in the snowy chaos of Winter Storm Avery. Darnold, a Southern California native, found out the hard way that Florham Park was not spared from the early snowfall.
“We left on Thursday and we tried to get out at 4:00, and that didn’t go so well,” Darnold said with a smile. “We got about five miles in two and a half hours. We tried to get out of here as fast as possible, it didn’t work out and we ended up catching a train, which from there took about two hours, which is what we should have done in the first place.”
For the time being, McCown will remain the Jets’ starting quarterback. He has made two career starts against the Patriots, including one with the Jets last season. In a game overshadowed by a controversial touchdown reversal, McCown threw for a season-high 354 yards and two touchdowns in the Jets’ 24-17 loss.
Head coach Todd Bowles was noncommittal when it came to Darnold’s Sunday status, opting to wait for Wednesday’s injury report. The Jets will hold practices open to the media on Wednesday and Friday, taking Thursday off for the Thanksgiving holiday.
“Right now, it’s status quo … Day-to-day, week-to-week,” Bowles said. “We’ll see how he feels. We get an injury report on Wednesday.”
