The New York Jets quarterback was dressed for practice on Wednesday, as the team continues preparing for New England’s visit.
The New York Jets may be getting a crucial reinforcement for their upcoming showdown with the New England Patriots.
Quarterback Sam Darnold was dressed for the Jets’ preparation on Wednesday afternoon, doing so for the first time since sustaining a foot injury during a Nov. 4 game against the Dolphins.
Sam Darnold back and stretching; will let you if he partaken in drills #Jets pic.twitter.com/MhBiswL9JR
— Geoff Magliocchetti (@GeoffMags5490) November 21, 2018
After stretching, Darnold joined fellow quarterbacks Josh McCown and Davis Webb on the far end of the practice field. McCown and Webb appeared to run team drills, while Darnold worked with an unspecified team staffer to the side.
Sam Darnold stretching, Spencer Long to his left #Jets pic.twitter.com/6t2jnmkusB
— Geoff Magliocchetti (@GeoffMags5490) November 21, 2018
While it’s possible Darnold could be listed as “limited” on the post-practice injury report, it’s still an encouraging sign in terms of his Sunday status. Head coach Todd Bowles was noncommittal when asked about the possibility of his rookie quarterback’s game status during a Monday press conference, stating that he was looking forward to the mid-week report.
“Right now, it’s status quo. Day-to-day, week-to-week,” Bowles said on Monday. “We’ll see how he feels. I’ll have the injury report on Wednesday.”
McCown will continue to prepare as the starter until further notice. He threw for a season-high 354 yards in an October game against New England last season, a 24-17 Jets loss at MetLife Stadium.
This story will be updated pending further information.
[UPDATE: 3:20 p.m. ET]: Darnold was officially listed on the Jets’ post-practice injury report as “Did Not Practice”. Bowles wasn’t ready to comment on Darnold’s Sunday status, though he did rule out the rookie quarterback starting. “We’ll see how he progresses,” the head coach noted.
[UPDATE: 4:55 p.m. ET]: Darnold reported that he felt “really good” after Wednesday’s practice remarking “it felt good to run around”.
“Every single day I feel like I’m progressing,” he added.
Darnold also said that he didn’t feel like practicing on a short schedule would not affect his mindset going into a start. “It’d definitely be a little bit more of a challenge than if I were to practice the whole week, but, at the same time, I’ve been running this offense for a while, about 10 or 11 weeks, so I feel like I really wouldn’t miss a beat there.”
