New York Jets: Five early bold predictions for the 2018 season

Darnold Plays No Less than Twelve Games

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Though this one will seem obvious to some, but whenever you are dealing with a rookie quarterback, we never know for sure. Bowles does like to use his veterans and he does need wins to keep his job.

But Darnold is a different animal. Picked third overall, he is expected to play sooner rather than later. We have talked about how important it is for the quarterback to get game reps. I have said it needs to happen quickly, preferably week one. There is no reason to hold him back.

They aren’t holding him back, but they won’t throw him in there if he isn’t ready. That’s a key point telling us he may not start week one. But Darnold has been ahead of the curve, noted back in May. He is getting better and better every day.

If they don’t feel comfortable starting Darnold on day one they do have a legitimate out. The Jets first three games occur in a 10 day span. That is tough for any quarterback, much less a rookie. They could start him in week four, or use that to get him ready for his debut.

If he doesn’t start week one, he starts week five. That will get him into a minimum of 12 games. Mark it down.