New York Jets: Three Goals for Sam Darnold in 2020
Throw for 4,000 yards
The former USC star racked up 3,024 passing yards in his 13 games last season, which is equivalent to about 3,722 yards over a full 16-game season. In 2019, would’ve have put him in a tie for 15th in the NFL with Arizona Cardinals rookie, Kyler Murray.
That number is also an increase from his rookie season, where his projected total would’ve been around 3,526, where Darnold also played 13 games. With another year in the pass-heavy offense of head coach Adam Gase, Darnold should bump those numbers up fairly easily.
The 22-year old signal-caller will likely have more time in the pocket due to the aforementioned influx of offensive line talent, helping him make his reads and find the open man downfield. The protection around him has often broken down throughout his young NFL career, so it’s going to be intriguing to see how much Darnold improves with better pass-blocking.
We're ready for more Sam magic. #TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/F7BGTfy2Pv
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 9, 2019
His improvisation is promising, but his bread and butter is his pocket passing. Giving him an extra second or two in the backfield could be the difference between winning and losing. If he remains healthy, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine a full season of Darnold throwing for just over 4,000 yards.