The New York Jets took another loss, but Joe Douglas’ rookie return had its most active and impressive game thus far.
In yet another lost Jets season, the primary goal is a familiar one – to see development and promise from players who could help the team beyond this year.
Joe Douglas’ rookie class got plenty of playing time on Sunday after most members of the cast had gotten little or no snaps on the season coming into the game.
Denzel Mims made his season debut and impressed. His blocking shined, and he flashed receiving potential with his impressive route-running, after-the-catch, and contested-catch traits.
Mekhi Becton returned after missing the previous two games and starred. Despite two penalties, the gargantuan rookie was his usual self, tossing bodies around with relative ease in both pass protection and the run game.
La’Mical Perine got a career-high 13 touches and scored his first NFL touchdown. He showed some progress as a ball-carrier over his previous few games, flashing more creation ability at the second level.
Undrafted free agent Bryce Huff is starting to look like a gem, as he came up with a big play yet again. The Memphis product has shown potential in various aspects of the EDGE position and could establish himself as a starter going into 2021.
On the downside, Sam Darnold returned and ultimately had a rough game after a promising start. Following a gruesome second half, Darnold finished with a passer rating of 31.1, the second-worst of his entire career. His steep regression curve continues.
Ben Blessington and Michael Nania pose the question – if Darnold does not improve substantially off of this disastrous start, would he even be a better option than Tier-2 quarterback prospects Justin Fields and Trey Lance?
That and plenty more on the latest Cool Your Jets.
