New Jets coach Robert Saleh praised defender Sam Darnold … to a point.
Saleh made a lot of nice statements about Darnold during the coach’s introductory press conference on Thursday, but did not say that Darnold will be the team’s defender in 2021.
“He has incredible talent in his arms,” Saleh said. “There is a reason why he was number 3 in the project. He’s fearless in his pocket. It has a natural throwing motion. It’s mobile. He is extremely smart and tough as nails. His reputation in the locker room is undeniable. It’s just that, in general, there’s a reason he was the third choice in the project and you can see all those qualities on the tape and around the building in the way people talk about him. ”
The Jets have a major decision to make on Darnold. He was disappointed in his first three seasons, but he is only 23 years old and many people think he can improve in a better offensive system and with better players around him. Saleh hired Mike LaFleur as offensive coordinator to enforce Kyle Shanahan’s offense, which is friendly to the defender.
Jets have the general option no. 2 in the draft and can select the second best defender in the draft. The Jaguars are expected to recruit Clemson’s star Trevor Lawrence, number 1 in the overall standings.
Over the past week, there has also been pressure from the media and fans for the Jets to explore a deal for disgruntled Texan defender Deshaun Watson. Jets general manager Joe Douglas was asked about Watson, but could not say anything because of the NFL’s handling rules.
“I can’t talk about a player who’s not part of our team,” Douglas said. “That [Saleh] which I alluded to and I will say now, our next step in this process is to get together as a staff, to get over all the guys on our team, to really get their perspective from watching the tape and to include the perspective of the people we were here in recent years. It will be a really great meeting, which really lays the groundwork for our off-season. ”
Douglas said the only conversations about the players he had with Saleh were during the interview process. Saleh focused on building his coaching staff. Now I can begin evaluating not only Darnold, but everyone on the list.
“We have to do a lot of things to move on,” Saleh said when asked if Darnold would be his incumbent. “We are barely bringing the staff into the building. There are so many things to do in terms of evaluation in terms of the whole list, not just the defender. To give you this answer right now would not be correct. There are a lot of discussions that need to be had with Joe’s staff and himself. To give you this answer right now would be a little premature. ”