Todd Bowles wasn’t willing to state the obvious in the run-up to Friday night’s Jets-Giants preseason game, but his deployment of prized rookie quarterback Sam Darnold during practice made it obvious: The kid will have his biggest audition yet, and almost certainly as the starter.
Darnold took the overwhelming share of reps with the Jets’ first-team offense, and it sure feels like he has all but locked up the No. 1 job for the regular season. Even though it has been less than four weeks since he reported to camp following a three-day contract holdout, Darnold has come so far so fast that he has done everything possible to convince Bowles and his coaching staff he’s ready to go.