New England Patriots: Evaluating AFC East quarterback competition

Sam Darnold

Now to the Jets. The New York Jets. The most “popular” opponent every year for the New England Patriots, and every game for the New England Patriots’. The history is bad. The vibes are worse. The rivalry is forever!

So, keeping in mind that this is an objective exercise, how do the Jets look in the most important position on their team? They made a big move to draft Sam Darnold 3rd overall in the 2018 NFL draft.

Darnold upped his completion percentage from 57.7 in 2018 to 61.9 in 2019. And his TD to interceptions were 17 and 15 in 2018 and 19 and 13 in 2019.

Darnold displayed steady if unspectacular improvement similar to Allen in Buffalo, and this was against NFL opposition, including twice per year against the best, with Tom Brady at their helm. Never an easy chore.

So here as in Buffalo, Darnold is progressing and if fitted out with the proposer supporting cast, we can expect better from him in 2020. And the Jets gave him some nice presents in the 2020 NFL draft to work with.

Two excellent additions that in my view would have fit nicely into New England’s new uniforms were Mehki Becton, the gargantuan offensive left tackle from Memphis, and Denzel Mims, a blazingly fast wide receiver from Baylor.

Becton is a Trent Brown-like barrier on the left side of the offensive line. His height and massive girth will be trouble for any right defensive end or weak-side linebacker next season and beyond. The Jets took him high in the first round, and he was well worth the investment.

Offensive left tackle is the second most critical component of a team, and Becton has the potential to be one of the very best. It was an atypically nice pick by the Jets.

Backing up Darnold will be David Fales and rookie James Morgan. Fales is a journeyman who doesn’t add much and Morgan is a possible sleeper drafted this season. Morgan was at times linked to New England in the draft. The Patriots did not select any quarterbacks, as is widely know.