FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — With Sam Darnold‘s throwing shoulder still ailing, the New York Jets have decided to stick with Joe Flacco at quarterback for this week.
The reeling Jets (0-5) face the Miami Dolphins (2-3) on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.
Darnold, who sprained the AC joint in the Oct. 1 loss to the Denver Broncos, said Monday in a radio interview that his shoulder was “feeling a lot better” and that he had begun throwing. But he also noted that he was experiencing pain “every now and then.”
With the playoffs out of the question, the Jets have opted to take a cautious approach with Darnold, who can return for next week’s home game against the Buffalo Bills. That would give him 10 games to rebound from an inconsistent start.
“There’s no doubt none of us would say he’s anything but tough, but we just want to make sure he’s good before we put him out there,” coach Adam Gase said of Darnold.
“I think he’s better than what he was last week,” Gase said. “I think the more time you give him, the better he’ll feel. I think he’s taking the steps that we need him to take to give us an opportunity to take into next week. We’ll make that decision when we get there.
“I think he’s doing a good job of communicating and letting us know how he feels. … He’s being honest in terms of his pain tolerance, his range of motion, him being able to work on his throwing motion a little bit. He’s a quick healer.”
Flacco, presiding over the league’s lowest-scoring offense, showed rust in Sunday’s 30-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Flacco completed 18 of 33 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown, with no turnovers. He seemed to get more comfortable after a shaky start.
“I felt like after the first two series really, I was able to settle in a little bit and actually start to play football and just play, throw the ball well and move when I had to and do all those things,” Flacco said.
The Jets are 0-7 when Darnold doesn’t start, dating to his rookie year, 2018.
Flacco will be handing off to Frank Gore and rookie La’Mical Perine. On Tuesday, the Jets released running back Le’Veon Bell, arguably their most accomplished player on offense.