Getty New York Jets coach Adam Gase
The New York Jets are moving on from their former starting quarterback.
Luke Falk, who had started the past two games for the Jets, has been waived by New York as Sam Darnold makes his return from mononucleosis. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Jets are releasing Falk so they can activate linebacker Brandon Copeland.
David Fales will now serve as the backup to Darnold for the Jets’ Week 6 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
The #Jets activated LB Brandon Copeland and waived QB Luke Falk, which means that David Fales will back up QB Sam Darnold Sunday.
Luke Falk Had Been the Jets’ Leading Quarterback in 2019
Falk had started the past two games for the Jets, leading an abysmal offense while completing zero touchdowns and three interceptions. He threw for 416 yards while leading the Jets to a combined total of 20 points in two losses to the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.
The move is a bit shocking considering Falk was the starter and Fales was his backup. It would seem the Jets were so turned off by Falk’s past two starts that they decided to keep Fales instead.
If Falk clears waivers, he could be brought back on the Jets’ practice squad as soon as Monday.
Jets Feature the Worst Offense in the NFL
Adam Gase was brought in as the head coach to cure the offensive woes of the Jets. However, the team has somehow regressed since last season.
While Gase has been given a pass due to Darnold’s injury, there’s still no excuses for why the Jets have scored just 39 points all season long. The Jets are averaging just 9.8 points per game, second-worst in the NFL. Their 718 total yards and 454 yards passing on the season ranks dead last in the league.
With Darnold back in the picture, New York will hope to get their offensive mojo back. Gase admitted that the offense is a work in progress, via George Willis of The New York Post.
“We’re trying to figure out how we get in some kind of rhythm,” Gase said this week. “How do we make positive plays? How do we convert on third down? That’s what we’re trying to make strides on offense.”
Le’Veon Bell, the former Pro Bowl running back, has averaged just 2.9 yards per carry on 71 carries for 206 yards this season.
Gase said that it hasn’t been “easy” finding a way to use the Pro Bowl running back.
“Probably the hardest thing for us is trying to figure out the right way to use Le’Veon; the right way to use Ty [Montgomery]; the right way to use Bilal [Powell],” Gase said. “It has not been easy.”
The Jets not only rank dead last in offensive yardage, they rank last in just about every major offensive category that you can think of, including yards per play (3.2), net passing yards per play (7.6), first downs per game (11.2) and third-down efficiency (21.1 percent).
They’ll hope that the return of Darnold — their second-year quarterback who started 13 games last season — will give the offense the boost it needs in order to score points.
If Darnold fails to provide that boost, this will not only be a long season for the Jets — it’ll be a short tenure for Gase in the Big Apple.
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