Teddy Bridgewater should be Jets' Week 1 quarterback instead of Sam Darnold, and here's why

Nate Davis | USA TODAY

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LANDOVER, Md. — Teddy Bridgewater is trying to invite direct hits from defenders. Sam Darnold is trying to decode the NFL. That may be enough to inform the New York Jets' decision when the time comes to pick their opening-night quarterback.

Bridgewater resembled a kid on Christmas morning as he bounded into the interview room at FedEx Field on Thursday night following the Jets' 15-13 loss to the Washington Redskins. A preseason defeat didn't matter. The fifth-year vet was beaming because he'd just played high-level football, moving smoothly around the field two years after a gruesome knee injury ended his short stint as the Minnesota Vikings' franchise quarterback and nearly snuffed out his career.

"I'm excited just to be out there having fun, felt like a kid running around in the backyard tonight," gushed Bridgewater.

Playing the entire second half with — and, yes, against — backups, Bridgewater completed 10-of-15 passes for 127 yards, and his 16-yard strike to Charone Peake at the pylon in the fourth quarter produced the game's lone touchdown.

Despite the heavy brace on his left leg, Bridgewater seemed to glide when evading pressure. But he definitely wasn't running scared.

In fact, he wanted to take a few licks from the Redskins.

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"I don't know if it's the right thing to do or say as a quarterback, but for me it's just continuing to knock down that mental block that, 'Hey, you can do this,' " said Bridgewater.

"I could've thrown the ball away or ran out of bounds. But I wanted to challenge myself, see if I could take a hit. It was fun. Get up, smile, tell the guys, 'Hey, that was nothing. Next play.' "

He even tried to stiff-arm a defender on a fourth-quarter scramble.

"Fortunately for him, and unfortunately for me, he wanted to get hit some. I told him I have a neighborhood where he can get hit quite a bit," quipped Jets coach Todd Bowles.

"It was good to see him from a durability standpoint. ... He's a tough guy."

That's among the reasons why the Jets should consider starting Bridgewater instead of first-rounder Sam Darnold when Week 1 rolls around.

By all accounts, including his own, Darnold, 21, is progressing nicely in his bid to become the star passer New York has sought since Joe Namath led the franchise to its only Super Bowl nearly 50 years ago. Darnold started against the Redskins and connected on 6-of-7 passes for 47 yards against their starting defense.

But ponder this:

New York's offensive line is currently missing two starters, including left tackle Kelvin Beachum, and Darnold and Bridgewater were consistently under duress Thursday.

This offense lacks the weapons at running back or receiver that would force a defense to shift its focus from harassing a rookie quarterback.

A defense that will have to perform well to keep the Jets competitive saw its starters shredded for 157 yards in three series even though starting Redskins quarterback Alex Smith played just one drive.

The Jets will open on a Monday night (Sept. 10) in Detroit, then play Week 3 at Cleveland on a Thursday — three games in a brutal 11-day span — before heading to Jacksonville in Week 4 to face arguably the league's most talented and aggressive defense. That stretch would test the most seasoned quarterback, much less a highly scrutinized rookie.

So why not let Bridgewater face those early hurdles while Darnold goes through valuable dress rehearsals and benefits from the tutelage of Bridgewater and 39-year-old Josh McCown?

"Really, the biggest thing for me is hearing from guys like Josh and Teddy, guys who have been there, done that in games and have had success," said Darnold, who has little more than three years of experience as a starter — total — in high school and at USC.

"They're always super-calm on the sideline, they're never freaking out. That's a good thing, too, having those guys to lean on if I'm not necessarily sure of how to go about (it) myself."

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There's another reason that playing Bridgewater may be beneficial.

Allowing him to provide fresh film in September could make him a valuable commodity before the trade deadline. If a seemingly strong team like the Panthers, Texans, Chargers, Rams or Saints — the list goes on — loses its starting quarterback for four-to-six weeks early in the season, would they be better off with currently unproven backups, or with a universally respected former Pro Bowler like Bridgewater to steady the ship in such a scenario? And in the throes of a rebuild, wouldn't Jets GM Mike Maccagnan, who already traded next year's second-round pick while moving up to get Darnold in April, be wise to recoup something for Bridgewater, who's on a one-year deal anyway?

Bowles is giving away nothing right now and could even go with McCown, who played surprisingly well as the starter in 2017.

"We're gonna play the best guy," he said.

In the near term, as much as the Jets and their starved fans might hope otherwise, that's probably not Darnold.

Follow Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis