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Jets' 53-man roster projection: Who will be Sam Darnold's backup?

The New York Jets open the 2020 NFL regular season at the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 13 at Bills Stadium. The Jets finished last season 7-9, third place in the AFC East, wrapping up the ninth straight season out of the playoffs.

Despite trading away star safety Jamal Adams to Seattle this offseason, the Jets will enter the season with quarterback Sam Darnold feeling more comfortable in coach Adam Gase's offense and the security of five picks in the first three rounds (including two in the first round) of the 2021 NFL draft.

The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Saturday. Here is a projection:


QUARTERBACK (4): Sam Darnold, David Fales, James Morgan, Joe Flacco

The top storyline on cut-down day will be the backup quarterback issue, complicated by Flacco's neck injury. Flacco, rehabbing from April surgery, still hasn't been cleared to practice. He has a medical re-check on Sept. 10, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported. The hope is to have him ready to go by Week 3. Based on that timetable, the most likely scenario is having him on the 53-man roster. The downside is they'd have to carry four quarterbacks for two weeks, which is not good roster management.