Report: Jets' Sam Darnold To Wear Special Padding To Protect Spleen Vs. Cowboys

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By WFAN Sports Radio 101.9 FM/66AM New York

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Barring any unforeseen changes, Sam Darnold will be back in action on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

The Cowboys come to town as the Jets try to finally get off the snide and earn their first win of the season. Darnold has been out since Week 1 with mono, but the Jets' quarterback has now been medically cleared to make his return this weekend.

Still, he’ll be taking some extra precautions just to be sure he is adequately protecting himself. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Darnold will be wearing special pads to protect his spleen, which can experience swelling when a person has mono.

#Jets QB Sam Darnold returns Sunday against the #Cowboys, and he’ll have extra protection for his spleen — special pads modeled off a set made for Cam Newton. @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/e1xWBUPbE6

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 11, 2019

Most people recover from mono within two to four weeks. For Darnold, it’s been four weeks since he was diagnosed. But most people don’t take as many hits as NFL quarterbacks do. Playing while suffering from the illness would have put him at risk of rupturing a spleen if he had gotten hit there.

But Darnold has now been cleared by doctors, and he should provide a big boost to the Jets struggling offense. Adam Gase’s team is winless in large part because it hasn’t yet scored more than 17 points in a game. Darnold's return could help offensive weapons like Jamison Crowder and Le'Veon Bell get back to their respective bests.

Sam DarnoldVincent Carchietta

It’s unclear if these special pads will have any effect on Darnold’s mobility. In practice this week he did look to have quite a bit of padding around his midsection.

The Cowboys have struggled recently and are now only 3-2 after losing two games in a row. Their defense had major issues against the Packers last weekend when they allowed 34 points to Aaron Rodgers and company at home.