David Fales has been a well-traveled backup for Adam Gase and the New York Jets. He’s followed Gase and now got to sit behind Darnold for a bulk of last year as both of the other backups going down last year. Fales is reportedly a high IQ guy and the former San Jose State product with good knowledge of the offense will return to fight for the backup job next season.
Career Numbers
Fales played two years at San Jose State as the starter. In those two years, Fales threw for 8,382 yards, 66 TDs, and 22 INTs. Although San Jose State is not a big school, those numbers are very impressive. Fales hasn’t gotten a lot of reps in the pros. He did get some legitimate reps in 2018 and he did ok. He had 265 yards, 1 TD and an INT in 2018. Fales is a backup caliber player. He may have untapped potential. At 29, time is winding down to tap into that potential.
How Does He Fit For Next Season
Fales will compete for the backup QB job. He doesn’t seem like the best guy to be the backup for Darnold. He can’t provide mentorship because he’s played less than Darnold. He does have knowledge of the offense and that is a favorable trait because of the presumed lack of preparation that the Jets will have due to COVID-19. Fales will compete, be given a shot to take the job, but he should not be counted on if Sam goes down. The New York Jets should bring in another body whether in the draft to develop into a good backup or bring in a vet to mentor Sam. Some guys who could be good guys are Joe Flacco, the former starter in Baltimore that struggled in Denver last year and Matt Moore a career backup with ties to Gase.