Jets QB Sam Darnold Will Start vs. Cowboys If He Clears Tests for Mono Recovery

Sam Darnold appears to be at the tail end of his time on the sidelines because of mononucleosis.

Monday, New York Jets head coach Adam Gase told reporters that the second-year quarterback will have lab tests done tomorrow. If Darnold clears those tests, Gase added, he will start against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6. 

Darnold has been out since Week 1 as a result of mono. 

The original plan was to have Darnold back after the Jets' Week 4 bye. 

However, Darnold was ruled out for New York's Week 5 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles after a spleen exam failed to show the progress doctors needed to see in order to clear him. 

ESPN's Rich Cimini expanded on the situation:

"An enlarged spleen—a common symptom of mono—could rupture with a blow to the midsection. Darnold has been practicing with a custom-made, hard-plastic brace that protects his rib-cage area and he's planning to wear the brace when he plays. As of Monday, the day of his last round of tests, his spleen still had some swelling."

"It's a tough thing, 'cause you wanna stay safe," Darnold told reporters on Thursday. "I wanna make sure that I'm safe out there, and that I'm not gonna die."

While Darnold has been given the necessary time to heal, the Jets have gone forward with third-string quarterback Luke Falk under center. Falk was given the starting job after backup Trevor Siemian suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns. 

Since then, Falk has thrown for 416 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions on 64.4 percent completion. 

Darnold can't come back soon enough for the 0-4 Jets, and NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah thinks his unforeseen time off will be positive in the long run:

New York hosts Dallas at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday.