Sam Darnold dealing with foot injury that has him in walking boot

The New York Jets have stuck with rookie Sam Darnold through a disappointing stretch of play over the past three games, but they may not have the option of doing that when they take on the Buffalo Bills this weekend.

On Monday, the Jets announced that Darnold missed practice with a foot injury that has him wearing a walking boot. As Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News notes, Darnold admitted he had “some bumps and some bruises” after the team’s Week 9 loss to the Miami Dolphins but indicated it was nothing serious.

#Jets Sam Darnold said he got dinged up after the Dolphins game.

When asked how he felt on Monday, he said: "Yeah, I feel fine, some bumps and some bruises, but everything is good."

Now he's in a walking boot and not practicing.

— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaNYDN) November 7, 2018

It’s possible the Jets are just playing it safe with Darnold, but a walking boot is never a good sign. The situation also might look different if they were giving a veteran some practice time off, but Darnold needs all the reps he can get.

The Jets are already dealing with some other key injuries on offense, and they have struggled mightily to score points over the past three games. If Darnold is unable to start on Sunday, veteran Josh McCown would step in and take over.