Luke Falk waived by New York Jets after Sam Darnold cleared to play

Luke Falk’s time as a starting quarterback in the NFL ended earlier this week when the New York Jets cleared Sam Darnold, and the former Washington State quarterback was waived by the organization Saturday, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Networks reported.

The ex-Cougar and Pac-12 all-time leading passer was promoted to the active roster when Darnold was diagnosed with mononucleosis and stepped into the starting role when backup Trevor Siemian suffered a year-ending ankle injury in his first start.

In three games played and two starts, Falk completed 47-of-73 passes for 416 yards, throwing no touchdowns and three interceptions. The Jets lost all three games, to the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.

Falk’s quarterback rating of 4.8 was the worst in the NFL from weeks three to five and he was sacked nine times in the loss to Philadelphia. He was also responsible for four turnovers – two of which were returned for Eagles touchdowns.

While waiving Falk, the Jets activated linebacker Brandon Copeland, who was serving a four-game suspension. Former San Jose State quarterback David Fales will serve as New York’s backup quarterback now.

“Listen, man, Luke was thrown into a position that was very hard, very tough, something that many people can not do,” Jets safety Jamal Adams told ESPN. “He did his best. That’s all you can ask for.”