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The Jets won’t be calling the Falcons about trading for Kirk Cousins just yet.
In the immediate aftermath of Justin Fields suffering a dislocated toe that has him listed as day to day, the Jets expressed strong confidence in backup Tyrod Taylor to bump up with the starters.
“I don’t think there is any drop-off as far as what we want to do when it comes to play call,” head coach Aaron Glenn said. “[They are] similar when we talked about skill set, so that was enticing for us.”
Taylor is one of the league’s top backup quarterbacks, with 58 career starts over 14 seasons.
His playing style is aggressive, which can lead to extreme highs and lows, but the real issue preventing him from keeping a starting job has been an inability to stay healthy, because he leaves himself vulnerable to big hits when scrambling.
“He’s going to let it loose,” cornerback Brandon Stephens joked of Taylor’s big arm.
Taylor reportedly has had four concussions over the past six years, and a rib injury landed him on the bench behind undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito with the 2023 Giants after starter Daniel Jones was sidelined.
“The leadership that he brings,” Glenn said, “we’re all good.”
Of course, if Glenn were fully sold, then he could’ve stuck with Taylor as a cheap starter in his first season.
The Jets instead signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract and named him the starter without holding a competition.
Taylor, 35, was one of the few inherited Jets players in his 30s to survive Glenn’s offseason youth movement.
“I played against him before, and you could just tell the players really gravitate to him,” Glenn said. “When he says something, everybody really listens — even the coaching staff. He knows what it takes to win.”
If Fields doesn’t suffer a setback, the Jets can operate with Taylor, Brady Cook and Adrian Martinez while adding a practice arm for training camp.
If his absence extends longer than expected, then a bigger move could be needed, though Cousins carries a prohibitive $27.5 million salary.
“To have Tyrod come in and be the vet he is,” receiver Josh Reynolds said, “it’s no problem at all.”
It was a rough day for kickers Caden Davis and Harrison Mevis, who are competing to replace the released Greg Zuerlein. Neither has attempted an NFL regular-season field goal.
“I’m not about to just panic over the first day of our guys kicking,” Glenn said. “I’m going to talk to those guys, and we’re going to keep swinging at it. And we’ll pick the best one.”
Rookie fourth-round pick Arian Smith is making an impression on fellow receiver Reynolds, who is familiar with the offensive scheme from his Lions days.
“He takes a lot of stuff in,” Reynolds said. “He’s a good student, and he transfers it to the field. That’s good for rookies because [for] a lot of them, it’s hard to transfer it to the field from the classroom.”
