After two seasons, Tyrod Taylor will have his chance to lead the Jets offense.
After Justin Fields was ruled out after his concussion against the Bills last week, Taylor will start against the 3-0 Buccaneers. Sunday will be his first start since Jan. 7, 2024, when Taylor was a member of the Giants.
The Jets signed Taylor, 36, to a two-year contract in 2024 to be their backup quarterback. Outside of mop-up duty late in games, this will be Taylor’s first extensive action since joining the Jets.
“God has a plan for everyone,” Taylor said. “Obviously, you want to be out there playing, but there’s other ways you can affect the team in a positive way. And as I sit and wait my time for the opportunity to present itself, I can’t be a bad teammate.
“I can’t sulk in what if or what should happen. The reality of it is that I need to be in the moment, and I’ve learned to be more vocal over the years. I think as a quarterback, eyes are always on you. So, how you are when you’re up, when you’re down, when things aren’t going your way, it’s a reflection of your character.
“I’ve never been one to, I guess, question why my time isn’t right then or right now, it’s more so just preparing myself for whenever it does happen that I make the most of it.”
Taylor will be the 40th player to start at quarterback for the Jets since 1976, which was Joe Namath’s final game with the club.
The NFL journey has had its fair share of peaks and valleys for Taylor. He was drafted by the Ravens in 2011 and was Joe Flacco’s backup for four seasons, including in 2012 when Baltimore won Super Bowl XLVII.
Then in 2015, Taylor became the Bills’ starting quarterback for three seasons (2015-17) and, in 2017, helped them clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 1999. But Buffalo still traded Taylor to Cleveland in 2018, and he was named the Browns’ starting quarterback. But that was short-lived after Taylor suffered an early-season injury, which made Baker Mayfield Cleveland’s starter.
In a coincidental parallel, Mayfield will start against the Jets and has been Tampa Bay’s starting quarterback since 2023. Mayfield remembers the impact Taylor had on him when they were together with the Browns.
“He’s an awesome guy,” Mayfield said about Taylor. “Really good leader, a veteran presence that was instrumental for me in a chaotic first year in Cleveland.
“Somebody I relied on a lot, so a ton of respect for him. Just the way he’s able to command and operate. He’s played a lot of ball, has been everywhere in different systems.”
After leaving the Browns, Taylor spent time with the Chargers, Texans, and Giants. But he suffered several injuries during that span, including a punctured lung (2020), a hamstring injury (2021), a concussion (2022), and broken ribs (2023).
Taylor also missed the entire preseason this year due to arthroscopic knee surgery in August. He has also had limited reps in practice due to Fields being the Jets’ starter. While he wasn’t on the practice field, Taylor said he only missed one day away from the Jets facility and was in on meetings taking mental reps while recovering.
However, Taylor played well in relieving Fields after his concussion. He completed 7-of-11 passes for 56 yards and a touchdown pass to Jeremy Ruckert in the 30-10 loss to the Bills.
Taylor has mobility just like Fields. But he is an older quarterback, so the Jets will likely scale back some of the designed runs they used for Fields. What the Jets offense will lose in mobility, Taylor might be a more polished passer than Fields is.
“I think that’s the challenge when you’re not playing or when you’re not penciled in as the starter is to still attack the week with the same intensity as if you’re going to start,” Taylor said. “I will say the last thing that you want to do, and I tell a lot of the young quarterbacks that I train in the summer at my quarterback academy that, whether you’re the one or the two, you should prepare the same way.
“The last thing that you want to happen is you get called up into a position that you’re not ready for mentally. So, yeah, I don’t think there is any change.”
The Jets hope Taylor can ignite an offense that struggled in just about every aspect during their loss against the Bills. Gang Green registered just 154 yards of offense against Buffalo, which was a significant change from the previous week when the team outgained Pittsburgh 394-271 and lost by just two points.
After beginning the season 0-2, the Jets look to avoid their first 0-3 start since 2021. Since 1990, only four teams have made the playoffs after beginning the season 0-3. The last time to achieve such a feat was the 2018 Texans.
Although he has played sparingly, Taylor’s teammates have a ton of respect for him inside the locker room.
“He’s confident, that’s for sure,” Sauce Gardner said about Taylor. “He’s a baller. We call him a hooper when he gets on the field.
“He finds a way to march the offense up and down the field. Off the field, he’s a cool guy, cool cat.”
