The Jets quarterback situation continues to be fluid.
A day after he benched Justin Fields for Tyrod Taylor during the 13-6 loss to the Panthers, Jets coach Aaron Glenn says he hasn’t decided who will start against the Bengals in Week 8.
“That’s something that I want to continue to look at,” Glenn said. “Again, it’s early on Monday, so I said this yesterday that there’s a lot of thought that goes into that, for me personally, and then being able to get with the staff, and then just being able to ask other coaches that have been in the situation, how would they handle that.
“I’m not running away from the question at all. The thing is, I want to make sure I make the right decision, and I don’t want to make rash decisions either. So, I just want to make sure when the decision is made, it’ll be the right one, and you guys will know that real soon.”
A week ago, Glenn criticized a reporter’s question when asked if he was considering a change at quarterback. But he made the change after Fields completed 6-of-12 passes for 46 yards while being sacked three times.
This was the second consecutive catastrophic performance by Fields after he was sacked nine times last week, which produced -10 net passing yards in the two-point loss to the Broncos.
“It’s not my decision,” Fields said about getting benched. “I’m here to be the best teammate I can be. I’m here to be the best person I can be. It’s not up to me.
“Of course, I wish things would have went a little bit different, not only for me, but for this team. Like I said earlier, you weren’t here, but I’m going to show up to work every day the same, just try to be a light in this world.”
Taylor came in for Fields to start the second half, but the Jets offense still failed to find the end zone. The Jets have scored only 17 points in the past two games, and haven’t scored a touchdown since their Week 5 loss to the Cowboys. Taylor finished 10 for 22 with 126 yards and two interceptions.
The Jets (0-7) remain the lone winless team in the NFL. This is the third time in franchise history (1996, 2020) that the Jets have begun a season 0-7.
“I thought the offense moved the ball better, but that has a number of things that you have to look at,” Glenn said about the Jets offense with Taylor under center. “Number one, we were more in a hurry-up situation, which I think he’s done a really good job of. But man, the two picks is something that’s tough, you know, and you can’t have that.
“I’ve said before, we have to create takeaways, we have to limit the turnovers, and we have to limit the penalties, and the thing is, there’s a number of penalties, I can’t say a number, but it was like five penalties that we had, and we had those two turnovers. So, those are things that can’t happen, but I will say this, in that stretch, we did move the ball a bit better.”
When determining who should start against the Bengals, Glenn has to look at how badly the Jets’ offense has been this season, minus their Week 1 loss to the Steelers. In the Jets’ last six games, they have registered just seven touchdowns. Six of those came during garbage time when the Jets were trailing by more than two scores.
There’s also a financial aspect to consider. The Jets gave Fields a two-year, $40 million ($30 million guaranteed) contract in hopes he could be their quarterback of the future. But he is averaging 140.8 passing yards per game in his six starts (Fields missed Week 3 due to a concussion).
In addition to his lack of passing yards, Fields tends to hold the ball too long inside the pocket, which can lead to sacks and turnovers.
“I think it’s always based on who gives you the best chance to win,” Glenn said. “And again, that’s what I think about.
“This is a week-to-week league, and you have to make sure you get yourself prepared to win every week because every team gives you different challenges. My mindset right now is who gives us the best chance to win, to be honest with you.”
Sauce sidelined
The Jets could be without their top cornerback and returner against the Bengals. Both Sauce Gardner and Kene Nwangwu are in concussion protocol, according to Glenn. There are also no injury updates on wide receiver Garrett Wilson and linebacker Quincy Williams, who could be activated off injured reserve this week.
Wilson injured his knee during the Week 6 loss to the Broncos in London and missed the first game of his career against the Panthers. Williams has been on injured reserve since he hurt his shoulder in the Jets’ Week 3 loss to the Buccaneers. The Jets will have a bye following their game at Cincinnati this week.
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