After a week of trying to fool the media, the Jets will keep the same starting quarterback this week.
Tyrod Taylor, who was expected to start against the Bengals, has been ruled out due to a knee injury he suffered last week in the loss to the Panthers, according to a source. He is not expected to travel with the team to Cincinnati.
Because Taylor will be out, Justin Fields will start for the seventh time this season (Fields missed Week 3 due to a concussion). Rookie Brady Cook will be elevated from the practice squad and be Fields’ backup.
Taylor was limited in practice all this week, but coach Aaron Glenn said he liked how he had “been trending.” This is the same knee Taylor had surgery on in August and missed the entire preseason.
“I took a helmet shot to the knee last game,” Taylor said on Thursday. “Yeah, just taking it day-by-day, listening to the trainers. They’ve done a great job of putting me through rehab and getting just good mobility back into it.”
All week, Glenn kept the starting quarterback a secret, not wanting to give the Bengals a “competitive advantage.” On Friday, Glenn told reporters he wouldn’t announce the Jets’ starting quarterback because he didn’t want to.
“That’s exactly why I’m not telling you, because I don’t want to,” Glenn said. “That’s exactly why I’m saying it, because I don’t want to. I don’t know how many times I got to answer you that. It’s not going to change.”
The Jets signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract in March hoping he could be their quarterback of the future. But his play has been dreadful since his Week 1 performance against the Steelers.
Fields has thrown for 845 yards and four touchdowns. But he has been inaccurate and held onto the football too long in the pocket.
Fields was finally benched at halftime against the Panthers for Taylor after completing 6-of-12 passes for 46 yards. This was preceded by a 9-of-17, 45-yard passing performance against the Broncos, during which he was also sacked nine times and the Jets had -10 net passing yards.
Taylor was not much better after replacing Fields. He completed 10-of-22 passes for 126 yards and two interceptions.
Jets owner Woody Johnson was critical of Fields’ play this week during his availability with reporters during the NFL Fall Meetings. This further sparked speculation that Fields would be benched in favor of Taylor.
“I mean, he has the ability, but something just is not jiving,” Johnson said. “But if you look at any coach with a quarterback like that, you’re going to see similar results. You have to play consistently at that position, and that’s what we’re going to try to do for the remainder of the season.”
The Jets will face a Bengals team that had 10 days of rest after its Week 7 win over the Steelers. Cincinnati is 31st in yards and points allowed this season.
The Bengals are expected to have star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson back, according to ESPN. He is listed as questionable with a hip injury, which caused him to miss the team’s win over Pittsburgh last week.
