New York Jets Bench Starting Quarterback
The New York Jets have made a change at the quarterback position. The team made the decision on Monday to bench their starter in Justin Fields for a veteran backup option in Tyrod Taylor. This decision comes after months of Fields struggling and an underperforming offense costing the team multiple games. The team is hoping that with the change, they can rattle off a few more wins before the season concludes.
Fields was a high-ceiling, low-floor signing in the offseason for the Jets. Unfortunately, Fields hit the floor. Although he had only shown flashes and was on his third team in three years, many fans had hoped that he could resurrect his career like we’ve seen quarterbacks like Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield do in recent years. This would not be the case, as Fields continued to show the same issues as he did throughout his NFL career, struggling to read defenses and place accurate footballs. There were a couple of games that showed promise, mainly against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, but they were not enough to outshine the disastrous play in his other starts.
New starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor is more of a steady hand than Fields, much less of a high-variance player. The team is hoping that he will be able to execute the offense well and push the ball downfield better, something that Fields struggled with. Offensive Coordinator Tanner Engstrand has done a good job scheming players open, despite the Jets’ lack of talent at the receiver position. The issue was that Fields either never pulled the trigger or pulled the trigger and missed. With the steady and more consistent arm of Taylor, the team could possibly rip off a few more wins down the stretch, gaining some momentum into next season while also giving the coaching staff more of a fair shake. Taylor also continues to give the Jets a running threat at the position, which has been a key point of their identity.
Some fans were also on social media calling for undrafted rookie Brady Cook to get the start, since we’ve alread seen Taylor start for a few quarters and it hasn’t looked all that impressive, but the coaching staff opted with taylor because, once again, Cook is more of a high-varience player. If Taylor also struggles and the offense shows little to no improvement, then Cook becomes more of a viable option, but as of now, Tyrod Taylor is the starting quarterback for the Jets for the foreseeable future.
