Every backup quarterback knows they are one play away from coming in.
Jets fans are seeing this play out in real time after Justin Fields suffered a concussion last week against Buffalo and was ruled out of Sunday’s game versus Tampa Bay.
Now, Gang Green is hoping backup Tyrod Taylor will ignite their offense, which struggled to take off against the Bills.
“Obviously, always one play away, especially as a quarterback,” Taylor said this week. “You never know when that opportunity will present itself. Back in 2011, when I got drafted, I tried to challenge myself to have the same mindset.
“That was the first time I had to sit. I started as a freshman in high school. I started early in college. But I challenged myself each and every day to prepare like a starter because you never know when the opportunity will present itself. And the main thing is you don’t want to, obviously, let your team down, but you want to prove to yourself that you’re capable of doing what you know you can do, and that’s been the mentality since day one in my time in the NFL.”
The Jets (0-2) need Taylor to play well in hopes of getting their first win of the season against an undefeated Bucs (2-0) team. They brought him in for this exact situation, albeit backing up a different quarterback.
Taylor, 36, signed a two-year contract with the Jets in 2024 to be the backup quarterback in case Aaron Rodgers couldn’t go in his return from a devastating Achilles tear the season before just four plays into his Jets debut. Following Rodgers’ injury, the Jets went through a carousel of underwhelming quarterbacks in Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian and suffered through another failed season at 7-10.
Up to this point, Taylor has only played during garbage-time situations with the Jets. Now, the 15th-year veteran gets to prove that he still has what it takes after not making a start since Jan. 7, 2024, when Taylor was with the Giants.
Although he is the backup QB, Taylor is one of the most respected players inside the Jets locker room. He also has the trust of Jets coach Aaron Glenn, the rest of the coaching staff, and his teammates.
“He’s one of those dudes who is calm, cool and collected,” Jets left tackle John Simpson told the Daily News about Taylor. “He’s one of those guys that’s kind of like demands your attention I guess you can say. Not so much respect, but you’re giving your respect because of how old he is and how mature he is and s–t like that.
“He kind of carries himself and he’s somebody that guys want to be around. He’s a natural leader in my opinion. So it is a blessing to have a backup as talented as he is.”
The Jets need Taylor to help get the offense rolling after they laid an egg in last week’s 30-10 no-show loss to the Bills. They registered just 154 yards of offense and 83 total passing yards.
Most of those yards came from Taylor after he checked into the game following Fields’ concussion with 12:03 remaining in the fourth quarter. He completed 7-of-11 passes for 56 yards and registered the lone Jets touchdown when he completed a five-yard pass to Jeremy Ruckert with 3:28 left.
Taylor isn’t the athlete that Fields is during this juncture of his career, but he is a more polished passer. He is a bit more accurate and doesn’t shy away from throwing the ball deep to his receivers.
“It’s pretty, bro, it’s pretty,” Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson said about Taylor’s deep ball passing ability. “I’m excited to see some of those go up.
“It has been since throughout training camp, I’ve been able to see him spin it with some of the younger guys and, yeah man, he can really throw that deep ball and stuff like that is exciting.”
If the Jets are going to get their first win of 2025, they need their defense to step up and support Taylor. The Bills rushed for 224 yards against the Jets, which was the most the team has allowed since 2021.
The Gang Green has finished in the top three defensively each of the previous three seasons. But so far under first-year defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, the defense has looked anything but elite through two games.
The Jets are allowing an average of 337 yards and 32 points per game, which both rank 23rd and 30th in the league. This week, they will go up against a Bucs rushing attack that is averaging 135 yards on the ground.
Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams said the team has honed in on correcting the mistakes made last week. He said the unit made a pact with each other that the performance against the Bills and giving up over 200 yards rushing “will never happen again.”
“It is all about executing,” Williams said. “Doing the things in the meeting and taking the meeting room to the walkthrough room from walkthroughs to practice and practice to the field.”
“We got the guys in our room, we got the guys in our defensive room to be one of the best defenses in this league. Just executing and not beating ourselves, getting off on third down. Not making mental errors, not making penalties on third down, is a big one, and also getting turnovers.
“We are all capable of fixing every last one of those things and doing those things.”
<