Jets QB Justin Fields ruled out for Week 3 vs. Buccaneers with concussion; Tyrod Taylor to start
Jets quarterback Justin Fields is sacked by Bills defensive end Joey Bosa during the second half of an NFL game Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Credit: Noah K. Murray
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Justin Fields has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game due to a concussion. Tyrod Taylor will lead the Jets’ offense in Tampa.
Aaron Glenn opened up his Wednesday news conference by announcing that Fields would not play this week. Fields is in the concussion protocol, but it’s early for a player to be ruled out.
“I just know how these things are and just to my knowledge this will be a week he’ll be out,” Glenn said.
The Jets’ next game isn’t until the following Monday night in Miami. Fields must go through a five-phase process before he is cleared to fully participate in practice or an NFL game. The last step is being examined by an independent neurologist.
Fields suffered the injury in last Sunday’s 30-10 loss to the Bills. His head hit off the MetLife Stadium turf hard early in the fourth quarter when Fields was brought down by Joey Bosa after releasing the football. Fields was sacked on the next play and left the game.
Taylor replaced Fields and led the Jets on their only touchdown drive. Now Taylor, a 15-year pro, will try to lead the Jets (0-2) to their first win of the season. The Jets believe in Taylor.
“The fact that he's been in this league for a long time, there's no coverage, there's no pressure that he hasn't seen,” Glenn said. “He's a very studious person, good athlete, again, been around this league for a long time.
“There’s no better player that you would want as your backup quarterback than him at this point in time.”
Undrafted rookie Brady Cook, the Jets’ practice team quarterback, will be the backup Sunday.
The well-traveled Taylor, 36, played for six teams before signing with the Jets in 2024. He has only appeared in three games with the Jets. This will be his first start since the final game of the 2023 season with the Giants.
Taylor says he always prepares to be the starter so he’s ready in case something happens and he’s needed to step in.
“You never know when that opportunity will present itself,” Taylor said. “The main thing is you don't want to let your team down, but you want to prove to yourself that you’re capable of doing what you know you can do.”
Like Fields, Taylor is a mobile quarterback who can extend plays and make things happen with his legs. He has thrown 69 touchdown passes and 29 interceptions in his career and rushed for 19 scores. Taylor’s teams have gone 28-28-1 in games he’s started.
Taylor, who missed the preseason after having his knee scoped, will try to jump-start an offense that struggled to move the football last week.
Fields completed just three passes for 27 yards — both career lows in games he started — before exiting the game. The Jets drove into Bills’ territory just twice in the eight series Fields led the offense. The prior week, the Jets produced nearly 400 yards of offense and scored 32 points in a loss to the Steelers.
Taylor, a popular player with his teammates, has been remarkably productive in his rare chances with the Jets, but they’ve all come at the end of one-sided losses. Taylor has thrown four touchdown passes on five drives.
It’s an important game for Taylor and the Jets, but he said he feels no more pressure than any other game.
“I’m as confident as ever in the guys within this locker room,” Taylor said. “We know we're facing a very good team. But I have all the belief and faith in the guys in this locker room that we can get the job done.”
More injury news
Edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, who left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, did not practice. If he can’t play, it likely will mean a bigger role for Micheal Clemons, who committed a costly roughing the passer penalty on Josh Allen.
Receiver Josh Reynolds (hamstring), nickelback Michael Carter II (shoulder), safety Tony Adams (hip), defensive tackle Jay Tufele (illness) and kick returner Kene Nwangwu (hamstring) also didn’t practice.
Glenn said "a lot of them are trending in the right direction,” but he needs to see how the rest of the week goes.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
