Jets' Tyrod Taylor is always prepared for his moment; he will get it on Sunday in Tampa Bay
Jets quarterback Tyrod Taylor rushes during the second half against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 14 at MetLife Stadium. Credit: Noah K. Murray
TAMPA, Fla. — Tyrod Taylor was in an unfamiliar position as a rookie in 2011 and challenged himself to rise above it.
He was drafted by the Ravens, who already had an established quarterback in Joe Flacco. Rather than sulk about being a backup, Taylor made sure to always prepare as if he were the starter. Always.
That has served Taylor well. He’s in his 15th NFL season, playing for his seventh team, and always is prepared to step in when needed. The Jets need him now.
The Jets (0-2) handed the offense over to Taylor after Justin Fields suffered a concussion in last week’s lopsided loss to Buffalo. Taylor will start for the first time in more than 20 months on Sunday against the Buccaneers (2-0) when the Jets try to secure the first win of the Aaron Glenn Era.
Taylor, 36, is more than ready. The consummate pro has never stopped preparing for this moment.
“As a quarterback, eyes are always on you,” he said. “How you are when you’re up, when you’re down, when things aren’t going your way, it’s a reflection of your character. I’ve never been one to, I guess, question why my time isn’t right then or right now. It’s more so just preparing myself for whenever it does happen that I make the most of it.”
It’s the same message Taylor tells the young players who come to his quarterback academy over the summer in his hometown of Hampton, Virginia.
“Whether you’re the 1 or the 2, you should prepare the same way,” Taylor said. “The last thing that you want to happen is you get caught up in a position that you’re not ready for mentally.”
Taylor is one of the most respected and admired players in the Jets’ locker room because of his professionalism and approach. Cornerback Sauce Gardner described him as “a cool guy, cool cat.” Left guard John Simpson called Taylor “an old, wily vet.”
The Jets will be the sixth team for which Taylor has started in the past nine seasons. His last start was Jan. 7, 2024, for the Giants.
Because of how he’s attacked each day over all these years, to Taylor, nothing changes. His focus doesn’t change and neither does his attention to detail. The one difference is that he’s taken first-team reps instead of leading the scout team. On Sunday, he gets the chance to show he still can be an effective leading man.
Taylor has thrown 69 touchdown passes and 29 interceptions in 95 games. A Pro Bowler with the Bills in 2015, when he threw a career-high 20 touchdown passes, he has gone 28-28-1 as a starter.
He has appeared in only three games since his last start, all in mop-up duty with the Jets. His effectiveness has been remarkable, though. Taylor has led five drives and thrown four touchdown passes. He’s completed nearly 73% of his passes and has a 124.4 passer rating.
He accounted for the Jets’ only touchdown last week in his first game action since last season. He missed the preseason after arthroscopic knee surgery.
“He’s a guy that’s prepared for any situation and a guy that you can count on,” Simpson said.
Taylor now will face a first-team defense, and an aggressive one. Bucs coach Todd Bowles, who guided the Jets from 2015-18, likes to blitz and try to make quarterbacks uncomfortable.
The Jets are confident that the mobile Taylor will be just fine.
“He knows all the checks. He’s getting us into where we need to be,” receiver Garrett Wilson said. “When someone operates like that, you’re going to respect him. He’s got a great way of going about his business, and as a veteran, he’s one of the best.”
Taylor’s teammates call him “Hooper,” a term generally used for basketball players who are skilled, love playing and make their presence felt.
“He’s a dawg,” Gardner said. “When he gets on the field, he be hooping, like he finds a way to march the offense up and down the field.”
The Jets’ previous regime signed Taylor to be Aaron Rodgers’ backup last season. Rodgers always spoke highly of Taylor.
The new coaching staff knew of Taylor’s glowing reputation and how revered he was. They’ve been impressed by his work ethic, the way he goes about his business and how he treats everyone.
“He’s a true professional in every manner that you can think of,” Glenn said. “He is not one of these locker-room lawyers. I’m going to go back to the thing I like about quarterbacks: He’s not a celebrity quarterback. He’s just one of the guys . . . He has conversations with everybody in the locker room. So it’s easy to gravitate to a guy like that.”
The Jets’ defense will have to lift its play Sunday after allowing 224 rushing yards to Buffalo and at least 30 points in each of the first two games. The offense also struggled last week, but the Jets believe they’re in good hands with Taylor.
Said offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand: “It’s very comforting as a coach to know that if something does happen to your starter that you have a guy of that caliber that can step into the starting role for any amount of time needed and the offense not fall off in any shape or form. We’re excited about where he’s at and grateful that he’s on the team.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
