No matter who is at quarterback on Sunday, the Jets will be down a couple of their top players.
Head coach Aaron Glenn has ruled out both receiver Garrett Wilson (knee) and cornerback Sauce Gardner (concussion) for Sunday’s matchup with the Bengals.
Moreover, Glenn did not officially announce a starter at quarterback. Tyrod Taylor (knee) is questionable for the game after practicing in a limited capacity this week.
Glenn was asked multiple times and in multiple ways about who would start at quarterback between Taylor and Justin Fields, and answered in the same way, noting that he wasn’t saying because he doesn’t want to.
Still, after team owner Woody Johnson’s comments earlier this week, it would be more of a surprise if Taylor didn’t start — provided he’s healthy enough to do so.
Additionally, running back Breece Hall (knee) and tight end Mason Taylor (quad) are questionable for the contest, Glenn said, though they are trending in the right direction to play.
It’s been an ugly season for the Jets in almost every respect, except one: Kicker Nick Folk has made every one of his kicks, making the Jets the only team in the league that’s perfect on both field goals and extra points.
Folk is 14-for-14 on field goals this season, including a very impressive 5-for-5 on kicks beyond 50 yards. He’a also perfect on extra points, although the Jets don’t score many touchdowns, so he has only kicked seven of those in seven games.
After Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker missed a field goal for the first time this season on Thursday night, every NFL team other than the Jets has missed at least one kick this season.
The 40-year-old Folk, who previously played for the Jets from 2010 to 2016, re-signed with them this year. That’s proving to be one of the few good moves the Jets made this offseason.
Winless teams at the end of October tend to find themselves discussed as potential sellers at the trade deadline and the Jets are no exception with the November 4 deadline coming soon.
Edge rusher Jermaine Johnson is one player whose name has been bandied about as a possible target for teams interested in a defensive upgrade. Johnson appeared to respond to that chatter on Wednesday by posting Leonardo DiCaprio’s “I’m not leaving” speech from The Wolf of Wall Street on social media and he said on Thursday that he’s gotten “clarity” from the team that they are not planning to deal him.
“I’m definitely wanted here, and I want to stay here,” Johnson said, via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. “That’s been understood. Hence the tweet.”
Johnson returned from last season’s torn Achilles to start the season on the field, but missed three games with an ankle injury before returning for the last two games. He had nine tackles and a sack while helping the Jets allow a total of 26 points in losses to the Broncos and Panthers in those games.
The Jets picked up Johnson’s 2026 option, so he’s under contract for a guaranteed $13.4 million and, for now, it looks like the Jets will be the team paying that salary.
The Jets remained without cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson at practice on Thursday.
Gardner suffered a concussion in last Sunday’s loss to the Panthers and the fact that he remains out of practice means that he’s likely going to miss Sunday’s game against the Bengals. With Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at receiver for Cincinnati, that’s not great for the Jets’ chances of winning their first game.
The same could be said of the potential absence of wide receiver Garrett Wilson. Wilson did not play in Week 7 due to a knee injury and he’s been out of practice both days this week as well.
Tight end Mason Taylor (quad) was added to the injury report as a non-participant. Linebacker Cam Jones (hip), kick returner Kene Nwangwu (concussion), and defensive tackle Jay Tufele (knee) were also out.
Running back Breece Hall (knee) and quarterback Tyrod Taylor (knee) were listed as limited for the second straight day while edge rusher Jermaine Johnson (ankle) and cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers (hip) moved up to full participation.
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn kept his quarterback choice for this week under wraps when he met with reporters on Wednesday and no one else from the team has given a hint about who will get the start.
Justin Fields said that he and Tyrod Taylor are both getting practice reps with the first team and Taylor was also mum about which direction things might go when he met with the media on Thursday. Taylor replaced Fields for the second half of last Sunday’s loss, but he said he’s not expecting any role against the Bengals this Sunday.
“I have no anticipation for it,” Taylor said. “My mind and my sole focus is being available and ready to be able to lead this team when called upon.”
Glenn will speak to reporters again on Friday, but he cited competitive advantage for his reason for withholding the quarterback choice on Wednesday so the wait to find out his identity may run all the way up to the announcement of inactives on Sunday morning.
