Content available exclusively for subscribers
It’s unclear who the Jets’ starting QB will be on Sunday, with Tyrod Taylor (groin) and Justin Fields (knee) both injured.
If neither one of those quarterbacks is available, they could go with Brady Cook, but he is a major project, who most teams in the league would not have placed in their #3 spot this year, with all he had to work on.
Cook is a great kid, with great character who is works very hard, but not considered a prospect many in the scouting community saw seeing the field this year, under any circumstances, because he had so much to do to refine his skill set.
“Cook needs to improve his eye discipline to keep windows open and safeties out of his business,” wrote NFL Network’s Lance Zeirlein before the draft. “He’s an average decision-maker and field-reader who defaults to unsound passing platforms when he feels pressure. He has the size and mobility to make plays as a scrambler and with designed runs. Cook’s physical traits and athletic ability are worth a discussion as a developmental prospect.
“Stares at targets and leads safeties to their work, decision-making from the pocket is average, fails to manipulate coverage and throw with anticipation versus zone, rushes through progressions with sloppy footwork, throws with low release point and troubling inaccuracy, too much wobble and not enough spiral on his throws.”
So if Taylor or Fields can’t play, do you start Cook, or just-signed Adrian Martinez, who knows the system (with the Jets in the off-season and summer), and has more experience than Cook? . . .
You know what is interesting about this quarterback situation? Usually when the sports books don’t know who a team is starting at QB due to injurie(s), they take the game off the board, but that isn’t the case with this game.
The game has been on the board the last couple of days, with nobody having a clue who the Jets are starting at QB, with the line ranging from the Jags being favored by anywhere from 11.5 to 12.5 points.
In other words, Vegas is saying, “It doesn’t really matter who they start, there won’t be much of a difference in how the offense will operate.” . . .
The Jets’ issues covering tight ends continue.
In the first quarter of their loss to Miami, a journeyman tight end named Greg Dulcich, on his third team, had three catches for 41 yards. He looked like Antonio Gates early in this game.
He was essentially uncovered on each play.
A big need this off-season for Gang Green is an elite coverage linebacker with top-shelf coverage instincts.
The Jets’ tight end coverage improved after the first quarter, when, unfortunately, a player got hurt, and his backup came in.
It’s always horrible when anybody gets hurt, but the backup is better in coverage than the starter . . .
Another issue for the Jets offense, aside from QB inconsistency and injuries, is forcing two recently acquired receivers into he starting lineup so fast – guys still getting comfortable in the system.
They have talent, but they are learning the system on the fly and have little chemistry with the QBs, something often developed in the spring and summer.
This offense has looked out of sync, no matter who the QB is.
It’s almost turned into street yard ball with two new receivers added in season, learning on the fly. John Metchie’s two touchdowns were on street-yard plays with the QB running around, and Metchie finging a soft spot in the secondary. A.D. Mitchell’s long TD against Atlanta was a bomb where the cornerback fell. These are plays from deep in the playbook.
What happened to Tyler Johnson? Oddly, he doesn’t play anymore. He’s a savvy veteran who runs good routes and knows the system.
Having two new starting receivers added during the season is very unusual, and I challenge anybody to show me another example of this. One fine, but two?
Look, they are making some plays here and there, but the passing offense is lacking flow and consistency, and starting two guys who were added in-season might be a factor.
Very unusual approach . . .
The Jets signed defensive end Kingsley Johathan to their practice squad.
This kind of transaction will be ignored by most and considered just another bus station move on the practice squad, where there are always guys coming and going.
But this wasn’t just another practice-squad transaction to be ignored.
In the last two games, the Jets’ defensive line has been terrible against the run. They got manhandled.
Their two starting defensive ends combined for 1/2 tackle between them in the loss to Miami.
Not putting him in Canton, but Jonathan is a thickly built, powerful defensive end who might be able to help the defensive line play the run a little better . . .
The Jets put defensive end Tyler Baron on injured reserve with a knee injury and signed defensive end Eric Watts to the active roster. Watts has a good motor, but must learn to play with a lower pad level. At 6-6, he often plays with a pad level too high, which makes him too easily blocked . . .
December 10, 2025
Premium will return by 9:30 pm (or sooner) on Thursday.
