Training Camp Preview: Quarterbacks

Edition #893: 12 days from now the rookies will arrive at 1JD for training camp, followed 3 days later by the vets. It's time to get down to previews.

☀️ Good morning ☕

I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July weekend. Apologies to Bobber but I was unable to catch the hotdog eating contest on account that it makes me pretty queasy seeing all those hotdogs disappear so quickly. 😂

We’re going to get back to business here at TJW with a series of camp previews. We’re going to hit on every single position, what are the guarantees? Where are the battles? What is the biggest question mark at each position.

Today we’re starting with the most important position on the football field and a position the Jets have struggled with for decades, let’s talk quarterbacks.

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Around the New York Jets 🟩⬜

• Brandon Stephens has been talking about his goal for the 2025 season: "Just being able to change the game, Not trying to force your way into changing games but just being in the right spot at the right time. We speak in the DB room about turning the ball over and getting hands on the ball," Stephens said. "I think that's been a main focus for me. But as a unit as well, we know we can change the game with turnovers and just making plays on the ball." Only three teams in the NFL generated fewer interceptions than the Jets 7 last season, so this is definitely an area of focus.

• Mason Taylor has been speaking to the official website recently: “You can tell by the way we install stuff and go out there on the practice field that the tight ends are definitely going to be used, We love it, all of our tight ends love it. We all have aspects in kind of different ways we come and impact the game, so I think Tanner does a great job of putting us in positions to be successful, and that’s the biggest thing”

• Andre Cisco has been talking about Justin Fields - "Getting to know him up close as a teammate has been really, really special. I'm glad that I get this opportunity to get behind him and support him as he takes on that role. We already know what quarterback means in the NFL. I'm excited for him to prove those who are doubting him wrong and those who are supporting right, because I think he's gonna have a huge year.”

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Quotes from the coach! 📜

Here’s a quote that I found from Aaron Glenn from his time in Detroit.

“Here’s how I sum up leadership. It’s really one word, it’s influence. And everybody that I come into contact with, I want to influence them in some positive way, and I don’t take that for granted when it comes to players, because that’s my responsibility. It’s almost the same as my children. I want to make sure that everybody that I come into contact with, that when they leave AG that they have something positive to say,”

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The Jets 2025 QB situation is one of intrigue, can Justin Fields continue his ascent, can Taylor stay healthy, can another emerge?

The Jets believed they’d solved their QB issues with the signing of Aaron Rodgers, but everyone knew it was a short-term fix that has the potential to implode, and implode it did.

Despite Rodgers statistically putting up one of the best QB seasons in Jets history, it always felt self-serving, stat-padding for Aaron and his buddies. It’s part of why the Jets finished the year with a 5-12 record.

Over the last two decades the Jets have tried the highly drafted prospect route and it’s not worked with the likes of Christian Hackenberg, Zach Wilson, Sam Darnold and Geno Smith. They’ve also tried the dimming star of NFL legends in Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre. Now they try the reclamation project.

Let me re-share a stat about Justin Fields that I put in a newsletter early last week: Justin Fields is the only quarterback since 1950 to improve in completion percentage, interception percentage and passer rating in each of his four seasons. You guys know I’m a Justin Fields guy, have been since I saw his quiet confidence in Netflix’s QB1. Was a fan of him at Georgia and then Ohio State, with the Bears and Steelers and now with the Jets. I don’t know if this will work, but I’m fully on board with the Jets trying something new.

Let’s jump straight into the training camp preview for the QBs.

Starter: Justin Fields

Backup: Tyrod Taylor

Bubble: Adrian Martinez, Brady Cook

There isn’t a great deal of intrigue around the QB position and that’s exactly what you want if you’re an first-time head coach heading into their first off-season. The Jets know that Justin Fields will be their starter and they know that Tyrod Taylor will be their backup, but what of the other two.

The battle for QB3 is an interesting one. Martinez is the more athletically gifted, Cook the more seasoned college performer. Both have had good and bad moments during the OTA portion of the off-season and based on everything I’ve heard, Martinez is slightly ahead when it comes to that battle.

Most teams in the NFL will only carry two QBs on the active roster, so the battle is really for the practice squad place. With that practice squad place comes the opportunity to be the emergency QB on gameday, which means you’re just a couple of injuries away from being the starter. Considering both Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor are running QBs, injuries are not only possible, but probable.

I don’t think we need to speak about Justin Fields all that much. We’ve spoken about him a lot this off-season and I imagine we’ll speak a lot about him in the weeks ahead. He’s coming off a season where he hit a career high completing 65.8% of his passes with a 0.6% interception rate and 10 total touchdowns in 6 starts. The fact that some Steeler fans are still unhappy about hie benching, which turned into them going all out with Aaron Rodgers is a positive in my mind. Justin Fields is QB1 and I’m excited about it.

Tyrod Taylor will soon turn 36 (August 3rd) and last attempted over 200 passes in 2017. He completed 77.3% of his passes last season for the Jets, but that came on 22 attempts. He was serviceable with the Giants back in 2023 when he started 5 games completing 64.4% of his passes for 5 TDs and 3 INTs. His legs aren’t what they used to be but he’s an experienced head who will do a good job for you if called on for a game or two. He’s the clear QB2 in New York and that won’t change of the course of training camp.

Adrian Martinez started his NFL career with Tanner Engstrand and Aaron Glenn in Detroit in 2023 after going undrafted out of Kansas State but was waived later that off-season during cut-downs. He then went on to be named the 2024 UFL Championship MVP for the Birmingham Stallions after contributing 3 total touchdowns, this coming just weeks after he got benched for Matt Corral. He finished that year with 528 rushing yards and 3 TD during the regular season with 60 yards and 2 rushing TDs in the post-season. He also limited his turnovers throwing 17 TDs to 4 INTs over the course of the season.

Finally we have Brady Cook, a player who I’m a big fan of. Cook doesn’t have the wheels that Martinez does, but he’s no slouch either. Brady finished his Missouri career with 1,262 yards on the ground and 21 rushing TDs. When you couple that with a 65.9% completion rate in college and a 21-6 TD/INT season in 2023, you have something to work with. Cook struggled through a number of injuries in 2024 which hurt his numbers and he’s thrown a couple of bad picks in OTA’s, but the Jets as an organisation really like Cook’s potential and he will battle Martinez all the way for that QB3 role. There is a world where both Cook and Martinez make the practice squad, as unconventional as that may sound.

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Around The League 🌎

• The Steelers have signed Omar Khan to a new 3-year contract. It seems unlike Joe Douglas, his future was not tied to the success of an all-in season with Aaron Rodgers at the helm.

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A Moment In History 🏺

This video comes courtesy of the NYJ History account on X, who post up some excellent nostalgic content.

Today we take a look at a Leon Johnson 66-yard punt return touchdown for the Jets against Minnesota at the Meadowlands back in 1997.

Johnson was a 4th-round pick out of North Carolina in 1997 and while he finished his NFL career with only 9 rushing TDs, the RB was a good punt returner for the Jets in 1997 having over 600 return yards and this score.

Interestingly enough this was the only punt return that Leon Johnson ever returned for a NFL TD despite having 171 punt returns on his resume.