The New York Jets have been an entirely different team since turning to Tyrod Taylor at quarterback, which has benefited everyone in the organization except Justin Fields. The fifth-year signal-caller has handled the situation about as poorly as possible and will now miss the Jets' Week 14 rematch with the Miami Dolphins.
After serving as Taylor's backup the last two weeks, Fields will not be active for Week 14, head coach Aaron Glenn told reporters. Fields will miss the game due to “knee soreness,” according to ESPN's Rich Cimini.
The Jets will subsequently elevate rookie Brady Cook from the practice squad to back up Taylor in Week 14. Cook has yet to make his NFL debut, but he appeared in three preseason games for the team in August.
Although injury appears to be the reason behind Fields' absence, his actions since the benching have been questionable at best. Not only have fans noticed his blatantly negative body language, but Fields claims he still views himself as the starter despite the offense clearly being better with Taylor under center.
As much as Fields might want to deny it, the Jets have statistically been better with Taylor. They went 2-7 in nine games with Fields while averaging 20.2 points per game. Taylor has led them to a 1-2 record, including a pair of competitive losses to the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens, while leading the team to 21.3 points per game.
After a horrendous 0-7 start, the Jets have been an entirely different team over the last six weeks, going 3-2 since Week 8. Fields started in two of those victories, but averaged just 149 passing yards, one touchdown and 0.5 interceptions in those games.
Jets HC Aaron Glenn voices approval of Brady Cook
Fields has not played a snap since his Week 11 benching, but the odds of him receiving another opportunity behind an injury-prone Taylor remain high. In the event Taylor suffers an issue in Week 14, Glenn voiced his confidence in Cook.
“He's a very fiery guy,” Glenn said. “The one thing we do quite a bit in practice is we have a number of competition periods. You see exactly how he goes about his business when his time comes up. He looks forward to it. He always asks when those opportunities come up and we make sure we give him those reps. He's gonna be a quarterback in this league. I can't tell you when, but he's gonna be a quarterback in this league.”
Coach Glenn on rookie QB Brady Cook, who will be the backup to Tyrod Taylor Sunday with Justin Fields dealing with a knee injury pic.twitter.com/nW5bkJaWnZ
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 5, 2025
Cook went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he entered the league with a host of credentials. The 24-year-old is Missouri's third all-time leading passer. Only Chase Daniel and Drew Lock have more passing yards than him at Mizzou, who both enjoyed extensive careers in the NFL.
