When Aaron Glenn announced his decision to bench Justin Fields for the New York Jets’ Week 12 contest against the Baltimore Ravens, many fans wondered whether another change to the depth chart was coming.
Tyrod Taylor is the new starter moving forward, marking the second time this season Fields has been benched for Taylor. However, with the 36-year-old’s injury history, there is a good chance the Jets will eventually need to call on their backup.
Fans have been calling for undrafted rookie Brady Cook to overtake Fields as the Jets’ new backup. On Wednesday, Glenn addressed the team’s plan.
Why Cook isn’t next — yet
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Glenn affirmed that Fields will remain the Jets’ QB2 over Cook.
As for Cook, Glenn made clear that his development remains a work in progress.
“He’s still developing,” Glenn said. “There’s been a plan for him from the very beginning. I want to make sure we do what’s right for him, and who knows, we’ll see what happens as the season progresses.”
While Glenn hasn’t ruled out Cook seeing action this year, the current depth chart isn’t changing.
“I’m not promising anything, but he knows exactly what his role is when it comes to this team. But I’ll say right now, Tyrod is our starter.”
The push to promote Cook to backup stemmed from a common belief in NFL circles: When a quarterback is benched twice in one season, it signals a lack of confidence from the coaches. Yet, if that same quarterback remains the backup, the team may have no choice but to play him again, despite that vote of no confidence.
That’s the situation with Fields. The Jets don’t fully trust him to lead the team, but they’re willing to play him if Taylor goes down.
It’s clear the Jets’ future franchise quarterback isn’t currently on the roster. For now, Taylor will get the first shot to lead the team. If Taylor goes down, the Jets aren’t yet ready to trust Cook over Fields. At some point, though, Cook’s opportunity could still come.
