Why does it still come as a surprise?
After a fairly uneventful first day of training camp at Florham Park, the football gods in their infinite cruelty decided to bestow more misery upon the New York Jets.
The news all Jets fans feared, but probably secretly expected, was broke by several practice attendees. Justin Fields was carted from the field, with what was first reported to be a lower leg injury.
Jets Twitter immediately went into meltdown, understandably so. I texted a friend saying #TankForArch – half joking, half serious.
It does feel like this franchise is cursed like no other in sports. Instantly thoughts turned to a torn ACL or ruptured achilles.
But then a glimmer of light, new head coach Aaron Glenn confirmed that Fields had suffered a dislocation of a toe on his right foot, but crucially not the big toe. So in the annals of catastrophic Jets quarterback injuries this may turn out to be a minor footnote, pardon the pun.
But there is an unclear timeline for this injury, the Jets will do the due diligence and have no need to rush their new signal caller back.
So what happens if Fields is forced to miss time? Lets look at the other options on the roster.
Tyrod Taylor
I mentioned in my first ever piece for HuddleUK, that I would have been more than happy for Taylor to be the starter to roll into the season with.
Glenn was full of praise in his press conference earlier in the day and it is easy to see why. Taylor has been a solid if unspectacular player, he makes few mistakes and can lead teams to wins.
His ceiling would not be as high as Fields, but I think the floor is about the same. If Taylor is in line for significant game time, it would not be a disaster.
Adrian Martinez
Martinez is an MVP winner, in the UFL at least, and is vying for that third slot on the depth chart.
He showed some flashes in the preseason in 2024 and is back again in 2025. He led the UFL in rushing yards during his one season with the Birmingham Stallions, so he has an athletic profile.
It will be great to see him get some more reps in the preseason, but if he sees serious playing time in the regular season then we are in big trouble.
Brady Cook
Cook went undrafted in 2025 after four years with the Missouri Tigers, where he 26-13. In that time he passed for 49 touchdowns and 19 interceptions, while also scoring 20 rushing touchdowns.
Clearly Cook is very talented but raw, but the Fields injury may give him an avenue to preseason action. Once again it is doubtful – or very worrying – that he will have to face a full NFL defense this season.
So there you have it, the only viable option is Tyrod Taylor.
I suggest the coaching staff lock him in his house, wrapped in bubble wrap until Week 1 just incase Wile E. Coyote is waiting around the corner to drop an Acme weight on his head and make him the latest victim of the Jets injury curse.
