But the coach isn’t revealing who after he was asked during his press conference on Wednesday.
“We’ll have a quarterback on Sunday, I will tell you that,” Glenn said. “I wouldn’t want to give them a competitive advantage when I have that opportunity. But we will have a quarterback.”
Whoever starts against the Bengals on Sunday will look to improve a Jets offense that not only has zero wins but also no touchdowns during the past eight quarters. But the conundrum is that Tyrod Taylor is also dealing with a knee injury and is day-to-day, according to Glenn. He missed the entire preseason after having a minor knee scope in August.
Taylor practiced on Wednesday on a limited basis, and according to Justin Fields, the two split snaps during practice. Fields also told reporters that Glenn has not told him who will start against Cincinnati.
“I honestly don’t know,” Fields said. “That’s a question for AG.”
Following an abysmal performance against the Panthers in which he completed 6-of-12 passes for 46 yards, Glenn benched Fields for Taylor after halftime, hoping to generate a spark from an offense that’s been struggling this season. But Taylor completed 10-of-22 passes for 126 yards and an interception, and the Jets offense generated just three points.
On Monday, Glenn told reporters that he was considering a quarterback change and would seek advice from others before making a decision.
I have all the confidence in the world in Justin,” Glenn said. “I have all the confidence in the world in Tyrod. I have all the confidence in Brady [Cook], he’s a rookie and he still has to improve as far as how we’re doing things, but I have all the confidence in the world in those guys.
“And the reason why I have confidence is because I have confidence in the coaching staff also to be able to help those guys navigate through what they’re going through right now.”
Following his Week 1 performance against the Steelers, Fields’ play has declined in recent weeks. He has passed for four touchdowns and 845 yards while completing 63.7% of his passes. Fields has registered three touchdowns and 257 yards rushing, averaging 6.1 yards per attempt.
In addition, Fields is 31st in the league in Total QBR (31.8).
During the previous week against the Broncos, Fields’ play was also dreadful. He was sacked nine times and completed 9-of-17 passes for 45 yards in the 13-11 loss to Denver in London. The Jets as a team also finished with -10 net passing yards.
While he has yet to throw an interception, Fields has fumbled three times and has held onto the ball too long inside the pocket. He has also been inaccurate in getting his ball to receivers.
Glenn has been one of Fields’ most prominent supporters after he signed a two-year, $40 million contract ($30 million guaranteed) last March. As the only winless team in the NFL, Glenn and the Jets are searching for answers to secure their first victory of 2025.
Fields being possibly benched isn’t a huge surprise after Jets owner Woody Johnson’s comments on Tuesday. Although he said the starting quarterback decision was Glenn’s, Johnson did not hold back his feelings about how the Jets offense has performed with Fields under center.
“It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that he’s got,” Johnson said. “He has the ability, but something is just not jiving.
“But, if you look at any head coach with a quarterback like that, you’re gonna see similar results across the league. You have to play consistently at that position, and that’s what we’re gonna try to do.”
Fields told reporters on Wednesday that he didn’t see Johnson’s comments on social media. He also said no one from the Jets organization briefed him on what Johnson said about him before his media availability.
“It doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t,” Fields said. “Of course, everybody knows I need to play better, we need to play better as a team, and of course, no matter how the offense does as a unit, I’m going to get the blame, and I understand that. That’s just what comes with the job.
“Honestly, it’s what comes with it, so you can’t let anything affect your mind, my mind, and that is what it is. No matter if it’s him, no matter if it’s family members, or even teammates sometimes. There’s going to be times where you have to be the only one who believes in yourself. Like I said, that’s his opinion, and like I told you guys after the game on Sunday, I’m at peace and all my focus is right now is working each and every day and getting better.”
Taylor will start on Sunday against ex-Jet Joe Flacco, who was also his former teammate with the Ravens and a mentor for the first four seasons of his career after being drafted out of Virginia Tech. This will mark the second start of the season for Taylor after he filled in for Fields in Week 3, following a concussion.
In limited action, Taylor has passed for 379 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. The Jets are hoping to play complementary football for the first time this season.
During the early stages of the season, the Jets’ defense’s play was the culprit for many of their losses, but now it has been on their offense. The Jets rank 29th in yards (271.3) and 27th in points per game (18.4).
“Everybody has to do their job, consistently,” Fields said about the offense. “It takes all 11, not just one, two, three, four. That’s the thing about offense, you need everybody doing their job.
“Defense is a little bit different. One person can mess up and they can still get a TFL [tackle for loss] and quote-unquote have a positive play on defense, so everybody has to do their job consistently each and every play.”