The Jets’ 19–17 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday night marked the end of their preseason schedule.
The Jets may now formally look forward to Week 1 and their Sunday, September 7 game against Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers at MetLife Stadium, one month after training camp started.
Here are some things we took away from the game versus the Eagles before we start the season.
Brady Cook, an undrafted rookie, started Friday’s game against the reigning Super Bowl champions since Justin Fields was unable to play.
With Cook behind center, the Jets offense struggled to break out of neutral, despite his completion of 13 of 19 throws for 99 yards (including an interception). The Jets offense did not have more than five plays in any of his first six drives.
Cook didn’t lead the Jets to points until the last drive of the half, following Nick Folks’ 41-yard field goal just before halftime.
After completing 7 out of 14 passes for 86 yards, Adrian Martinez wasn’t any better. In addition, he had a lost fumble and an interception. However, he did help the Jets rally from a 19-3 deficit early in the fourth quarter.
Despite not playing against the Eagles, Tyrod Taylor was present on the sidelines. After having his knee scoped earlier this month, the seasoned quarterback was originally declared out of the preseason.
Taylor should be ready for Week 1, Jets coach Aaron Glenn told reporters.
I have no doubt that he will be. After Friday’s game, Glenn informed reporters, “I am.”
The Jets must consider other backup quarterback options if Taylor is not cleared to play against the Steelers.
Nathan Peterman and C.J. Beathard were in for tryouts with the Jets last week. Cook and Martinez have not been involved in an NFL regular-season game.
The Jets must make sure they have a seasoned player who has made significant snaps in case Fields is injured.
Even though it’s only preseason, the Jets are still having trouble with penalties.
In Friday’s final, they racked up 78 yards on 10 penalties. The Jets lost to the Giants a week ago after racking up seven penalties for 65 yards.
Glenn has been determined to put an end to the self-harming injuries. For this reason, he had officials on hand throughout training camp drills and used the field to relay their calls to the players.
Eliminating irresponsible penalties is one of Glenn’s priorities because the Jets have led the NFL in penalties for the past two seasons. Glenn specifically wants the post-play penalties and pre-snap errors eliminated. The Jets still need to improve in that area, though, based on the preseason.
Veteran players typically take a break during preseason games when the starters do.
When Jeremy Ruckert and Derrick Nnadi played against the Eagles, it was not the case. Both players can be on the bubble of the roster. Although Ruckert has been struggling during training camp, he is expected to be the Jets’ backup tight end.
In March, the Jets inked veteran Nnadi to a $1.42 million, one-year deal in the hopes that he would establish himself as their defensive lineman next to Quinnen Williams. However, that hasn’t happened. He played against the Eagles in the fourth quarter, indicating that he is not guaranteed a spot on the squad.
During training camp workouts, Nnadi has occasionally been so absent that younger players like Leonard Taylor III and Phidarian Mathis have outperformed the three-time Super Bowl champion. In addition, the Jets acquired Jowon Briggs and Harrison Phillips in different transactions with the Browns and Vikings.
It appears that Nnadi may now be in danger of being fired. The Jets may begin dismissing players as early as this weekend, but the 53-man roster deadline is set for Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Glenn remarked, “This week, I told the guys that their job in this game was to make it difficult for me in terms of the evaluation process to make our team.” However, you may even record anything to help someone else’s squad. And since that is the purpose of this league, I have no qualms with telling the players that.
And I’m going to do all in my power to support those guys. However, this week’s procedure is to make sure we review the game, get it out of our system, prepare for practice on Monday, have a walkthrough on Tuesday, and then, of course, make our cuts.
