The Jets’ quarterback situation in Thursday’s practice appeared to be exactly what it was Wednesday, which was rookie Brady Cook taking the majority of the first-team reps.
During the portion of practice open to reporters, the only two quarterbacks wearing the red non-contact jersey were Cook, who played almost all of last Sunday’s game after starter Tyrod Taylor injured his groin, and Adrian Martinez, who the Jets this week signed as an emergency option.
Neither Taylor nor Justin Fields, who last week complained of knee soreness, were on the field during the team practice portion and remain questionable to be ready for Sunday’s game against the Jaguars in Jacksonville.
“In reference to Brady, undrafted rookie free agent out of Missouri, from his time that he showed up in OTAs to now I would say that he has made a good, significant amount of progress,’’ Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand said Thursday. “We’re happy with where he’s at.’’
Other than Taylor and Fields, the Jets injury report through Thursday included RB Breece Hall (knee), TE Mason Taylor (neck), LB Quincy Williams (hand), LB Kiko Mauigoa (neck), TE Stone Smartt (concussion) and CB Azareye’h Thomas (shoulder) — all of whom didn’t practice Wednesday.
The Jets own one of the best special teams groups in the NFL this season, with an NFL-best four returns for TDs, and a strong punting and kicking game.
In the Jags, however, the Jets may have met their match. Jacksonville’s Parker Washington has two punt returns for TDs, same as the Jets’ Isaiah Williams has.
“It starts with Parker Washington in terms of how dynamic he is,’’ Jets special teams coach Chris Banjo said Thursday. “I think he has all the tools in his bag.’’
As good as Nick Folk has been for the Jets, making 23 of 24 field-goal attempts, Jacksonville has a weapon in its kicker, 22-year-old Cam Little, who booted an NFL-record 68-yard field goal earlier this season and hit one from 70 yards in preseason.
“He’s very, very talented,’’ Banjo said. “They definitely let him dial it up a little bit, and he’s earned the right to do so.’’
Banjo said the fake punt the Jets executed against the Dolphins last Sunday was “something we’ve been working on for a while.’’
“When you talk about the execution, sometimes on game days things get sped up a little bit,’’ Banjo said. “So the pitch wasn’t the best … but actually, you know what … I take all of that back.’’
Banjo said that last part with a smile because the pitch from Malachi Moore to running back Isaiah Davis was so low that Davis had to field it like a baseball shortstop off the ground. But it worked thanks to Davis.
“Anything that Zay does is hard for him to really come on the negative side of it,’’ Banjo said. “If he messes something up, it’s pretty much because you’re coaching it wrong.’’
Banjo said he wouldn’t get into the “specifics’’ of how long the Jets have been working on the play, but he said, “The guys were able to build confidence in that play [and] they’ve been nagging me the whole time about when we were going to get it done. So, it was really cool for them to see that executed.’’
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
