Taking a look at the Jets’ new backup quarterback
Now that free agency is well and truly underway, we’re going to be breaking down the players acquired by the New York Jets so far, continuing today with quarterback Tyrod Taylor.
The 34 year old Taylor is listed at 6’1” and 215 pounds. He was a sixth round pick out of Virginia Tech in 2011. He has started 58 games in his career, posting a 29-28-1 win-loss record in those games. He has passed for over 12,000 yards and 65 touchdowns, with 19 rushing touchdowns.
Background
Tyrod Taylor was ranked as the top dual-threat quarterback prospect in the country after a high school career that also saw him play safety.
He was recruited to Virginia Tech, where he mostly backed up Sean Glennon in his freshman year, although he did start five games. Entering his final season, Taylor had only thrown 15 interceptions in 29 starts and had contributed 20 touchdown passes and 18 touchdown runs.
In his senior year, Taylor was named to the all-ACC first team and won the ACC Offensive Player of the Year award after posting 24 touchdown passes and only five interceptions. He ended the season with a career-high 2,743 passing yards and also rushed for five touchdowns.
For his career as a whole, Taylor completed 57 percent of his passes, but only had one 300-yard passing game. He rushed for 100 yards or more six times.
Taylor had an excellent performance at the NFL scouting combine and he was a projected late round pick in the 2011 NFL draft. He was eventually selected in the 6th round by the Baltimore Ravens.
In four years with Baltimore Taylor only saw extended action in one game, as the playoff-bound Ravens rested quarterback Joe Flacco for most of the season finale. Taylor had a touchdown run but also threw a crucial pick-six in that game, although he would collect a Super Bowl ring when the Ravens went all the way in the playoffs.
Entering his fifth season, the Buffalo Bills took a chance on Taylor, with head coach Rex Ryan confident that he could be an effective starter at the NFL level. Taylor repaid that confidence by playing well enough to earn Pro Bowl recognition in his first season with Buffalo. He completed over 64 percent of his passes for over 3,000 yards and had 20 touchdowns and only six interceptions.
His numbers in 2016 and 2017 were similar. 2017 saw him post an 8-6 record as a starter as the Bills made the postseason, but he struggled in the playoffs, completing just 17 of 37 passes in a 10-3 wild card loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. In three seasons with the Bills, Taylor passed for almost 9,000 yards and rushed for over 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns. He passed for 51 touchdowns with just 16 interceptions.
Since leaving the Bills, Taylor hasn’t been a full-time starter and hasn’t had the same kind of success, but he has generally played well when called upon.
Taylor spent 2018 with the Cleveland Browns, starting three games but completing less than 50 percent of his passes. He then signed for the Los Angeles Chargers and played with them for two seasons. He only started one game, in which he failed to throw a touchdown pass but did lead his team to the win. In 2021, he started six games for the Houston Texans, winning two.
For the past two seasons Taylor has been with the New York Giants. He barely played in 2022, but he started five games in 2023, in which the Giants were competitive. He posted a 300-yard game, just the second of his career, in the Giants’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Jets locked up Taylor with a two-year deal during the legal tampering window this year.
Now let’s take a look at what Taylor brings to the table, divided into categories.
Measurables/Athleticism
Taylor lacks ideal height for the quarterback position, but is an outstanding athlete who apparently posted a 40-inch vertical in college.
At the scouting combine, he ran a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash and posted outstanding explosiveness and agility numbers. Despite now being in his mid-thirties, he still displays quick feet and burst on the field.
Ahead of the draft, there were some analysts who felt Taylor might have a future as a running back or wide receiver.
Arm Strength
Taylor has shown many times over the years that he can throw a beautiful deep ball, on time and accurate. In 2023, he was 9th in the league for yards per attempt on deep throws.
He has shown that he can put zip on longer throws, but he is more prone to putting touch on the ball instead. This can cause issues in high winds.
Accuracy
Taylor’s completion percentages have not typically been outstanding throughout his career. He has a 61.7 career completion percentage.
However, he has the ability to make on-time throws and put the ball up in a place where only his receiver has a chance to make a play on the ball.
Taylor has also consistently proven to be capable of being accurate enough to fit the ball into tight windows.
He exhibits decent accuracy both from the pocket and when throwing on the run and can hit receivers in stride at all levels.
Under pressure
While his numbers obviously reduce when he is pressured, Taylor deals with pressure better than many quarterbacks, as he can move within the pocket, steps up effectively and shows good awareness and poise.
His speed enables him to extend plays when the pocket collapses, and his ability to throw on the run and keep his eyes downfield mean he is still a threat in such situations.
Taylor is also capable of getting the ball out quickly and accurately even when under heavy pressure.
Taylor’s ball security has improved since his first year as a starter, when he fumbled nine times. He has never fumbled more than four times in a season since then.
Footwork/Technique
Taylor’s footwork was very sloppy when he first entered the league, but he’s made dramatic improvements to his footwork and mechanics over the course of his career.
He has a smooth release, although he can sometimes have a slow wind-up when he has plenty of time to get a throw off. He also has the ability to be effective when changing his arm angles or throwing on the move.
Decision Making
Although Taylor will make a mistake from time to time, he’s not the kind of player who will make multiple mistakes in the same game. In fact, he’s only thrown multiple interceptions twice in his entire NFL career. At the college level, he threw two interceptions three times but never more than that.
One of the things that makes him effective is that he still sees the field even when he has to scramble. However, he can be guilty of forcing throws rather than taking the easy yardage on rare occasions.
There were a couple of high profile mistakes he made last year, including one where Brian Daboll was furious with him after the Giants tried to run the ball from the goal line just before half time and the clock ran out. He also screwed up this potential game-winning two point conversion in the Rams game.
Mobility
Taylor has been a productive runner over the course of his career, both on designed runs and scrambles, although – as noted above – he will often still be looking to pass when scrambling. He has rushed for over 2,000 yards in his career, with 19 touchdowns.
Last season, he had 10 first down runs in his five starts, and showed that he still has some quickness and elusiveness.
Special teams
Taylor has actually played special teams at the NFL level because he was the holder for the Chargers on field goals and extra points during part of the 2019 season. He was responsible for one delay of game penalty within that role, but they still made the kick.
In high school, Taylor also returned kickoffs.
Scheme Fit
The Jets will be Taylor’s seventh team, so he has good familiarity with a lot of offensive systems, some of which will inevitably share similarities with Nathaniel Hackett’s scheme.
Surprisingly, despite having played for so many different teams over the years, the only current Jet to have been a teammate of Taylor’s was CJ Mosley, whose rookie year coincided with Taylor’s final season in Baltimore.
Injuries
Injuries are a major concern with Taylor, who – despite missing games multiple times during his career – has managed to avoid any serious long-term injuries.
He missed time last year due to a rib injury after Mosley landed on him on a tackle over near the sideline. Taylor would have returned to the starting role sooner than he did, but the Giants gave Tommy DeVito a few more games before turning back to Taylor.
Taylor has been concussed multiple times during his career, missed six weeks with a hamstring injury in 2021, and also missed games with wrist, back and knee injuries.
In 2020, he suffered a punctured lung due to a medical error while being administered a painkilling injection. He’s also shown toughness by returning to a game following a dislocated finger and had offseason groin surgery in 2016.
In college, he twice suffered a high ankle sprain and also missed time with a pulled muscle in his side.
Intangibles
Taylor exhibits good leadership, a calm demeanor and a team-first attitude, as well as having a good work ethic.
He has played and had success in cold weather conditions, and he had five games in his three years with the Bills where he either led a fourth quarter comeback or a game-winning drive.
Since then, he’s had just two such games – one where he led a comeback in a game that ended in a tie and one where he led the Chargers from 13-6 down in the fourth quarter against the Bengals to a 16-13 win.
Conclusions
In many respects, Taylor was the perfect choice to be the Jets’ backup in 2024 and you have to wonder what their record would have been in 2023 with a quarterback of his caliber in reserve.
Unlike some of the other free agent quarterbacks, Taylor won’t be expecting to start, and he has shown he can be effective coming off the bench in the past, but he has still posted the kind of efficient numbers you’d want from your emergency starter throughout his career.
He still has mobility, which is a key aspect of his game, but the possibility of him being called upon to fill in for Rodgers and then immediately getting hurt himself is the main concern with Taylor as the choice for backup.
Naturally, if all goes to plan in 2024 (and 2025), he’ll hardly need to play anyway. It’s just good to know that he is a capable option in case he is needed.