It doesn’t appear that rookie tight end Mason Taylor will be returning to the lineup for the New York Jets this week.
The football work week is all thrown off because of the Christmas holiday. The Jets didn’t practice on Wednesday, but they estimated/projected who would have and wouldn’t have practiced — Taylor didn’t.
It was the second straight DNP [did not practice] ahead of the New England Patriots rematch on Sunday. ESPN’s Rich Cimini posted on social media, “Mason Taylor is trending in the wrong direction.”
Taylor has missed the last two games because of this neck issue.
Wait a Second… What Gives?
A week ago on Friday, December 19, head coach Aaron Glenn strongly indicated that Taylor’s return was imminent.
“I think he will be back next week. I mean, obviously, when you’re talking about a neck, it’s always something you have to look in on, but he will be just fine. He will be just fine, and there is a good chance that he will be back next week,” Coach Glenn revealed.
Now, a “good chance” isn’t a 100% guarantee of return in fairness, but not even practicing either of the first two days of practice this week indicates that he isn’t close to coming back.
This definitely can’t be about football gamesmanship. The Patriots are a 12-3 football team that has already punched their ticket to the playoffs. I very much doubt they are staying up at night with the uncertainty of Taylor playing or not playing this week.
In the first matchup between these teams in Week 11 on Thursday Night Football, Taylor was a non-factor.
He was targeted four times, caught four passes for 30 receiving yards.
Perhaps Jets Are Just Rolling Over
This week the Jets were accused of tanking aka trying to lose on purpose to improve their draft positioning.
“What I learned from this past game is that the Jets are about as openly tanking as an NFL team can possibly tank. I mean, having a Tyrod Taylor and starting Brady Cook. Like the way they’re sidelining Garrett Wilson for the rest of the year when you know he can still be out there. They are not trying to win football games right now, and I think that is obvious,” NFL Insider Connor Hughes explained on “Jets Final Drive.”
I guess we can add Taylor to that list, too. While he hasn’t proven to be a game breaker yet it’s more about the principle. This Jets team is incredibly depleted because of injuries, lack of talent, and lack of motivation.
Taylor, if healthy, would easily be one of the top pass-catching threats on Sunday against the Patriots. Yet it’s unclear if he is going to suit up.
The Jets are a 13.5-point underdog at home this week to the Patriots, per Vegas Insider. That was tied for the largest spread of any game in Week 17 (the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Denver Broncos on Christmas).
Gang Green lost the first matchup 27-14. In that game, Justin Fields was the Jets’ starting quarterback, and now he is done for the season with his knee injury.
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