Jets' starters, including QB Justin Fields, to play in preseason opener against Packers

CBS News

3 days ago

Justin Fields and the rest of the New York Jets' starters will play for at least some of the team's preseason opener at Green Bay on Saturday night.
"We're playing," coach Aaron Glenn said Thursday after the team's final full practice before the game against the Packers. "I can't tell you how much guys are going to play. That's going to be affected by how the game goes, but we're playing."
Many teams typically sit most of their starters for the first preseason game, something the Jets' most recent previous regimes often did. But Glenn wants to see his players on the field during a game after more than two weeks of training camp.
"Because I want to play," Glenn said when asked for his reasoning to play the starters. "That's the reason. I want our guys to play. That's the reason."
And the first-year head coach also wants the final score of his debut to be in the Jets' favor.
"Every time we go on the grass, the first thing I expect is to win, I do," Glenn said. "But I expect to win in ways that we really talk about trying to create during camp. And everything that we talk about trying to build, as far as how we're trying to get this team to operate, I want to make sure that's showing up on the tape."
The decision by Glenn was expected by his players, who figured that would be the case from the way the coach has run practices during camp.
"I mean, if y'all look, we've been tackling in practice," cornerback Sauce Gardner said. "So I was pretty sure that he was going to want us to be able to tackle another team, you know? So I'm embracing that and I'm looking forward to it, but I definitely was not surprised. None of us was surprised when he said that."
Gardner played in the preseason opener as a rookie after being the fourth overall pick in the 2022 draft, but hadn't done so the last two summers.
"I love football, like, you know, I'm obsessed with football," Gardner said. "So any chance that I've got to play, I am always going to, like, love the idea of it."
Having the starters play will give Glenn and the coaching staff an even better idea of where Fields and the Jets' passing offense -- which has mostly struggled through camp -- is at this point.
Fields, in his first season with New York, bounced back from a few subpar practices with a solid showing Thursday. He was unofficially 8 of 14, including a pass that deflected off tight end Jeremy Ruckert's hands and was intercepted, and had a pretty touchdown toss to Garrett Wilson.
"Man, he's a very mature person," Glenn said of Fields. "And listen, he understands the highs and lows of this game and there's so much outside noise to try to beat him down. And he's so mature and he doesn't allow that to be a factor in how he's going to go about his business.
"He understands the noise. It's just part of the business, a part of being a quarterback, so he can't hide from that. And I'm proud of him."
Aaron Glenn recalled his first preseason game with the Jets as a rookie in 1994 with a bit of anxiety.
"I don't want to really talk about it. It wasn't good," he said, drawing laughs from reporters. "It was against Philly. Herschel Walker was a personal protector and I was catching punts. To see a 240-pound man just streaking down the field right at you trying to catch a punt, that's not a pretty sight.
"So I tried to wipe that memory out of my mind. But you just brought it up, so."
Defensive tackle Byron Cowart has an ankle injury that will sideline him for the preseason game.
Among those previously ruled out were defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (calf), rookie tight end Mason Taylor (high ankle sprain), left guard John Simpson (back), backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor (knee) and special teams ace Kris Boyd (shoulder).