The New York Jets are just a day away from returning to the field for their first game since Week 18 of the 2024 National Football League.
New York is set to take on the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night with kick-off scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. On Thursday, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said that New York is going to roll with its starters for Packers game.
"We're playing," Glenn said. "We're playing. I can't tell you how much, guys are going to play. That's going to factor in on how the game goes. But, we're playing because I want to play. That's the reason."
This is just a few days after Justin Fields made it clear that he wants to play in the game.
"I think we need to at least see the field each and every game," Fields said. “I think that will be good for our team, it will be good for (Tanner Engstrand) in the in-game stuff, it will be good for me, the guys on offense. I don’t think, I know some guys, they sit out the whole preseason, but I don’t think that’s the case for us. Just because of the new team, new offense, and stuff like that. So, that’s kind of how I feel about the situation."
After preseason action Thursday, though, is it the right call?
On Thursday night, the Cincinnati Bengals took on the Philadelphia Eagles. Joe Burrow and the Bengals' starting offense took the field together in the first half and looked good. On the other hand, the Indianapolis Colts had a scare. The Colts have a quarterback competition going on right now between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones. Richardson got the start and was knocked out of action quickly due to a finger injury.
It was reported that Richardson could return as soon as this weekend, but there's two more preseason games for the Colts and they need to at least think about Richardson moving forward.
For the Jets, it makes sense to roll out Fields and the starters. New York has implemented a new offense and the best way to get on the same page obviously is real, game action. Those reps can't be replicated on the practice field. But, after the injury to Richardson, that's at least nerve-wracking.
The expectation is that you're going to see Fields. But, how much should he and the starters play?
