Jets' most hated rival poaches promising young DL in Bill Belichick-style move

The New England Patriots have made a habit of tormenting the New York Jets over the years, and that trend isn’t stopping anytime soon. Bill Belichick’s former team has once again swiped a promising young player from their division rival, continuing a long history of petty moves at the Jets’ expense.

This time, the player in question is defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III, who was released by the Jets on Tuesday. The Jets likely hoped to be able to re-sign Taylor to their practice squad, but New England made sure that couldn't happen.

The Patriots signed Taylor to their own practice squad instead on Thursday, adding a promising young defensive tackle while once again sticking it to their hated rivals in the process.

Taylor only appeared in two games for the Jets this season, so his release didn't come as a major surprise. Still, his upside as an interior pass-rusher made him an intriguing developmental player who was probably worth keeping around.

The Patriots clearly had other plans, however.

Jets lose Leonard Taylor III to Patriots in Bill Belichick-esque move

A former five-star recruit and projected first-round pick, Taylor fell short of expectations at the University of Miami and surprisingly went unselected in the 2024 NFL Draft. He'd sign with the Jets as a UDFA and go on to make the team's 53-man roster after a promising rookie season.

Taylor appeared in 14 games as a rookie, tallying 1.5 sacks, nine pressures, and 10 run stops, posting an encouraging 69.9 Pro Football Focus pass-rush grade. While Taylor had his struggles in the run game, he flashed enough as a pass rusher to earn a regular place in the defensive line rotation.

The new Jets coaching staff, however, didn't seem to be quite as high on him. Taylor spent much of the summer working with the third-team defense and was even asked to play in the fourth quarter of the team's final preseason game.

If not for an injury to veteran addition Byron Cowart, Taylor likely wouldn’t have made the 53-man roster. He appeared in two games this season, both due to veteran backup Jay Tufele missing time with an illness, and has been a healthy scratch in every other week.

The Jets could look to fill Taylor’s spot on the practice squad with another defensive tackle, although undrafted rookie Payton Page remains under contract. Page is one of five healthy interior defensive linemen under contract with the Jets.

Taylor is just the latest in a long line of ex-Jets players to be poached by their division rival. From Danny Woodhead to David Harris to even Darrelle Revis, the Patriots have made a habit of raiding the Jets' roster for talent.

Here's to hoping this most recent roster snatch doesn’t come back to haunt the Jets like it has in the past.