New clear favorite emerges in Jets QB3 battle after latest Tyrod Taylor news

The NY Jets can't go through a season without some injuries under center, as starter Justin Fields is recovering from a toe injury that gave this fanbase a collective heart attack. Even backup Tyrod Taylor, who has often found himself in the trainer's room, is not immune to the injury bug.

Taylor did not play in the Jets' preseason win against the Green Bay Packers as a result of a knee injury. Head coach Aaron Glenn said that Taylor will undergo a procedure on his knee, but he does not believe that the injury will keep him out of the Jets' Week 1 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

This gives the Jets two remaining backups in 2025 UDFA Brady Cook and former UFL star Adrian Martinez a chance to prove they can stick in the pros. Of the two, Martinez has been lighting it up more.

Martinez managed to find both Jamaal Pritchett and Arian Smith on deep touchdowns in a practice against the New York Giants. With Cook also nursing an injury, Martinez has done everything he can to seize ownership of the QB3 job.

Adrian Martinez is the favorite to win Jets QB3 job

Cook ran a 4.59 40-yard dash and tossed just eight interceptions in his final two years at Missouri, where he was protected by Jets Top 10 pick and starting right tackle Armand Membou. However, the arm talent is slightly below-average for the NFL level and inferior to that of Martinez.

While Martinez never had the transformative effect on the Nebraska and Kansas State programs that many hoped he would, he did tally over 12,000 combined passing and rushing yards to go with 51 passing touchdowns and 45 rushing touchdowns in college. Martinez won the UFL MVP and a championship with the Birmingham Stallions before spending 2024 on the practice squad.

Martinez was the superior player in the Jets' dominant preseason win against the Packers, completing 11 of 16 passes for 152 yards while also connecting on a touchdown pass. Martinez may end up on the active roster in Week 1 should Taylor have a setback that keeps him out.

Both quarterbacks are mobile, which fits in with Aaron Glenn and Tanner Engstrand's vision for this offense. However, based on how the pair has looked in camp and Martinez's early standout showing in the preseason, it seems more likely that he ends up hanging around the Jets for at least one more year.