FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The winless New York Jets will have their starting quarterback in the lineup Monday night against the Miami Dolphins.
Justin Fields, who missed a game due to a Week 2 concussion, was cleared late Friday by doctors and will return to the lineup.
“Justin is playing,” coach Aaron Glenn said Saturday.
Fields, who spent more than a week in the NFL’s concussion protocol, practiced fully for three consecutive days and was removed from the protocol after being examined by an independent neurologist.
“He’s a dynamic runner. He’s a smart player,” Glenn said of his expectations for Fields. “I think in the passing game he showed exactly what he can do in that first game and we want to continue to expand on that and continue to get better.”
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Fields was injured in the team’s Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills when his head slammed to the turf on a fourth-quarter hit by defensive end Joey Bosa.
The offense sputtered for three quarters last week with Tyrod Taylor, who rallied the Jets with two fourth-quarter touchdown passes in an eventual 29-27 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Jets, trying to avoid their first 0-4 start since 2020, are hoping that Fields’ presence can unlock their running game. In the past two games, Breece Hall was held to 50 yards on 19 carries.
Their offense looked dynamic in Week 1, as Fields rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another as the Jets racked up 394 total yards in a 34-32 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have been trying to get back to that formula.
“We have to run the ball better,” Glenn said earlier in the week. “Listen, I know we were going against three really good teams the past teams that we’ve played, but that doesn’t matter to me. I have an expectation of this team on how we operate, and I’m not going to stand down from that and our guys won’t stand down from that.”
The Dolphins (0-3) are ranked 32nd in scoring defense, but they haven’t lost to the Jets in Miami since 2014.
Every game is important for Fields, who came to the Jets as a free agent on a two-year, $40 million contract, including $30 million guaranteed. In a sense, he is on a one-year audition as the Jets try to determine if he can be their long-term answer at quarterback.
Fields, on his third team in three years, played one of the best games of his career in the opener, completing 16 of 22 passes for 218 yards. In Week 2, though, he regressed. Before the concussion, he was 3-for-11 for 27 yards — a career-low 1.0 Total QBR.
