The Jets made more personnel changes than just starting Joe Flacco at quarterback Sunday against the Dolphins.
They also made a switch at right guard, starting Laurent Duvernay-Tardif over Greg Van Roten; at inside linebacker, starting Quincy Williams over Jarrad Davis; at cornerback, starting rookie Isaiah Dunn over Javelin Guidry and at safety, starting Elijah Riley over Jarrod Wilson.
Jets coach Robert Saleh explained each move.
Right guard: “LDT, just giving him a chance to go out there. GVR has been playing his butt off. It was just a chance for us to get LDT in there and see if we can get some more production out of that right guard spot.
Inside linebacker: “As far as Jarrad, he’s not all the way back yet. It’s as simple as scaling back his reps and letting him get healthy, get his legs underneath him, and give him a chance to build up some game conditioning.”
Safety: “Getting Elijah Riley out there was good. He’s put together a couple of good weeks. He’s a smart young man.”
Cornerback: “As far as Isaiah Dunn, with the size of 88 [Mike Gesicki] and all of the different things they do with their receivers, I felt like getting a bigger body out there would be good. Obviously, using Guidry from a dime standpoint to get that speed on the slot where [Jaylen Waddle] would normally [be] on third downs, we felt like those were the best matchup for us to win.”
RB Michael Carter injured his ankle in the third quarter and did not return to the game. Saleh said the Jets would know more on Monday about how serious the injury is. Carter was having a good game with nine rushes for 63 yards, including a 39-yarder, before he exited. The Jets’ run game died when Carter left.
The Jets took a delay of game penalty when it looked like they were going to attempt a 56-yard field goal. Saleh said he initially thought of kicking the field goal and then changed his mind, so he took the delay of game before punting to give them better field position.
Jets DE John Franklin-Myers on Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa: “We got a lot of pressure on him. Just sometimes he threw up prayers and sometimes prayers are answered. That’s just kind of how it goes.”
The Jets are now 0-4 in the division this year and 0-10 over the past two years. They have not won a division game since beating the Bills in the 2019 season finale. … The Jets have lost three straight to the Dolphins and seven of their past eight. … The Dolphins now lead the all-time series 56-55-1.