At FLOHAM PARK, N.J., New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields has been practicing for weeks with a plastic shield attached to the outside of his cleats to protect his injured toes. Fortunately, last week’s injuries were not serious, much to everyone’s relief.
Fields spoke publicly for the first time on Tuesday, saying, “God looked outside that day.” Last Thursday, after leaving the field and being carted off to the locker room, his phone was flooded with messages from concerned friends checking if his injury was severe. An MRI and X-ray showed that Fields had dislocated a toe on his right foot—a minor injury, especially since it wasn’t close to a joint.
“We always stepped in during practice, so it felt normal at first. But when I tried to walk, it felt weird, like something was stuck on my toes,” Fields recalled. “I didn’t know what to think but knew something was off. Luckily, it was just dislocated.”
Fields missed one practice, had limited participation in another, and returned to full team drills on Monday. While there was some initial soreness, he assured that his toe is “ready to go 100%.” Given the Jets’ history of serious quarterback injuries, losing Fields for an extended period would have been a huge blow. He is still adapting to a new team and offense—his fourth system in five years—and appreciates the importance of each practice session.
“I definitely didn’t want to miss a lot of time,” Fields said. “That’s why I was eager to get back on the field.”
On Tuesday, Fields struggled somewhat during practice, completing just 8 of 14 passes and dealing with two drops. He held the ball too long and was sacked multiple times—his familiar issues. The offense as a whole had a slow day, but Fields impressed in the two-minute drill, including a 9-yard scramble on fourth-and-two and a 15-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Mason Taylor.
Jets’ first-year coach Aaron Glenn commended Fields for rallying the offense late in practice but said he was not satisfied with the overall performance and plans to review game film carefully. Although Fields hasn’t had a standout day in over three practices, he’s been the primary healthy quarterback among those dealing with injuries.
Wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who played alongside Fields in college at Ohio, expressed relief that Fields is back. “Knowing him for the past ten years, it’s always been a question of ‘when will he come back?’ He’s a tough guy. He even played through broken ribs against Clemson in college, so missing any plays isn’t like him.”
To protect his injured right foot, Fields demonstrated his plastic toe shield to reporters, tapping it with a leg raised. “It’s almost like a steel toe,” he said.
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Fan Take: This update matters greatly to NFL fans because Justin Fields is a promising talent whose health directly impacts the Jets’ success this season. Seeing him protect and recover from his injury shows his determination, which could inspire the team and fans as they push for a strong campaign in a highly competitive league.
