Leonard Taylor III, New York Jets
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Former New York Jets defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III making a play during an NFL preseason game against the New York Giants.
The New York Jets have made their first move following the Week 6 loss to the Denver Broncos.
Gang Green announced on social media that they have released defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III.
“Additionally, we signed WR Trenton Irwin to the practice squad and released RB Avery Williams from the practice squad,” the Jets posted on social media.
We released DT Leonard Taylor.
Additionally, we signed WR Trenton Irwin to the practice squad and released RB Avery Williams from the practice squad.
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 14, 2025
Taylor, 23, has been a healthy scratch for four of the first six games of the 2025 season.
Jets Never Got to See Taylor’s Full Potential
The former Miami product was considered a future first-round talent in college.
However, Dane Brugler of The Athletic wrote in “The Beast” that Taylor had “uneven production and performance … struggled to find any consistency … disappeared for stretches … Taylor has the individual traits to be a disruptive presence against the run and rushing the passer. However, he struggles to use all his gifts in unison and is often a step behind as he reacts to plays instead of staying ahead. Overall, Taylor doesn’t lack for talent, but the raw physical tools aren’t enough and won’t deliver consistent on-field production until he develops a more disciplined approach. While there is untapped potential there, it will require a patient coaching staff and complete buy-in from the player for him to work his way into an NFL rotation.”
In his rookie campaign with the Jets in 2024, Taylor finished with 1.5 sacks, four tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits. He only appeared in 28% of the defensive snaps, and there was a belief that more talent was beneath the surface.
Those flashes didn’t translate with the new regime, and Taylor struggled to get on the field.
Nothing Personal, Just a Numbers Game
Taylor is supremely talented, and this appeared to be his year to break out for the Jets.
One of the biggest positions of need for the green and white this offseason was defensive tackle. Despite that reality, the team ignored the position for the majority of the offseason.
That opened the door for Taylor to make some noise next to Quinnen Williams. Evidently, Taylor didn’t do enough to impress, and the front office made an aggressive move to fill the void ahead of the season.
Right before the start of the 2025 campaign, general manager Darren Mougey struck a pair of trades to add some brutus beefcake at defensive tackle. The team acquired Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs.
Those surprise moves took away two roster spots that were previously accounted for, and most importantly for Taylor, that took away key reps at defensive tackle.
In this new world, Taylor was buried on the depth chart and couldn’t get on the field.
This is a developing story and we’ll provide new details as they become available.