Jets castoff is having last laugh with the Patriots

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Jets castoff is having last laugh with the Patriots

Mark Daniels · MassLive

Thu, Jan 22, 2026 ·

3 min read

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FOXBOROUGH – When Leonard Taylor found himself released from the New York Jets , he knew he needed to change something.

The 26-year-old defensive lineman made the Jets’ roster as an undrafted free agent in 2024. This season, however, Taylor fell down the depth chart and was let go after being inactive in four of the team’s first six games.

It turns out, the Jets did the Patriots a favor.

After being signed to the practice squad in New England , this young defensive lineman has been one of the biggest surprises on the team’s roster. After playing well in the final two regular-season games, Taylor has played in both Patriots playoff matchups this season. He has a chance to play again in this week’s AFC Championship in Denver .

Taylor said the journey from a struggling organization to one legitimately competing for a Super Bowl has been “wild.”

“I just came here with a different mindset after being released from the Jets,” Taylor said. “I just realized that I had to change something, so I came in here, dove into the playbook pretty fast, got an understanding of everything. In practice, just went 100% every day. Tried to beat the man in front of me every day to show that I belonged.”

Taylor said he wasn’t surprised when the Jets released him. As a rookie last season, he played in 14 games, making 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hits, and 24 tackles. This season, he was a healthy scratch four times and played in two games, making three tackles.

Taylor signed with the Patriots ’ practice squad on Oct. 15, and Mike Vrabel said they had a plan in place for the promising defensive tackle.

“Great attitude from Day 1,” Vrabel said. “Came in and worked hard on Thursday practices. He showed up, and we had a conversation that said, ‘as soon as you learn what to do, where to go, and how to run the defense,’ we decided he was ready. And then he took advantage of his opportunities. First was getting recognized in practice, learning what to do. Maybe took him a week or so to do that, and then we felt comfortable with bringing him up.”

The Patriots elevated Taylor from the practice squad three times in the regular season - against Buffalo, the Jets, and the Dolphins, where he registered a quarterback hit. Taylor was then called up for the Patriots’ wild-card game against Los Angeles and the divisional round win against Houston .

Taylor said the environment in New England was very different from the one he was used to with the Jets. In New York, Taylor’s Jets won five games in 2024 and started the season 0-6 before he was released.

Now, he’s preparing for the AFC Championship.

“I came from a different environment,” Taylor said. “(The Jets) were fighting every day to try to win to come into a winning environment, learned the culture and what it takes to be a winner.

“It’s a business at the end of the day, so whatever they felt they needed to do. It happened, but life keeps going. I got another opportunity, took advantage of the opportunity that I got, and here we are today.”

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