Tyrod Taylor just cannot catch a break

Hasn’t Tyrod Taylor been through enough at this point?

The New York Giants announced Monday that Taylor would return from injured reserve. However, the 13-year pro served as the team’s backup quarterback in Monday night’s upset win over the Green Bay Packers.

When asked about the decision, Taylor reportedly admitted he was “disappointed, but it’s part of the game.”

Taylor is no stranger to losing starting jobs because of injury. In fact, it’s pretty much defined his career.

Taylor’s career as a starting quarterback began in 2015 as a member of the Buffalo Bills. Over three seasons, the 2011 sixth-round pick made the Bills a competitive franchise for the first time in over a decade. Over three years, Taylor accumulated the best record by a Bills starting quarterback since Doug Flutie’s run from 1998 to 2000. In his final year, Taylor’s early success even helped push Buffalo to their first playoff berth since 1999.

However, Buffalo traded Taylor to the Cleveland Browns two months after a 10-3 Wild Card loss to the Jaguars. Two months later, the Bills drafted Josh Allen.

In Cleveland, Taylor started the first three games of the season before being knocked out of the Browns’ Week 3 matchup against the Jets. The replacement? Baker Mayfield, who snapped the Browns’ 635-day winless streak with a victory. Mayfield never gave up the starting job, and Taylor remained a backup.

The following offseason, Taylor signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he would back up for Philip Rivers. During the 2020 offseason, Rivers bolted for the Indianapolis Colts and Lynn named Taylor the team’s starting quarterback. In his first start since the Browns’ game, Taylor led Los Angeles to a 16-13 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

He was set to make his Week 2 start against the Kansas City Chiefs before suffering a pregame rib injury. The team doctor attempted to make a quick fix by administering a painkiller injection, but they accidentally punctured Taylor’s lung in the process. He was rushed to the hospital. Lynn informed Justin Herbert he would be getting his first official start during the opening coin toss.

Taylor then hopped to his next destination, the Houston Texans. Again, Taylor began the season as the team’s starter, led the team to a season-opening victory, and was knocked out midway through the second game. This time, third-round rookie quarterback Davis Mills took over as the team’s starting signal-caller. While Taylor briefly regained the lead role, Mills went on to finish out the final six games of the season,

Now, Taylor is being usurped for a fifth time. DeVito likely won’t be the Giants’ long-term answer at quarterback, but the upset victories and meme status achieved over his first four starts likely make the undrafted free agent the team’s answer for the rest of the season.

Taylor has an established history of being a capable starter, even on bad teams. His career 27-27-1 record is a testament to his ability to adapt to most offenses and serve teams in a pinch. If only Taylor didn’t have to make these Promethean sacrifices for every new team he joins.