The New York Jets are still in evaluation mode when it comes to rookie quarterback Brady Cook, and Sunday’s 26-9 loss to the New Orleans Saints didn’t exactly help his case. Cook, an undrafted free agent out of Missouri, completed 22 of 35 passes for 188 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception. It was a rough outing, and the stat line only tells part of the story.
Despite the struggles, head coach Aaron Glenn isn’t pulling the plug just yet. He’s already confirmed that Cook will get another start in Week 17 against the New England Patriots. That decision suggests the Jets are committed to giving Cook every opportunity to prove he belongs-not just on the roster, but potentially in their long-term plans.
But let’s talk about the pressure-literally. Cook was sacked eight times against the Saints.
That’s a staggering number, especially when you consider that the Jets' offensive line was only officially credited with allowing two sacks and seven pressures, per Pro Football Focus. In other words, Cook was taken down on eight of the 11 times he faced pressure.
That’s a 72.7% pressure-to-sack rate, which is alarmingly high.
Zooming out a bit, Cook’s season-long pressure-to-sack rate stands at 53.1%. Among the 69 quarterbacks who’ve taken snaps in the NFL this year, that’s the worst mark in the league.
He’s been sacked 17 times on just 32 pressures. For context, NFL-caliber quarterbacks are expected to mitigate pressure with pocket awareness-sliding, stepping up, or getting the ball out quickly.
Cook hasn’t shown that yet.
This isn’t just about raw numbers. It’s about habits.
Cook is turning too many pressures into negative plays, and that’s a red flag for any quarterback trying to earn a long-term role. Pocket presence is one of those intangible traits that separates starters from backups, and right now, Cook is struggling to show he has it.
That said, it’s not all doom and gloom. Cook has flashed some positives in limited action-enough for the Jets to keep him in the lineup.
But the inability to navigate pressure is a major concern, and it’s something that likely contributed to him going undrafted in the first place. He’s got one more chance, at least for now, to show growth when he takes the field against New England.
The question is whether he can start turning pressure into production instead of sacks.