The Jets have had plenty to like at training camp. Geno Smith is taking shots, David Bailey has been flashing, and the secondary has been active.
But as the preseason opener gets closer, two issues are starting to loom: rookie injuries and a shaky QB2 picture.
The rookie class has taken a hit all summer, and that matters for a team that built itself around rookie production. New York used four picks in the top 50 and expects those players to be part of the plan right away, with hopes that each of them can start in Week 1.
That vision has already been complicated. First-round tight end Kenyon Sadiq, the 16th overall pick, had a sports hernia procedure in May.
He returned fully at the start of camp, then hit another setback and could now miss the entire preseason. His Week 1 status does not appear to be in danger, but losing all those reps would still sting for a player many view as more of a project than a typical first-round plug-and-play piece.
The injury list doesn’t stop there. Second-round cornerback D’Angelo Ponds strained his calf in the Jets’ first camp practice and still hasn’t gotten back on the field. Seventh-round safety VJ Payne, who was hoping to help on special teams, is now out 3-4 weeks with a bone bruise, a development that could put his roster spot in jeopardy.
For a team leaning on rookies the way this one is, that’s a tough run of luck.
The quarterback situation behind Geno Smith may be even more concerning. The Jets didn’t do much to fortify the depth chart this offseason. They added fourth-round rookie Cade Klubnik as a developmental swing, then turned to Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook on the veteran side - two passers with negative career touchdown-to-interception margins.
The early returns have matched the skepticism. Jets X-Factor’s Robby Sabo, reporting from Florham Park, wrote after Friday’s practice that the Jets “don’t have a legitimate QB2,” pointing to struggles from all three reserve quarterbacks.
Klubnik did show something on Sunday, though, in a scrimmage-style practice that carried more game-like value than a normal session. That kind of setting is a better test for readiness, and it was at least a positive sign. Still, one good day doesn’t erase the bigger picture.
Right now, New York looks set to open the preseason with one of the weakest backup quarterback situations in the league. Klubnik and Zappe will get three exhibition games to try to alter that view.
The Jets created this problem themselves. Zappe and Cook have never really looked like QB2-level NFL quarterbacks, and expecting a fourth-round rookie from a weak quarterback class to be ready to handle that role immediately is a big ask.
Klubnik’s path is now the one to watch. If he keeps trending up, the Jets could carry just two quarterbacks and save a roster spot for someone else.
If he doesn’t, they may have to keep three and stash him as the No. 3 option.
That would not be ideal either, especially because Zappe hasn’t exactly seized the job. Klubnik has already been taking most of the second-team snaps, so the direction seems to be pointing his way. It may be the cleaner roster decision, but it still leaves the Jets depending on a rookie to be the next man up.
That’s a lot of pressure for a player who has barely gotten started. If Klubnik doesn’t seize the preseason, the Jets could head to Nashville feeling like they might be one Geno Smith injury away from the season unraveling.
And even if Klubnik does play well, that still wouldn’t prove he can steady an NFL offense over a full regular season. Zach Wilson once put together a strong preseason too, and Jets fans know how that story ended.
It’s not a comfortable place for any team to be. The Jets want meaningful games in December, but that kind of season can’t survive if everything hinges on the health of one 35-year-old Geno Smith. As things stand now, it does.
In Other News...
Cade Klubnik Just Changed The Jets Backup QB Conversation
The Jets got a useful look at the quarterback picture in a recent scrimmage, and rookie Cade Klubnik gave the staff something to chew on. He flashed the kind of arm talent that turns a practice rep into a talking point, including a deep strike that nearly turned into a huge score, while also showing he can finish drives when the field gets tighter. Bailey Zappe had his own moments, too, with a long touchdown throw to undrafted rookie DT Sheffield, so the backup battle is not exactly a one-man race.
Klubnik and Zappe both mixed the positives with mistakes, which is part of why the competition still feels open. The bigger takeaway for the Jets may have been that the defense gave up plenty of room as well, making the scrimmage less about clean execution than about who handled the chaos best. For now, the backup conversation looks a little livelier than it did before camp, and that alone is a meaningful development for a roster still sorting out its depth chart. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Backup Quarterback Battle Just Got More Complicated Behind Geno Smith
The Jets have their starter in Geno Smith, and with Cade Klubnik brought in as a possible long-term developmental piece, the conversation in Florham Park has shifted to what the depth chart looks like behind him. The backup job is still very much open, and the team is sorting through a mix of youth and experience as it tries to settle on someone who can handle the No. 2 role without blocking Klubniks progress.
Josh Dobbs no longer figures into that mix after signing with the Detroit Lions, which trims one familiar name from the board and makes the Jets decision a little less straightforward. Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook are still in the evaluation lane, and the free-agent market remains part of the discussion as the Jets weigh whether to stay with what they have or add another veteran to stabilize the position. [Read more 🡒]