Frank Reich’s presence is already mattering for the Jets, and Cade Klubnik’s preseason debut offered the clearest sign yet.
With Geno Smith ruled out right before kickoff against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday night, the rookie fourth-round quarterback got the first crack with the starting offense in New York’s preseason opener. It was a brief look - only 15 plays, only seven pass attempts - before Aaron Glenn turned to Bailey Zappe, who then struggled badly and left plenty of questions behind.
Klubnik didn’t solve everything in that small sample, but he did look settled. Both of the drives he led produced points, and even with obvious room to grow, there wasn’t much to criticize about how he handled his first live action.
The bigger story for the Jets is what comes next at QB2, and Reich’s fingerprints are already on the process.
The Jets appear to be taking a deliberately simple approach with Klubnik, which makes sense for a rookie coming in as a Day 3 pick rather than a blue-chip prospect. In preseason, that means giving him clean, manageable concepts and enough comfort to let it rip instead of forcing him into nothing but safe throws underneath.
That’s where Reich’s experience stands out. The veteran offensive coordinator has seen enough quarterback development work to know what a young passer needs early on, and this was a clear example of that value. Even if the Reich hire brings its own concerns, this is the kind of situation where his background should help.
Friday’s game also sharpened the Jets’ decision-making picture. Based largely on Zappe’s performance, the QB2 job now looks like it will come down to Klubnik or a veteran added around cutdown day. That would be the sensible route.
Still, the way Klubnik was handled felt incomplete. Fifteen plays and seven throws is not much to work with, especially when Smith’s late scratch opened the door for a longer evaluation.
The Jets had a chance to let him run the first half, operate in the two-minute drill, and show more of what he can do. Instead, the leash was short.
The next two preseason games will matter a lot if New York wants a fuller read before making its call at quarterback. And with Reich guiding the process, the Jets can at least trust that Klubnik will be put in position to be judged properly whenever he’s out there.
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