Geno Smith is expected to be on the field tonight when the Jets face the Pittsburgh Steelers, even though Aaron Rodgers will not play and Smith has been dealing with an ankle injury that left his status questionable. According to Connor Hughes, Smith is set to go, and that matters for a quarterback who is still new to the team and has had his share of uneven camp performances. Getting live reps now, even in a preseason setting, feels important for chemistry and for settling things down around the offense.
That quarterback picture has already been a talking point in camp. Geno Smith is the starter and, as long as he stays healthy, he’ll remain the starter.
But Cade Klubnik has created some real momentum with fans, and the push for him has started to build. The concern there is simple: that kind of chatter can get in the way of the Jets trying to keep the quarterback situation clear.
Ideally, Smith puts together a couple of strong drives, then Klubnik comes in and keeps building on what he’s shown.
There’s also a small roster move to note. The Jets signed wide receiver Junior Bergen and waived/injured wide receiver DT Sheffield.
Bergen, listed at 5-9 and 184 pounds, was a seventh-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2025. He played four seasons at Montana from 2021-24, tied for the most punt return touchdowns in FCS history with eight, and set the Montana record for average yards per punt return at 16.71.
In college, he added 145 catches, 1,777 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns, along with 139 rushing attempts, 577 rushing yards and four scores. He spent time on the 49ers’ practice squad last season and signed a reserve/futures contract in January.
For Smith, tonight is about more than just shaking off rust. There’s an acknowledgment that preseason doesn’t tell you everything, but a couple of clean drives would help the Jets, help the fans and help steady the conversation around the position.
Smith has thrown interceptions, as expected, but the hope was that he’d also bring some downfield excitement. So far, that’s been more of a Cade Klubnik story, while Geno has recently had trouble stacking complete practices.
At wide receiver, Omar Cooper Jr. is currently behind Isaiah Williams on the depth chart, and that isn’t being treated as a major concern. Williams has been one of the better performers in camp, while Cooper’s progress has been easy to overlook because David Bailey has also been so strong.
The comparisons don’t get any easier with Denzel Boston looking good in Cleveland and Germie Bernard looking good in Pittsburgh. Bernard will be on display tonight, and since both were selected after Cooper, the comparison is hard to avoid.
Still, there’s no worry about Cooper - just a chance for him to put together a better showing.
Arian Smith is another player who has turned things around after a rough first practice. Since then, he’s built a strong connection with Klubnik and has been showing up with deep-ball catches almost every day.
His speed was never the question. The issue was whether his hands would hold up, and there’s been real improvement there.
The next step is carrying that over into a live game. If Smith does play tonight, it helps that Cade will be working with the twos, giving Smith a shot to catch passes from him rather than Bailey Zappe.
The defensive edge group is also worth watching, especially with the starters expected to get more snaps. There’s hope that Ossai, who is coming off PUP, will play alongside Will McDonald and David Bailey.
Kingsley Enagbare returned to practice two days ago, so he should be ready as well. While he isn’t part of the edge rotation, T’Vondre Sweat should still affect how much room there is for the pass rush.
The front was built with Sweat and Ossai back in action, and that makes this group one of the more interesting pieces to monitor tonight.
In Other News...
Zach Wilson Just Landed In A Brutal NFL Draft Debate
For a franchise that has spent years searching for steadier quarterback play, the latest draft conversation is the kind that stings a little more because it feels so familiar. The discussion centers on three first-round passers from the past decade whose college rsums created real optimism, only for their NFL careers to turn into cautionary tales, with Zach Wilson's name sitting squarely among them after the promise that came with being the No. 2 overall pick in 2021.
What makes the debate sharper is how quickly expectations can unravel once a quarterback gets to the league, especially when the gap between college production and pro success is so wide. The piece moves through Josh Rosen's difficult path after going 10th in 2018 and starts into Anthony Richardson's storyline as another example of how complicated these evaluations can become, leaving the bigger question hanging over the Jets and every team that keeps betting premium draft capital on the position. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Linebacker Depth Just Opened A Crucial Audition For One Rookie
Mykal Walkers injury has altered the Jets linebacker picture just enough to create a real opening for someone further down the depth chart. Walker is expected to miss the next 2-3 weeks of the preseason, and with camp reps suddenly available, undrafted rookie Jaden Keller is positioned to get a longer look after turning heads in offseason work and the preseason opener.
Keller does not need to win a starting job to matter here, but he does need to keep building momentum if he wants to stick around beyond the summer. The Jets are expected to give him and Kiko Mauigoa extended looks in the coming weeks, and for a rookie on the fringe, every snap now carries a little more weight as the team sorts out its practice squad options. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Near Answers In Roster Battles That Could Shape Week 1
The Jets are getting close to sorting out some of the most important jobs on the roster as they move through August, with the preseason now carrying real weight for players trying to lock down roles before the opener. With a Week 2 exhibition against the Steelers up next, the team is still evaluating several spots that could affect how the depth chart looks when the games count, from the secondary to the backfield and the quarterback room.
Safety, cornerback, edge rusher, backup running back and backup quarterback all remain in play, and recent performances along with a few injuries have helped clarify the picture even if nothing is settled yet. For a roster still taking shape, these are the kinds of decisions that can ripple beyond the final 53, and the next preseason game may go a long way toward showing which players have the edge. [Read more 🡒]