The New York Jets didn’t just make a quarterback decision when they set their initial 53-man roster. They revealed the kind of backup plan they’re willing to live with.
That’s what makes Cade Klubnik the real center of the conversation. He isn’t being treated like the classic veteran QB2, the kind teams can summon in a pinch and trust to keep the offense moving. He’s a fourth-round rookie, and the Jets are betting on development more than certainty.
That distinction matters.
There’s a long line of quarterbacks who fit the old backup mold. Vinny Testaverde was one of them, even at 41, when the Jets called him in 2005 after seeing enough of Brooks Bollinger. That season ended at 4-12 after Chad Pennington’s rotator cuff injury, but Testaverde still showed he could do what he’d always done: get up, take a call, and throw the ball with ease.
That same idea has shown up in other places too. Steve Bono in Kansas City behind Joe Montana.
Earl Morrall backing up just about everybody. Frank Reich as Jim Kelly’s clipboard-holder.
Tyrod Taylor fits that lane now, the veteran who has made peace with the role and built a career around being ready the moment he’s needed.
The Jets did not choose that route.
Instead, they went with the young quarterback-and-promise model, and they did it without an obvious veteran safety net behind him. That’s a risk, even if it’s an understandable one.
Finding a true backup quarterback is hard in a 32-team league. Tyrod Taylor is one.
Jameis Winston is another. Marcus Mariota and Joe Flacco belong in that group too.
Beyond that, the list gets thin fast.
There’s also the reality of how teams practice now. Because the 2012 CBA cut down practice time so sharply, the quarterback at No. 2 usually gets most of the non-starter reps. If the Jets want Klubnik to grow, that setup helps.
And there’s a roster-building angle, too. Teams like to carry only two quarterbacks when they can. The practice squad gives them some cushion with a QB3, and every extra roster spot can be used somewhere else, especially on special teams.
Still, the Jets’ choice leaves plenty to question.
The Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs were willing to carry three quarterbacks, with Ty Simpson and Garrett Nussmeier sitting as QB3s behind Stetson Bennet IV and Justin Fields. Andy Reid and Sean McVay could afford that structure. The Jets, at least in this moment, went another way.
That choice says something about where the franchise sees itself.
Andy Dalton is still out there as a free agent and still wants to play. He also has a connection with Frank Reich from their time together in Carolina. No one would seriously argue Dalton has a brighter future than Klubnik, but there’s a stronger case that Dalton is the better quarterback right now, especially when you factor in everything the QB2 job asks for.
If Geno Smith goes down in Week 1, the Jets would be asking a quarterback who wasn’t ready this summer to jump straight into the fire.
That doesn’t mean Klubnik can’t get there. It doesn’t mean the Jets can’t be right about him.
But right now, nobody in the building truly knows what he is yet. They can believe in him.
They can project him. They can like the talent enough to make the pick.
They still have to find out.
And that’s why the bigger story isn’t just Cade Klubnik himself. It’s the type of QB2 the Jets chose, and what that says about where they are as a team.
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Preseason observations have only sharpened that expectation, since the Jets are trying to sort out how much each newcomer can handle and where the ceiling really sits once the games count. The early evaluations point to a class with real upside, but also one facing a fast-moving test of development, fit and readiness that will tell the team plenty about how much help it can count on from the draft group in the upcoming season. [Read more 🡒]
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The concern sits up front, where Pro Football Focus slots New Yorks offensive line 21st heading into the season. Armand Membou and Olu Fashanu give the unit a strong tackle foundation, and Dylan Parham was added at left guard, but the interior remains the part that could decide how far this offense can go. If the guards and center stabilize, the Jets can feel a lot better about the whole picture. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Still Face One Problem That Could Sink Their 2026 Hopes
The Jets came out of the offseason with enough new pieces to make the roster look sturdier on paper, and the optimism starts up front. With returning linemen and backs giving the running game a real foundation, plus additions such as Geno Smith and Minkah Fitzpatrick and a draft class that brought in multiple newcomers, there are reasons to think this group can be more competitive than it was a year ago.
Still, the projection sitting around six wins says the ceiling may not rise much unless the defense finds a way to take the ball away more often. The concern lingers in the secondary, where interceptions remain a problem, and that kind of missed opportunity can flatten even a team that runs the ball well and has upgraded talent in key spots. [Read more 🡒]