The New York Jets finished their preseason on Friday night with a 23-6 loss to the crosstown-rival New York Giants, and the result left one of the team’s biggest remaining questions hanging: what happens at QB2?
For Cade Klubnik, the final audition didn’t make the answer any easier. The fourth-round rookie got one last chance to strengthen his case before the Jets make a call, but his performance wasn’t the kind that forces the issue.
Klubnik finished 6 of 13 for 59 yards, with no touchdowns, one interception and a sack. It was a flat outing, the kind that keeps the conversation open rather than slamming the door shut.
“We’re going to sit back and evaluate that,” Jets head coach Aaron Glenn told reporters after the game.
That evaluation now figures to stretch beyond the roster already in the building. If Klubnik doesn’t land the backup job, the more likely path is a veteran added from the cutdown day market. Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe, meanwhile, do not appear to have a real shot at taking the role.
Through the preseason, Klubnik looked like what he is: a fourth-round rookie trying to find his footing. He wasn’t a mess, but he also never produced the kind of consistently sharp play that would make the Jets stop looking elsewhere.
And that’s the key here. A rookie quarterback taken in the fourth round usually isn’t handed the keys to the No. 2 spot right away, even if he arrives with plenty of college experience. Klubnik started 40 career games at Clemson, but the Jets still seem ready to check the veteran market before settling on their backup plan.
So after three preseason games and one last chance to impress, Klubnik hasn’t lost the QB2 job outright. He just hasn’t done enough to lock it down, either.
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Jets Just Moved On From A Former First-Round Bet
Roster cutdown day brought another notable change to the Jets defensive front, with the team releasing defensive tackle Mazi Smith as it trimmed down to the 53-player limit. Smith, acquired in a trade from the Dallas Cowboys, had been a low-risk swing for New York after he saw action in three games last season, but the fit never fully developed as the roster and scheme evolved.
Smiths exit fits the broader direction of the Jets personnel moves, which have included a push to reshape the front seven around a new 3-4 look. New York also parted ways with quarterback Bailey Zappe as part of the final roster decisions, and the emphasis now is clearly on getting the right bodies in place up front before the regular season opens. [Read more 🡒]
Will McDonald Just Flipped An Old Jets Draft Joke
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Will McDonald has helped flip that familiar Jets joke in the opposite direction. Drafted by New York, he has turned into a real part of the pass rush with 18.5 sacks over his first two seasons, giving the Jets a player who is not just surviving the draft conversation but changing it. It also adds another layer to an already curious draft comparison, since both teams passed on other notable names while their own choices headed very different directions. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Make Another Quinnen Williams Trade Ripple On Defensive Line
The Quinnen Williams trade keeps sending little shocks through the Jets defensive front, and the latest came with the release of Mazi Smith. Smith was part of the package that went to New York in the deal with Dallas, and his short run with the Jets never really got much traction. He played in eight games last season, including three in green and white, and finished with three combined tackles.
His exit leaves the depth chart looking a little clearer for now. Harrison Phillips is expected to settle in as the starting defensive tackle, with TVondre Sweat in line at nose tackle and rookie Darrell Jackson Jr. behind them as a backup. It is the kind of reshuffling that comes with a major trade, and for the Jets it is another reminder that the ripple effects on the defensive line are still being felt. [Read more 🡒]