Have the New York Jets decided who they want in their quarterback room? Their latest roster move proves they may have.

New York announced the release of backup quarterback Adrian Martinez. The former UFL star had competed with UDFA Brady Cook throughout camp for the QB3 role behind Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor.

Did the release of Martinez show that the Jets’ have given the third role to the Missouri rookie? That may not be the case… at least right now.

Jets’ cutdown changes

At the start of OTAs, it seemed like Martinez would be the organization’s clear-cut choice as their third quarterback. Cook seemed overwhelmed by the speed of the NFL, and the veteran Martinez appeared more in control of the offense.

Things flipped during camp.

As the pads came on, so too did Cook’s improvement. The 23-year-old turned the tide of the position battle in his direction. Throughout each preseason contest, Cook improved, and it clearly caught the Jets’ eyes – even if both players stood out through situational football.

“We had two critical two-minute drives on the offensive side that were like textbook,” head coach Aaron Glenn said of Cook and Martinez’s ability to run the two-minute drills. “And it was good for me to be able to utilize timeouts, to be able to talk to Tanner [OC Tanner Engstrand] and let him know what my mindset was. So across the board, those things were critical.”

It may appear that Cook has won the quarterback job, but his job isn’t secured quite yet.

New York still has until Tuesday afternoon to decide who they feel comfortable keeping on the 53-man roster heading into Week 1. Just because Cook has “beaten out” Martinez does not mean he will have a spot on the roster once they take the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

There’s a chance, or at least a possibility, that the Jets decide to release Cook as well. They could opt to keep two signal-callers on the roster and call up a quarterback off the practice squad if needed.

Cook, or even Martinez, could be released and then signed back onto the practice squad. Based on that reality, the Jets may choose to cut the UDFA as well, just as they did with Martinez on Sunday.

It has been clear for a few weeks now that Cook looked like the better quarterback for New York. The Jets choosing to release Martinez shows that they believe in the UDFA’s upside at this stage.

That doesn’t mean Cook is safe just yet.