Aaron Glenn was left with a decision following the New York Jets’ 48-20 loss at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Following undrafted free agent Brady Cook’s first NFL start, the team needed to decide whether to name him the starter for the remainder of the year, or to bring back Justin Fields or Tyrod Taylor when they returned from injury.

Neither veteran is recovering fast, nor were they quality starting quarterbacks in their own right. So, after a few days of deliberation, Glenn finally made the call.

Jets make QB decision

Glenn announced on Wednesday that Cook will get the start on Sunday when the Jets take on the New Orleans Saints on the road. In his debut last week, Cook completed 66.7% of his passes for 176 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions, adding six carries for 39 yards. It was a rocky performance, but there were flashes to build upon.

While Cook’s start isn’t necessarily a reflection on how far Taylor or Fields are from returning, it presents an opportunity for the team to continue evaluating what they have in the Missouri product.

The early returns are such that the team is encouraged that he can continue to prove he belongs at the NFL level.

“Everything that we’ve seen from training camp up until this point,” Glenn said regarding the reasons for Cook getting the start.

Despite Cook’s lack of production so far, Glenn believes that the rookie has not been placed in fair situations.

“Him coming into the game, the first game when Tyrod (Taylor) got hurt and we were down 21… that wasn’t a good situation for him to be in.”

Cook certainly hasn’t been given a fair shake to start his NFL journey, but he has improved by the day. From the moment he set foot during the Jets’ rookie minicamp to the end of training camp, the 23-year-old showed improvement in the way he conducted himself both on and off the field.

Now, the Jets will have more of an opportunity to see what the rookie can do with weeks of preparation at his disposal.

Why Glenn made the right call

Cook starting was always the right move for New York. At 3-11, the team isn’t going anywhere. They need to assess what they have in young players like Cook over the final three games.

In the case of the Jets’ rookie, giving him a chance to continue to work with starters is a chance they can’t pass up at this point.

“I want to see him in a situation where our defense and offense and our special teams are complementing each other to see exactly how he’s going to operate there,” Glenn said. “And I think he deserves an opportunity to do it.”

It is likely that Cook won’t do enough to show he can be a quality starter at the NFL level. There’s a reason why he went undrafted in the first place.

But if there is even the slightest chance that Cook could be a valuable player for the Jets, they need to find out. For Tyrod Taylor and Justin Fields, that chance is zero.