Much like the New York Jets’ other starting quarterbacks this season, Brady Cook wasn’t fantastic in another blowout loss on Sunday.

Unlike Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor, though, Cook has a very fair excuse for his poor play. He’s an undrafted free agent making just his second start in the NFL. For that reason, context needs to be fair when judging the Missouri product’s play on the road.

As a result, Cook’s performance was better than just mediocre. It highlighted a young player who continues to prove he belongs in the NFL.

Perhaps he could even become something more with a little seasoning.

Brady Cook continues to impress with Jets

In the Jets’ 29-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints, Cook completed 22 of 35 passes (62.9%) for 188 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. His 64.9 passer rating highlighted several inconsistencies. Most notably, Cook failed to push the ball down the field against New Orleans’ zone scheme throughout the contest, averaging just 5.4 yards per pass attempt.

A young quarterback making his second NFL start should understand that it’s okay to make mistakes downfield. Lessons can be learned from the mistakes. When a developing passer becomes gun-shy, it can stunt his development. Cook must take more shots moving forward, and the Jets’ coaches must set him up to do so.

However, easily the most alarming part of Cook’s performance was the sack department. The UDFA was sacked eight times in the loss, a combination of poor offensive line play and Cook holding onto the ball too long.

Head coach Aaron Glenn specifically pointed out the latter as a teaching point the team is trying to hammer home.

“That’s something that we all have to look at on tape and make sure we
talk to him about, getting the ball out of your hands as quick as you can,” Glenn said. “Plus, we have to make sure we give him options to be able to do that. So, that goes both ways.”

On several plays, the Saints sent pressure on the right side of the Jets’ line. Cook always looked surprised when that pressure came.

Those are issues that come with a rookie quarterback, though. It’s very common for young signal-callers to hold onto the ball too long as they try to get through their reads. For Cook, it’s just a sign that he’s still learning NFL coverages and trying to make the right decision.

It doesn’t take away from the good that he did. Cook completed a respectable 63 percent of his passes and avoided any turnovers until a desperation throw on fourth down late in the game. There are certainly things Cook has to work on, but his play in recent weeks displayed some workable traits, while the struggles showed a youngster who has been thrust into the starting lineup and is learning on the fly.

The Jets can (and should) live with the mistakes they have seen from Cook.

Future outlook

No one will mistake Cook for an NFL starting quarterback next season. His lack of arm strength and slow processing make him a career backup at best.

What the Jets have seen, though, is a quarterback who could grow into a viable backup if given a chance, especially since the rookie appears to have a strong understanding of where he can improve.

Speaking after the game, Cook understood the importance of figuring out how he can push the ball downfield more frequently.

“There’s always going to be opportunities to throw the ball down the field – the defense played a great game, they really did,” Cook said. “They covered a lot up and had a great plan for us. I need to watch the film and see how we can push the ball down the field better.”

Cook knows what he needs to improve on. It’s the first step to being a coachable player. If he can take another step going into the 2026 season, he may well have a set backup spot on the Jets moving forward.

His play, at the very least, shows he belongs at the NFL level. For a player who went undrafted this April, that’s a significant victory, even if he only amounts to a career backup.

The mere fact that Cook has looked competent shows that the Jets might have something in him. It’ll be up to the offensive coaching staff to figure out what.