New York Jets undrafted rookie quarterback Brady Cook will make his third consecutive start on Sunday against the New England Patriots.
With the season winding down, Cook has treated these final games as valuable opportunities to develop and show growth.
That growth is exactly what Jets head coach Aaron Glenn is looking for from the Missouri product.
“To improve, that’s it,” Glenn told reporters regarding what he is looking for out of Cook in the final two games of the season. “Go out there and have command of the offense. Stay confident in himself, knowing what he can do and just continue to build with these receivers, this O-line, these running backs.”
Fans must understand that Cook is an undrafted rookie who only has two NFL starts under his belt. That context is key when evaluating his play in a starting role this season, as Jets X-Factor’s Nick Faria pointed out.
Against the Saints last Sunday, Cook completed 22 of 35 passing attempts (62.9%) for 188 yards without a touchdown while tossing an interception, contributing to a 64.9 passer rating.
His most significant issues came when New Orleans dialed up the blitz. When the Saints sent extra rushers, Cook completed just two of six passes for five yards, absorbed five sacks, and finished with a 2.8 passer rating, per Next Gen Stats.
The deeper issue was how often pressure turned into drive-killing plays. On 11 pressured dropbacks, Cook was taken down eight times. That 72.7% pressure-to-sack rate led all quarterbacks in Week 16 by a wide margin, topping the next closest passer, fellow rookie signal-caller Jaxson Dart, by more than 17 percentage points.
These final two games give Cook a chance to take real steps forward and put more on tape.
