The New York Jets are set to clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers in western Pennsylvania tonight (7 p.m. EST) for their second of three preseason games.
Jets fans can call this a successful night if these three goals are met.
1. Week 1’s standout performances are replicated
The preseason opener is our first glimpse of something resembling actual football in seven months, so every performance is bound to be scrutinized.
However, the reality is that anybody good enough to strap on an NFL helmet is capable of having one brilliant night in the preseason. Most players play less than half the game, the schemes are vanilla, everybody is rusty, and few of the players on the field are used to playing with each other. Weird stuff can happen in these tiny pockets of exhibition ball.
That’s why it is undeniably silly to draw sweeping conclusions from one preseason game.
If trends start to emerge, though, then there might be some valid takeaways worth extracting.
Tonight, the Jets will be watching closely to see which standouts from Week 1 can sustain their success.
Will Braelon Allen, who is on track to start at running back in place of Breece Hall, look explosive again? Can Azareye’h Thomas lock down a starting cornerback spot with another shutdown rep or two? Will sixth-round rookie guard Anez Cooper dominate again?
Even three straight preseason games cannot guarantee much of anything, but the Jets will happily accept as much good tape from their key young players as they can, as opposed to the alternative.
2. Cade Klubnik wraps up the QB2 job
Geno Smith will get the start tonight, meaning fourth-round rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik will get his first in-game action with the second-team unit that he has been commanding in training camp.
Klubnik is on the verge of locking down the Jets’ backup quarterback job. He has received most of the second-team reps throughout the summer and thoroughly outplayed his competitor, Bailey Zappe, in the opener.
For roster-building purposes, the Jets would love for Klubnik to win the job. If he does, they can allocate a roster spot toward another position that would otherwise be used on a third quarterback.
Klubnik’s opener wasn’t filled with highlights, but he looked cool, calm, and collected after being thrown into the starting lineup at the last minute, which is a crucial piece of context given that Klubnik has hardly worked with the ones in practice. He comfortably went through his progressions, stood tall in the pocket, and delivered throws with confidence.
The “three Cs” are all Jets fans should be hoping to see from Klubnik tonight. Maybe there won’t be touchdowns. Maybe his accuracy will be shaky on a couple of throws. But as long as he looks like someone who can competently operate an NFL offense from the huddle to the release of the pass, it will be enough to beat out Zappe and save the Jets a roster spot.
3. The rookie class shows flashes
The Jets will be relying on their rookie class more than perhaps any other NFL team this season. At least four players are expected to play critical roles for the team: edge rusher David Bailey, tight end Kenyon Sadiq, wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr., and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds.
Sadiq and Ponds will miss the rest of the preseason as the Jets cautiously prepare them for Week 1, but Bailey and Cooper are expected to suit up tonight for the second straight week. Both first-rounders played in the opener, and they each looked solid, although there weren’t any fireworks.
Those fireworks, though, would be much-welcomed tonight. The Jets need their rookie class to carry a heavy load this year. With four top-50 picks, it’s a class with unusually high expectations for immediate production. For that reason, a splash play or two from the combination of Bailey and Cooper would help inspire faith that New York’s first-year players can pull their weight this season.
Fourth-round defensive tackle Darrell Jackson Jr. can also stand to show something after a quiet preseason opener.
Sixth-round guard Anez Cooper was actually the Jets’ best rookie in the opener, looking dominant throughout the second half against Tampa Bay’s back-of-the-roster defense. Cooper can make a big impact for the Jets this year if he emerges as a quality backup, so he, too, can ignite some optimism about this freshman group.
With Sadiq and Ponds missing the chance to show off their ceilings in training camp or the preseason, it’s up to Bailey, Cooper, Klubnik, Jackson, and Cooper to generate some hype around the most valuable rookie class in the NFL based on cumulative draft capital.
