According to reports, rookie UDFA Jalon Daniels has won the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ QB2 job behind Baker Mayfield.
Given that, it is likely that former Cincinnati Bengals backup Jake Browning, who was competing for the role, will be waived.
Naturally, Browning has been linked as an option the Jets could pursue on the cutdown day market if they aren’t comfortable entering the season with fourth-round rookie Cade Klubnik as their primary backup to begin the season.
Among the options Gang Green could target, though, Browning shouldn’t even be considered.
Darren Mougey shouldn’t even consider Browning
Things change quickly for NFL quarterbacks. After the 2023 season, there were talks that Browning could earn a starting role somewhere for the 2024 or 2025 season.
Now, in 2026, he lost a QB2 battle to a UDFA.
During the 2023 season, Browning started seven games while Joe Burrow was sidelined with an injury and led the Bengals to a solid 4-3 record, completing 70.4% of his passes for 1,936 yards (8.0 yards per attempt), 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
He wasn’t forced to start any games in 2024, but his play dropped off drastically in 2025. In three starts under his command, the Bengals went 0-3 while he completed 64.8% of his passing attempts for 771 yards (6.2 YPA), six touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
His play was so bad that the team had to bench Browning and trade for 41-year-old Joe Flacco to step in as the squad’s starter. While the team went 1-5 over his starts, Flacco still managed to toss 13 touchdowns against just four interceptions.
With that in mind, why would it make sense for the Jets to covet Browning? If he was significantly outperformed in the same offense by a 41-year-old Flacco and couldn’t beat out a UDFA, who is to say that he is an upgrade over Cade Klubnik?
It’s also important to keep in mind that Daniels didn’t particularly thrive throughout the preseason. He completed 61.4% of his passes for 239 yards (5.4 yards per attempt), a touchdown and zero interceptions, and it was still enough to beat out Browning.
Klubnik’s numbers were similar, owning a 61.8% completion rate with 197 yards (5.8 YPA), zero touchdowns and one interception. Klubnik also has a fourth-round draft pedigree, while Daniels is a UDFA.
While Browning does have some starting experience, it is not necessarily valuable experience for what the Jets are looking for in a backup. The 30-year-old has started just 10 games in the NFL. Over those 10 starts, he owns a 4-6 record, with his most recent three outings being his worst.
The last time Browning won a game or produced a solid outing was three seasons ago, in 2023.
His 2026 preseason was unimpressive. Throughout two preseason games, he completed 10 of 15 passes (66.7%) for 86 yards (5.7 YPA) with no touchdowns or interceptions. More concerning is that on 22 total dropbacks, he took five sacks, contributing to a 45.5% pressure-to-sack rate, which tied Davis Mills for the highest mark among 70 qualified QBs this preseason (minimum 20 dropbacks).
He also didn’t flash much with his arm, given that his 5.7 ADOT (Average Depth of Target) tied for 61st.
There are plenty of more appealing veteran QBs who Gang Green could pursue over the next couple of days. Browning shouldn’t even be on the team’s list.
