Will the New York Jets add a veteran quarterback to back up Geno Smith?
No, according to head coach Aaron Glenn.
Speaking to the media on Monday following Sunday’s roster cutdowns, Glenn told the media that fourth-round rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik will back up Smith.
“He’s our backup quarterback,” Glenn said of Klubnik. “And he’ll do a good job.”
Glenn stated that the Jets are still open to adding a quarterback, but it would be to the practice squad.
The Jets released their other quarterbacks, Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook, as part of final roster cutdowns on Sunday. Zappe cleared waivers and is a free agent. Cook was claimed by the division-rival Miami Dolphins.
Klubnik, 22, will be one play away from the field when the Jets march into Nissan Stadium in less than two weeks. The Clemson product handled second-team duties for the Jets’ offense throughout training camp and did enough in the preseason to hold off Zappe and Cook from threatening his position on the depth chart, although that is a low bar considering the latter two’s preseason struggles.
Across three preseason appearances, Klubnik completed 21 of 34 pass attempts (61.8%) for 197 yards (5.8 yards per attempt), no touchdowns, and one interception. He took four sacks and had two passes dropped.
Klubnik’s best performance came in the Jets’ preseason opener, when he started with the first-team offense after Smith was sidelined at the last minute with a foot ailment. That week, Klubnik completed 5 of 7 passes for 56 yards as he led the team to points on each of his two drives in the game, with the second being a touchdown drive alongside the second-team offense.
New York appears more than comfortable with Klubnik as the backup to Smith. Time will tell whether that confidence is justified or if the Jets will rue not adding a more experienced veteran as the next man up.
