Throughout every NFL team’s preseason, the narrative around top positional battles shifts week to week.
The New York Jets now have just one preseason game remaining, and many of the team’s positional battles are close to conclusion.
With just one preseason clash to go, here is a look at the leader in the clubhouse for each of the team’s top positional competitions.
QB2: Cade Klubnik
Before the preseason kicked off, it felt like fourth-round rookie Cade Klubnik was the in-house favorite to win the Jets’ QB2 job, and the preseason has only affirmed that belief thus far.
So far, he’s completed 15 of his 21 passing attempts (71.4%) for 138 yards (6.6 yards per attempt) with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions.
On the other hand, Bailey Zappe tossed two interceptions in the team’s preseason opener, significantly lowering his chances to earn the role.
Brady Cook has actually looked serviceable as the QB4 across the team’s first two preseason matchups, highlighted by a well-placed 31-yard touchdown to Quincy Skinner Jr. on Friday night.
However, last year, when he got four starts to close the season, Cook showed the Jets everything they needed to know. He simply can’t be trusted to be one play away from starting. Also, he has been facing third- and fourth-string defenses. At best, he is looking for a spot on the team’s practice squad.
While the overall operation was much more refined during the Jets’ preseason opener when Klubnik was running with the squad’s first-team offense, he continued flashing on tape in his Week 2 outing.
In particular, he had three very nice plays on third down, including a 16-yard scramble while escaping pressure to move the sticks.
The question, though, is whether Klubnik has done enough to prevent the Jets from monitoring the cutdown-day market for potential veteran quarterbacks who may be cut loose.
It can be argued that he has not done quite enough to overcome the unpredictability of a fourth-round rookie. Perhaps the Jets feel differently, and that perspective would be understandable.
While Gang Green’s ultimate plan at QB2 remains unknown, Klubnik’s preseason has him as the leader for the role among his internal competitors.
WR3: Omar Cooper Jr.
This one should never have been considered a competition.
After a strong start to training camp for Isaiah Williams, some fans began to panic about the status of first-round rookie Omar Cooper Jr. However, throughout the preseason, Cooper has begun to prove exactly why fans shouldn’t be concerned.
Rookies should be expected to see their performances fluctuate throughout the summer. That doesn’t mean they are a bust; it’s just part of the natural progression for young players.
Williams started over Cooper as the Jets’ first-team slot receiver in the preseason opener, but in Week 2, Cooper usurped Williams for the role. Cooper was pulled from the game, along with the remainder of the Jets’ starters, after the opening drive.
Through two preseason games, Cooper has caught three of his four targets for 30 yards with no drops. He hasn’t lit the league on fire, but he’s looked reliable.
Cooper will be relied upon to play a crucial role in the Jets’ offense right away, so seeing him improve throughout the preseason, contrary to the typical narrative during training camp, is encouraging.
LB3: Kiko Mauigoa
Based on how the Jets deployed their linebackers before the injury bug hit, Kiko Mauigoa appears to have the edge over Mykal Walker and Marcelino McCrary-Ball for the LB3 job behind Demario Davis and Jamien Sherwood.
Mauigoa entered the Jets’ preseason opener late in the first quarter while Walker wasn’t seen until the second half. Now, the latter is dealing with a knee injury that will sideline him for the remainder of the summer.
Mauigoa, on the other hand, also didn’t play in the team’s Week 2 preseason matchup as he nurses a hamstring injury.
Walker still has a legitimate case for the role, however.
After injuries provided him with a late-season opportunity in 2025, he posted an 80.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus from Weeks 14-18, which finished 10th among linebackers over that span.
He also provides value on special teams, ranking second on the team in special teams snaps last year (302). Walker also tallied an 80.2 special teams grade at PFF, which slotted at sixth on the team.
Now, though, as Mauigoa returns to practice while Walker continues nursing his knee injury, the fifth-round pick has an opportunity to solidify his spot during the team’s preseason finale.
Walker’s experience and production to close the season, though, certainly keep him in the conversation. For now, however, Mauigoa seems to be the favorite.
CB2: Azareye’h Thomas
Throughout the preseason, Azareye’h Thomas has done everything he can to make Jets fans feel encouraged about his future. The former third-round pick has flashed legitimate CB1-level upside as he gets ready for his second season in the league.
In the Jets’ first two preseason games, Thomas played 13 snaps in coverage and was only targeted once, which resulted in a great pass breakup in man coverage.
Altogether, he’s played 24 total defensive snaps without allowing a reception or committing a missed tackle or penalty. Yes, it’s a small sample size, but he’s been doing his job very well.
All the while, his top competition for the Jets’ starting job opposite Brandon Stephens, Nahshon Wright, has been sidelined with a hip injury.
Thomas’ athletic profile and strong senior season at FSU also indicate that he is a strong fit in man coverage at the next level. That is crucial, because Aaron Glenn, the Jets’ new defensive play-caller, led the NFL in man coverage rate during his final year as the Detroit Lions’ DC in 2024.
Thomas’ preseason has put him in a strong spot to win the Jets’ CB2 job over Wright.
Kicker (Decided): Jason Sanders
Despite Monday’s ugly practice in which he made two of five field goal attempts, Jason Sanders has won the Jets’ kicking job. His competitor, Cade York, was waived on Tuesday. Later, special teams coordinator Chris Banjo announced that Sanders has won the job and will be the team’s kicker moving forward.
Sanders spent each of his first eight NFL seasons with the Miami Dolphins, capping off his tenure in 2024 with 27 consecutive made field goals, a franchise record for the Dolphins. Over his tenure, he made 84.6% of his field goal attempts
On the other hand, York has been on seven different teams in five years since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft. Throughout 23 NFL games, he’s converted just 73.3% of his field goal attempts.
Sanders held the edge throughout the preseason, converting both of his field goal tries and PATs. As for York, he drilled both extra point attempts but missed a 59-yard field goal, and his one make, from 38 yards, barely snuck in over the upright and could have arguably been ruled a miss.
Overall, Sanders did enough to earn the job.
