The article discusses potential roster moves for the New York Jets, focusing on the quarterback position and the uncertainty surrounding Bailey Zappe and Cade Klubnik. It also mentions Jeremy Ruckert and speculates about Brady Cook's chances of making the roster, questioning the narrative that he is a lock. Other topics include Geno Smith's starting role, new helmets, former player Bart Scott's departure from ESPN, and the team's needs for the upcoming draft
Cade Klubnik showed promise during offseason workouts and is in contention for the Jets' backup QB role. Despite missing time with back tightness, coaches have praised his mechanics, leadership, and potential for future playing time. He will compete with Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook, and is a developmental stash for dynasty leagues
Heading into the 2026 season, the Jets have made a series of moves to improve the state of their roster and overall depth, but are they ready to compete for a playoff spot? In this series, we’ll break down the depth chart for every position group. This time, we’ll go in depth at the quarterback position… Starter: Geno Smith Backups: Bailey Zappe , Cade Klubnik , Brady Cook Key additions/losses: Smith was acquired via trade from the Las Vegas Raiders , while previous starter Justin Fields headed to Kansas City in another trade and Tyrod Taylor departed in free agency. Klubnik was drafted in the fourth round, and Zappe was acquired on a futures deal at the end of last season. Top Performers in 2025: Fields made nine starts, winning two. He completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,259 yards and seven touchdowns with just one interception. He also rushed for 383 yards and four touchdowns. 2025 ranking per PFF: Smith was 37th out of 45 qualifiers last year, five places below Fields. Cook was dead last. Smith’s improbable return to the Jets sees him viewed very differently than he was when he left the Jets at the end of his rookie deal 10 years ago. He has matured a lot since then, leading the Seattle Seahawks to the postseason and earning two Pro Bowl invitations, the most recent of which was just three years ago. The Jets remain confident that the 35-year-old still has plenty left in the tank. They will be hoping to see the best version of him as he spearheads offensive coordinator Frank Reich ’s offense, which boasts stability on the offensive line and a retooled group of pass catchers. Head coach Aaron Glenn was probably being over-optimistic when he said that he believes Smith “can take the Jets to the promised land”. However, he refused to rule out Smith returning in 2027 if he plays well in 2026, despite the fact the Jets are widely expected to use a high draft pick on their quarterback of the future next April with Smith on a one-year deal. Behind Smith, the backup options are lacking in experience, and it would be a concern if New York entered the year being one Smith injury away from one of the current reserves being forced into significant playing time. Zappe is the most experienced option, with nine career starts, four of which his team won. However, he failed to crack a weak Cleveland Browns rotation last season and was without a team at the end of the year so he’s not exactly a sought-after talent. Klubnik is a former five-star high school recruit who many expected to play better in college and end up as a possible first-round pick. However, when the Jets took him in the fourth round, this was considerably earlier than most analysts expected based on his inconsistent collegiate career at Clemson. The Jets seem to like him a lot and obviously hope they can unlock some of his unrealized potential, but it would be a major gamble to assume he could be ready to play at the NFL level as a rookie. The other quarterback on the roster is Cook, who started the last four games in 2025 as an undrafted rookie. He looked out of his depth in those games and already seems to have already fallen behind Zappe and Klubnik in the pecking order. Ultimately, how Smith performs could make or break the Jets’ season. If he can play with the same level of efficiency as he did during his best years in Seattle, the Jets’ offense will be significantly improved, and the team should be competitive. Can we rely on that, though? Smith was poor with the Raiders last season as he led the league in interceptions and struggled to elevate a poor supporting cast. He was also the most-sacked quarterback in the league last year, which shouldn’t repeat with the Jets projected to have a solid offensive line. Perhaps with better protection, Smith can rediscover the fountain of youth. It would probably be smart for the Jets to figure out some way to get someone more established on the team as a more viable number two option. If they don’t, it look
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The Jets went into Organized Team Activities wanting to see what rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik could do . They’re still waiting. Klubnik, a fourth-round pick out of Clemson, has been out of practice with back soreness. Jets coach Aaron Glenn confirmed that Klubnik was still not practicing on Tuesday, although he indicated Klubnik could be back on the practice field soon. At the moment, the Jets’ plan is for Bailey Zappe to serve as the No. 2 quarterback behind starter Geno Smith. Klubnik could earn the No. 2 job, but missing time now could put him behind in training camp. A year ago, Klubnik was viewed as a future first-round draft pick, but he had a disappointing final college season, and his draft stock slid. The Jets think he has plenty of upside. But they need to see it on the field. The other quarterback on the Jets’ roster is Brady Cook, who made the team as an undrafted rookie last year and ended up starting four games, all of which the Jets lost as Cook threw two touchdown passes and seven interceptions
The Jets went into Organized Team Activities wanting to see what rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik could do . They're still waiting. Klubnik, a fourth-round pick out of Clemson, has been out of practice with back soreness. Jets coach Aaron Glenn confirmed that Klubnik was still not practicing on Tuesday, although he indicated Klubnik could be back on the practice field soon. At the moment, the Jets' plan is for Bailey Zappe to serve as the No. 2 quarterback behind starter Geno Smith . Klubnik could earn the No. 2 job, but missing time now could put him behind in training camp. A year ago, Klubnik was viewed as a future first-round draft pick, but he had a disappointing final college season, and his draft stock slid. The Jets think he has plenty of upside. But they need to see it on the field. The other quarterback on the Jets' roster is Brady Cook , who made the team as an undrafted rookie last year and ended up starting four games, all of which the Jets lost as Cook threw two touchdown passes and seven interceptions
Quarterback Brendan Sorsby is applying to enter the NFL’s supplemental draft, which means teams will have to mull whether or not they’ll make a bid for his services if the league approves that application. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn didn’t offer much of a hint about where his team will fall on that question during a press conference on Tuesday. Glenn said that his mind is on the quarterbacks that are in attendance in the team’s minicamp this week — Geno Smith, Cade Klubnik, Brady Cook, and Bailey Zappe — and that any conversation with General Manager Darren Mougey will come later. “I’m focused on the guys that we have here now,” Glenn said. “I’m sure that’s something me and Moug will talk about. I got the quarterbacks here that we focus on right now.” Glenn also declined to say how Sorsby’s history of gambling on his own team would impact their evaluation of Sorsby as a prospective addition to the team. “I have no idea what that is to be honest with you,” Glenn said. “I heard about it, I’ve seen it on TV, but I don’t want to respond to that because I have no idea of the inner workings of that. Not fair to that player for me to do that.” Along with deciding whether Sorsby’s talent is great enough to give up a 2027 draft pick to select him in the supplemental draft, any evaluation of the quarterback will have to include the possibility that he will be suspended by the NFL as he moves into the professional ranks
Cook appeared in five regular-season games as a rookie with the Jets in 2025 after going undrafted out of Missouri, but he struggled to elevate a difficult situation, completing 57.5 percent of his passes for 739 yards, two touchdowns and seven interceptions. He now faces competition from rookie fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik and free-agent addition Bailey Zappe for the No. 2 role behind veteran Geno Smith. After an underwhelming first season, Cook enters training camp with an uphill climb to secure a meaningful spot on the depth chart. His familiarity with the system may help, but he'll need a strong offseason to separate himself in a crowded quarterback room
Russell Wilson is joining CBS as an analyst on The NFL Today for the 2026 season and he chose that job over an opportunity to serve as the backup quarterback to Geno Smith with the Jets. Wilson’s move into broadcasting came up during Jets head coach Aaron Glenn’s press conference on Tuesday. The Jets currently have Brady Cook, Bailey Zappe, and fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik behind Smith and Glenn was asked about the impact Wilson’s decision has on their plans for the No. 2 job. “Nothing at all,” Glenn said. “I think the last time we talked I had said that we were looking at number of quarterbacks , and that’s just what it was. Hopefully he will have a good TV career. Heck, I know that he’ll be good at it, and congrats to him.” A report last month said that the Jets want to see more of Klubnik in OTAs before making any other moves for a more experienced quarterback and the elimination of Wilson as an option would seem to give the rookie a stronger chance of winding up in the backup role
by Ari Koslow | Jets Correspondent | Thu, May 28th 3:07pm EDT Jets coach Aaron Glenn said Cade Klubnik will be part of a competition for the team's backup quarterback job. ( Rich Cimini on Twitter ) Fantasy Impact: Glenn added that it is an open competition for the backup job behind Geno Smith. Klubnik, Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook will all be competing. This will be a training camp battle to monitor. Glenn says there's an "open competition" between Zappe/Klubnik/Cook for the QB2 job, though he noted that Bailey Zappe took the second-team reps yesterday. #Jets More Cade Klubnik : News , Rankings , Projections , Stats
Jets coach Aaron Glenn stated that Brady Cook will join Cade Klubnik and Bailey Zappe in an open competition for the backup quarterback position behind Geno Smith. While Zappe took second-team reps recently, it remains a training camp battle to watch
Cook is set to compete with rookie fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik for the second spot on the Jets' quarterback depth chart behind Geno Smith, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports. Cook got to audition as the Jets' starting quarterback down the stretch in 2025, but the undrafted rookie out of Missouri struggled to a 2:7 TD:INT across five appearances (four starts). The Jets traded for Smith and have already proclaimed the veteran to be their starting quarterback. They also drafted Klubnik out of Clemson, who has thrown the ball well in drills and impressed with his leadership skills. The team could still opt to bring in a veteran backup QB, but as things stand, Cook should get a chance during training camp and the preseason to compete for the top backup role against Klubnik and Bailey Zappe
The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt writes that New York Jets fourth-round rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik is quickly becoming a fan favorite and could have a chance to win the backup job behind veteran Geno Smith to begin his first year in the NFL in 2026. Klubnik was accurate and threw the ball well in rookie minicamp over the weekend, although it was closer to a walkthrough pace than a full-blown practice tempo. The 22-year-old's draft stock fell after a poor final season at Clemson in 2025 in which he dealt with ankle and wrist injuries. The word "aura" is being thrown around explaining Klubnik's presence early on, and the Jets' decision to slow-play their pursuit of another veteran backup QB suggests that they could give Klubnik an opportunity to be Smith's backup. Klubnik's primary competition for that job will be Brady Cook. "He's a really smart man," head coach Aaron Glenn said. "We're going to push the envelope with (him) and see exactly where he's at and how he's going to be able to operate with our offense." Klubnik has a ways to go, but his dynasty stock should only continue to rise in a Jets organization planning to start Smith, who was one of the worst QBs in 2025
