Where Cade Klubnik Stands as Jets Training Camp Nears
The fourth-round pick out of Clemson impressed this spring before back tightness cut his June short. With camp opening July 29, the rookie is fighting for the No. 2 job behind Geno Smith.
The Jets spent their offseason getting bigger and more physical up front, extending Joe Tippmann and adding Sweat up front, and they cashed in Sauce Gardner in a blockbuster trade with the Colts. But the most interesting long-term bet in Florham Park might be a fourth-round quarterback. Cade Klubnik, the Clemson product New York drafted in April, was one of the stories of spring practice before back tightness sidelined him for the final two weeks. Head coach Aaron Glenn said the rookie was 'doing a really good job' before the injury, and with training camp opening July 29, Klubnik returns to a quarterback room where Geno Smith holds the starting job and the future is very much up for grabs.
How did Cade Klubnik look this spring?
By all accounts, encouraging. Klubnik performed well early in spring practice, enough that Aaron Glenn volunteered praise for the rookie's work before back tightness shut him down for the final two weeks of the offseason program. The coaching staff does not view the mechanics as a project, which separates him from a lot of Day 3 quarterbacks. The bigger question is reps. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich has already noticed something beyond the throws, calling Klubnik 'pretty charismatic' and crediting him with high emotional intelligence. 'Do I think there was a connection? Absolutely there was a connection,' Reich said of the rookie and his new teammates. For a fourth-rounder six weeks into his NFL life, that is about as good a spring report card as you can get.
What does the QB room look like behind Geno Smith?
Geno Smith is the unquestioned starter and the bridge while the Jets figure out their long-term answer. Behind him, it is a three-man scramble for the No. 2 job between Klubnik, Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook, though in practice it looks like a two-man race between Klubnik and Zappe. Zappe brings NFL game experience, which is the one thing Klubnik cannot offer yet. Cook profiles as the depth piece unless something changes in camp. How Glenn and his staff order that depth chart in August will say a lot about how fast they think the rookie can go. Winning the backup job outright would put Klubnik one snap away from live action in Year 1.
What is the development plan for the rookie?
The staff's diagnosis is simple: the mechanics are sound, so what Klubnik needs most is in-game experience. That means significant preseason reps, starting when camp opens July 29. Quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave likes what he has seen so far. 'He's very eager to get this thing and figure it out,' Musgrave said, adding that 'it'll be fun to see him versus live bullets in these preseason games.' There is also a scenario where the rookie plays meaningful snaps in 2026: if the Jets fall out of contention late, Klubnik could earn playing time down the stretch. In a city still buzzing off the Knicks' title run, a young quarterback flashing in December would give Jets fans their own reason to dream.
Players in this story
Sources
- ESPN: Where does Jets rookie QB Klubnik stand ahead of training camp?
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