Now that the preseason is over, the New York Jets have finalized their 53-man roster.
One of the more important decisions that will need to be made is whether fourth-round rookie Cade Klubnik should be the team’s backup quarterback to Geno Smith. However, his is overall preseason performance was a mixed bag.
There will be a few veteran quarterbacks available beginning tomorrow when teams can make waiver claims. Will the Jets add a veteran backup to Geno Smith or will they roll the dice with a rookie coming off a poor final season at Clemson and wasn’t overly impressive in the preseason?
Here are Jets Wire's pros and cons of the Jets adding a veteran QB at this stage of the offseason:
Pro: Take time with Klubnik
The Jets have been notoriously bad at developing young quarterbacks,
not only as starters but as backups too. From former first-round picks Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson to even Geno Smith in his first run with the team as a second-round pick, to say it's an ugly track record would be a bit of an understatement.
Klubnik's performance in the preseason was typical of a rookie quarterback. He showed some flashes of why the Jets drafted him and believe in him, including leading two scoring drives with the first team offense against the Buccaneers. But, he struggled against backups in his last two games, including an ugly interception against the Giants. Overall, it was a mixed bag and the jury's still out as to whether he should be Geno Smith's backup.
If the Jets are serious about Klubnik’s ability and future with the team, they can do this the right way and sign a veteran that can step in if needed to run the offense and let Klubnik take his time developing into a quality backup. The last thing Aaron Glenn should do is put a rookie in an important position that he may not be ready for.
Con: It Could Hurt Klubnik’s development
On the flip side of the coin, it shouldn't go unnoticed how comfortable Klubnik looked with the first-team offense in that game against Tampa Bay. He looked poised and developed a good rapport with Garrett Wilson on the opening drive. In the game against the Steelers, Klubnik took a bad sack late in the first half that knocked the Jets out of field goal range. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich could have kneeled on the ball after that sack, but trusted his backup quarterback to make a play. Klubnik rewarded that trust with two big completions that got the Jets set up for a long field goal.
Even though it was against the Steelers backup defense, it still showed Klubnik's confidence after a bad play. It also showed that for a rookie fourth-round pick, he may be further along than we think and just may need more time to work with the starting offense.
Pro: Sends a message to the rest of the team
This is a do or die season for head coach Aaron Glenn. He's coming off a brutal 3-14 first season and the buzzards will be circling if he gets off to another bad start. The Jets made sure to surround their starting quarterback with plenty of weapons on offense, including bringing back one of their key free agents in running back Breece Hall. The question will now become if Geno Smith gets hurt, especially early in the season, will players like Hall and Garrett Wilson have confidence in Klubnik to lead them? They will say the right things to the media, but these are two players who have been around so much losing and the last thing they want is to put all of their faith in a rookie who has yet to face a first-team defense.
While it’s fair to argue that adding a veteran like Will Levis or Philadelphia’s Tanner McKee doesn’t move the needle much, having a backup quarterback with experience waiting in the wings will show the veterans on the roster that the staff are not taking unnecessary risks and are serious about having a winning season.
Con: It May Signal The Team Made a Mistake Selecting Klubnik
The Jets not only spent a fourth-round pick on Klubnik but traded two of their three picks in that round to move up and select him. That’s a shocking confidence in the ability of a quarterback, who most draft analysts didn’t have a fourth-round grade on as well as a player coming off a bad senior season at Clemson.
The Jets made plenty of moves in the offseason to improve the roster, but surprisingly, adding a veteran backup for a soon to be 36-year old Geno Smith wasn't one of them. Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook were competing with Klubnik to be the backup in training camp, but neither ever felt like a serious threat to take the job from the rookie.
Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey were excited about Klubnik’s ability when they selected him. Their decision not to bring in a veteran early in free agency only reaffirmed their confidence in him. By adding someone now, a few weeks before the season opener, it shows that the Jets may have overhyped the rookie. It would send the fans a message that he wasn't as ready as the organization wanted you to believe and could really damage Klubnik’s confidence before his career really began.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Pros and cons for the Jets signing a veteran quarterback after cuts
