CadeKlubnik

News: 5 days agoKlubnik got the start in Friday's 24-16 preseason loss to the Buccaneers and completed five of seven passes for 56 yards.

Spin: Klubnik got the starting nod due to Geno Smith (ankle) being ruled out. Smith's injury isn't believed to be serious, so the veteran QB remains the clear favorite to start for the Jets come Week 1 against the Titans, but Klubnik is making a strong case for the backup role. The Jets scored 10 points on Klubnik's two drives in the game, while neither Bailey Zappe nor Brady Cook led a touchdown drive, and Zappe was picked off twice. Klubnik is likely to feature prominently in the Jets' second preseason game against the Steelers next Friday.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Klubnik was selected by the Jets in the fourth round of April's draft. Klubnik is an undersized, conservative quarterback who ranked last in this rookie class in aDOT (7.4), yards per completion (11.1), yards per attempt (7.1) and QB rating (136) during his collegiate tenure. He peaked with a 36-to-6 TD-to-INT showing in 2024, but fell to 16 TDs and six INTs in 2025. Klubnik does have a lot of experience (three years as a starter at Clemson) and could add value with his legs (totaled a 294-1,429-17 rushing line in his career), though he was extremely inefficient in the latter in 2025. Klubnik will battle for No. 2 duties behind Geno Smith.