FROM SNOOPY TO SMASHVILLE
Despite a disappointing preseason-ending 23-6 loss to their MetLife Stadium roommates on Friday night, the New York Jets do not have major roster concerns heading into Sunday’s 6p ET deadline to get rosters down from 90 players to 53.
While there will be a few tough decisions and a possible trade or two, I believe they only have three notable holes that should be addressed in the next few days. Depth on the interior offensive line, specifically center, is one. The other two we will dive into below.
Once the roster is set, all eyes will be on the September 13 season opener vs the Tennessee Titans in Nashville.
THE QUARTERBACK ROOM
On April 25, Day 3 of the annual NFL Draft, the Gang Green sent their beat reporters and the vocal fanbase into a frenzy by moving up in the fourth round to select QB Cade Klubnik. Klubnik was highly thought of heading into the 2025 NCAA season, but he and his Clemson teammates failed to live up to expectations.
From that day forward, until the Snoopy Bowl, his arrow had been pointing up. The kid’s ability to learn, character, and poise have been praised by OC Frank Reich and HC Aaron Glenn. He looked outstanding with the starters in the preseason opener against Tampa Bay before taking a small step back against Pittsburgh.
Now, while he didn’t look lost against the New York Giants, he did look like a rookie. Is it time to panic? No, even #1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza looked like a newbie against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night. QB is the most important position in professional sports and the toughest to play for a reason.
I’m confident that Klubnik is going to have a long NFL career whether as a starter or a solid backup. He has already shown the accuracy and leadership skills necessary to stick around. But despite the fact that he played in 49 games at the collegiate level, I do not want to trust him with the Jets’ season if Geno Smith were to get hurt.
I supported the Brady Cook tank in 2025, but the time has come for this franchise to build Ted Lasso belief inside the locker room. The only way to do that is to play competitive football and win some games. If Smith were to go down early, they would need another experienced QB to prevent the season from going off the rails prior to Halloween.
THE WAIVER WIRE
Approximately 1184 players will be cut by Sunday evening, including many QBs such as the Jets’ own Cook and Bailey Zappe. It is essential for GM Darren Mougey to pore over the waiver wire and list of released veterans — and be ready to pounce if a viable veteran QB becomes available.
There’s a handful of former big-name prospects that could become available like Dillon Gabriel, Will Levis, JJ McCarthy, or Anthony Richardson. Considering the Jets have Klubnik and three first-round picks in 2027, none of those guys interest me.
I prefer they look for an older, established veteran who would willingly accept a supporting role behind Smith, and a mentoring role for Klubnik.
Here are six names that might shake free:
- Aidan O’Connell, 27, Las Vegas Raiders
- Andy Dalton, 38, Philadelphia Eagles
- Joshua Dobbs, 31, Detroit Lions
- Josh Johnson, 40, Cincinnati Bengals
- Cooper Rush, 32, Atlanta Falcons
- Tyrod Taylor, 37, Green Bay Packers
KICKER
Despite my belief that the Jets need depth at center and QB, my Real Take is that Glenn and Mougey had an excellent offseason. But the decision to let Nick Folk flee to Atlanta left me perplexed.
The returning “Folk Hero” had a near-perfect age-40 season — connecting on 28 of 29 field goals and 22 of 22 extra points. Once Folk left town, I assumed the Jets wanted to get younger at the position. That’s why I continued to mock kickers Trey Smack from Florida or Dominic Zvada from Michigan to the Jets in the lead-up to the draft.
Smack was selected by Green Bay in the sixth round, while Zvada was signed as a UDFA by the Giants. Both players are expected to start the season as their team’s primary kicker.
Meanwhile, the Jets appear to be rolling with 30-year-old Jason Sanders who kicked in 116 consecutive games for the Miami Dolphins before suffering a hip injury and missing the 2025 season.
He had a brief offseason stint with the Giants, which ended with HC John Harbaugh saying, “I think he’ll probably get picked up pretty quickly. This is one of those environments, it’s windy out here, it always has been. It’s a tough environment to kick in.”
If you hadn’t heard, the Jets play in the same stadium. By most accounts, Sanders had an uneven performance in OTAs and training camp but “beat out” Cade York for the job. However, after missing both a field goal and an extra point in the Snoopy Bowl in front of Coach Harbaugh, I expect the Jets to offer tryouts to a few vets early next week.
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