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A fan asked me why you are not hearing much about long-shots who are impressing in Jets camp this summer.
The fan said she always enjoys those stories in camp.
It’s a fair point.
Why is that?
A few thoughts on this.
First of all, there is a lot less practice time due to field time restrictions written into the last collective bargaining agreement. So less time on the field means fewer reps for the long shot.
The players who get the most reps are obviously the starters, draft picks, key established backups (like LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball), and priority undrafted free agents (those who got signing bonuses).
Some players hardly get any reps. It’s hard to show what you can do with little to no reps.
Let’s not forget that when a quintessential long shot like WR Wayne Chrebet made the Jets in the 1990’s, there were two-a-day practices, a two-hour session in the morning and then another in the afternoon. Plenty of reps for everybody back then and Chrebet did an amazing job of taking advantage of every single one, making himself impossible to cut.
But these days, how many reps do long-shot receivers like Cam Camper, Quincy Skinner or DT Sheffield actually get? Not many.
This is a year the Jets could use a long-shot linebacker to emerge like Chad Cascadden, but does somebody like Chase Wilson get enough reps to show what he can do truly? That position after Demario Davis has to be a cause for concern. Why not just open it wide open?
So in closing, there are a couple reasons why you don’t hear the names of long-shots as much as you used to. First off, most roster decisions are made before camp starts. A lot of confirmation bias in the NFL. Secondly, it’s hard for the long-shots to truly show what they can do with so few reps, but it’s hard to blame the teams for that, it’s more of a union issue.
The one long-shot I will give you (and that fan) to keep an eye on is DT Jack Heflin. With T’Vondre Sweat missing all of camp so far with a hamstring injury, there are a few extra reps available at that position for backups, and Heflin has been one of the best defensive tackles on the field all summer . . .
Okay, we didn’t hear much about long-shots during the first couple of weeks of camp, but maybe we found one in the first preseason game – cornerback Mory Bamba from BYU, who had three defensed passes in the first half. He also had a nice punt coverage play in the third quarter. A raw prospect with world-class speed and good size (6-2), and was very active in his first NFL preseason action.
A couple of other long-shots who flashed a little were rookie edge-rusher Nathan Voorhiis and second-year defensive tackle Payton Page.
How did Cade Klubnik play?
He led scoring drives on his two series, one resulting in a field goal, and then a short TD drive that was punctuated by a 31-yard TD run by Braelon Allen. It was a five-play, 48-yard scoring drive after the Jets took over on a short field.
The opening drive, which resulted in a field goal, was a nice-looking drive that stalled in the red zone. It was a 12-play, 65-yard drive.
But it should be pointed out that on both of Klubnik’s scoring drives it was the Jets’ first-team offense (aside from Klubnik) against Tampa Bay’s backup defense.
So in preseason, you always need to keep things in context and perspective.
So if you are going to fairly evaluate the backup QB battle between Klubnik, Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook, you need to factor in that Klubnik played with the starting offense against a backup defense, and the other two guys played with Jets backups against Bucs’ backups.
August 14, 2026
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