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I’m not sure about this thinking.
“The Jets haven’t signed a veteran because they want to see what (Cade) Klubnik can do over the next month,” wrote ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
But before I continue, I want to make it clear, I’m not criticizing Cimini. This isn’t his idea; he’s just reporting what a source told him.
As I’ve written before, making Klubnik the primary back this year is not ideal.
He’s a major project and should not be one snap away from playing this year.
And let me be clear, I have no issue with the them taking a flyer on him in the fourth round, he should be the #3. He has a lot to work on.
Just like Zach Wilson should not have been one snap away from starting in 2023 behind Aaron Rodgers. They were looking to help Wilson fix some things in his game in 2023 with Rodgers there, so when the veteran QB got hurt in Week 1, Wilson was starting again before much was fixed.
“When the first read isn’t there, his field vision is average, and he’s not good enough off-platform/out of structure to succeed at a high enough rate,” wrote Lance Zierlein about Klubnik before the 2026 draft.
Zierlein had a 6th-round grade on Klubnik.
Zierlein feels Klubnik has a lot to work on.
- Rushes and misses open throws when he gets out of rhythm.
- Missed wide-open touchdown throws in the face of pressure.
- Struggled to extend plays and deliver throws with consistency.
- Loses firmness of platform as he works through his progressions.
- Below-average field vision to quickly diagnose coverages
Once again, we are talking about a project here that has a lot to work on.
Not sure what they would be looking for “over the next month” that would convince them Klubnik is ready to be their #2?
He continues to get rave reviews for his performance in the rookie minicamp. Not sure what that is based on. We don’t even know what he was being asked to do. Rookie minicamp is kind of a free-for-all, with young players who barely know the system, who usually need work on fundamentals, often kind of winging it out there. You could see a pass play that looks good, but there could have been mistakes on the play, but it happened to work out. “Highlights ” at rookie minicamp are often not what they seem to be to people who have no access to the playbook.
So some would argue a better gauge of where Klubnik is at will be in OTAs and the veteran minicamp.
“The speed will intensify at OTAs, which should give the coaches a better idea of his ability to absorb and execute the system,” Cimini wrote.
But even in the OTAs and veteran minicamp, it’s hard to judge QBs very much. You can’t touch the QB, and since pass rushers need to pull up before touching the QB, who is wearing a red jersey (which means don’t touch), plays often go on beyond where they would in a real game.
So it’s going to be hard to discern how he will deal with real football pass-rush pressure in a game, and if he will not “miss wide-open touchdown throws in the face of pressure.”
There is almost nothing they will see in the OTAs and veteran minicamp that will allow them to discern that Klubnik is ready to be the #2.
This is flag football, not real football.
So the concept that they are going to watch Klubnik in OTAs and minicamp to determine whether he’s the right guy to be the #2 might be flawed to a certain degree.
He’s a smart kid, so he will likely pick things up quickly, but learning the playbook, and executing on Sunday against opponents, with disguised defenses and pass rushers looking to take your head off, are two totally different things.
Was looking at the depth chart for the Cincinnati Bengals for some research I was doing for another project, and Joe Burrow is the starter with veterans Joe Flacco and Josh Johnson backing him up.
Not only a veteran in the #2 spot, but also in the #3 spot.
Jets need a backup like that – Flacco or Burrow – a guy with NFL starts.
And that fact should not be impacted by what Klubnik does in the spring in flag football.
May 25, 2026
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