Cade Klubnik’s closing argument was not a convincing one.
The rookie quarterback had a chance Friday night to finalize his case to be the No. 2 Jets quarterback. Instead, Klubnik threw an interception and looked shaky against a Giants defense that had only featured a few starters for the first series.
Klubnik went 6-for-13 for 59 yards and was picked off by linebacker Zaire Barnes, a former Jets draft pick.
“Overall, not my best ball,” Klubnik said. “I thought we did some good things, though. I thought at times that our offense was really rolling and then at times we just weren’t getting into a rhythm and that starts with me and getting the guys going.”
Klubnik finished the preseason 21-for-34 for 190 yards with no touchdowns and the one pick. He was sacked four times.
“I thought Cade was up and down,” Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said. “He made some plays. Obviously the drive was a really good drive for him. There are some little bitty things that we’ve got to fix.”
The Jets lost the game 23-6 to their crosstown rivals, but this game was not about the scoreboard. Rather, it was about who is making the roster and settling on the depth chart for the regular season.
Backup quarterback has been a huge question mark for the Jets. Geno Smith has been the undisputed starter since the team acquired him in a trade with the Raiders in March. But it has been a debate about who should back him up. Klubnik has outplayed the other quarterbacks on the Jets roster, Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook. But there is a question of whether Jets general manager Darren Mougey should pursue a veteran either through a trade or if one shakes free when teams cut their rosters to 53 on Sunday evening.
The Jets drafted Klubnik in the fourth round in April after his draft stock plummeted during a disappointing final season at Clemson. He has impressed the Jets with his poise and decision-making, but his inexperience does show up. The Jets have to ask themselves if they would trust him to be their quarterback against the Lions or Bears if Smith is hurt.
Glenn would not say if Klubnik will be their No. 2 quarterback.
“Me and [Mougey] are going to sit back and evaluate that,” Glenn said. “It’s not fair to myself. It’s not fair to him. It’s not fair to us as a team to sit there and make those statements right now. We’ll take a look at that and we’ll evaluate it and then we’ll make the right decision going forward.”
Klubnik did not inspire much confidence against the Giants. His worst pass came early in the second quarter when he threw an ill-advised pass toward tight end Jelani Woods, but Barnes was there to intercept it.
“Just a poor decision, poor throw,” Klubnik said. “The Will [linebacker] ended up dropping to a depth, just a poor decision, should’ve checked down to the back.”
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The Jets scored on their first series of the game, but Klubnik did not attempt a pass on the 10-play drive. On the only called pass, Klubnik ended up scrambling.
He had a chance to put more points on the board just before halftime, getting the ball at the Jets 34 with 1:57 left. A pass interference penalty on the Giants moved the ball to the 50. But Klubnik could not take advantage. He had one completion to Quentin Skinner for 12 yards but two other completions were wiped out by penalties. He was sacked on third down, taking the team out of field goal range.
Running back Chip Trayanum scored a 1-yard touchdown to give the Jets a 6-0 lead on the first series, but kicker Jason Sanders missed the extra point. Trayanum later had a scary moment. On the final play of the first half, he was hit and had to be immobilized and taken off the field. He was taken to a local hospital, but the Jets said he was alert and able to move his extremities.
Defensively, the Jets had two takeaways. For the second straight week, they managed an interception after going all of last season without one. Linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball caught a Jameis Winston pass after cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers deflected it. McCrary-Ball forced another turnover, knocking the ball out of Braxton Berrios’ hands. Stiggers recovered that one in the end zone.
The Jets rested almost all of their starters in the preseason finale and now must cut the roster to 53 players by 6 p.m. Sunday before preparing for the Sept. 13 opener against the Titans.
