Jets see plenty of reasons to believe in Cade Klubnik as backup QB even after uneven preseason

Jets fans waiting for the team to add a veteran backup quarterback are going to have to continue waiting.Jets coach Aaron Glenn announced Monday that rookie Cade Klubnik will be Geno Smith’s backup to open the season.  Text with Brian Costello all season as he brings Sports+ subscribers the latest Jets intel from on the field and off.“He’s our backup quarterback and he’ll do a good job,” Glenn said. It has been trending this way for weeks but it is still a mild surprise that the Jets will enter the season with Klubnik one injury away from being their starter.

The team drafted Klubnik in the fourth round of April’s draft out of Clemson.He played in all three preseason games, starting two.

He went 16-for-27 passing for 134 yards with one interception.He led them on three scoring drives, but did not throw a touchdown pass. Glenn acknowledged that part of the decision to give the No.

2 job to Klubnik is the practice reps he will get and how that will help him develop.Backup quarterbacks usually run the scout team offense in practice against the starting defense. “That was a huge part of it,” Glenn said. But Glenn also pointed out everything he liked about Klubnik. “It’s just the confidence and how he operates and what he’s done in practice and what he’s done in the games,” Glenn said.

“I don’t think anybody ever said that there weren’t going to be hiccups.He’s a rookie.

But he’s always learning.He’s a very intelligent guy.

We’re proud that we have him.He’s improved over the course of training camp and he’s going to continue to improve.“Cade has done a really good job for us.” The Jets are expected to bring veteran Bailey Zappe back on their practice squad as the No.

3 quarterback.Zappe has been with the Jets all offseason.

The team also had Brady Cook, who started four games at the end of last season, on the roster but they waived him Sunday and he was surprisingly claimed by the Dolphins. Klubnik has be...