After being drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of April’s NFL Draft, former Clemson star Cade Klubnik has handled his first tastes of NFL action well and is getting good marks for his preseason performances.

The rookie quarterback has put together a solid, turnover-free preseason, positioning himself as the favorite to win the Jets’ backup QB job behind starter Geno Smith.

Klubnik made his NFL preseason debut on Aug. 14 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Klubnik got the starting assignment in place of Smith, who sat out the preseason opener due to foot soreness, and Klubnik showed well with the first-team offense.

He went 5-of-7 passing for 56 yards and did not throw an interception or a touchdown, though he made some nice passes while leading the Jets to a field goal on their opening drive. He played two series, with the Jets scoring 10 total points, as the second drive ended in a rushing touchdown by Braelon Allen.

CBS Sports’ Zachary Pereles ranked the 15 rookie QB performances from Week 1 of the preseason, and Klubnik cracked the top five, coming in at No. 5.

“Called upon to start shortly before kickoff because Geno Smith was dealing with some foot soreness, Cade Klubnik played well and was generally pretty accurate,” Pereles wrote. “His biggest play — a 21-yarder to Garrett Wilson — was a little bit high, but luckily, he was throwing to one of the most talented pass catchers in the game. Frank Reich also did a good job getting his rookie some easy completions early: His first pass was this chain-mover to Mason Taylor.

“Klubnik is pretty clearly the QB2 in New York — neither Bailey Zappe nor Brady Cook impressed after Klubnik exited — and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see the Clemson product get some action late as the Jets assess their quarterback needs headed into 2027.”

Klubnik followed up his preseason debut by playing five series in Week 2 of the preseason vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Aug. 21. While he didn’t lead any scoring drives, he went 10-of-14 for 75 yards and added a 16-yard run.

CBS Sports’ Carter Bahns graded every rookie QB from preseason Week 2 and handed a “B” grade to Klubnik.

“Geno Smith gave Cade Klubnik a tough act to follow when he completed all seven of his passes and scored a touchdown, but his potential backup held his own against a Steelers defense that forced all kinds of pressure on the pocket,” Bahns wrote. “Klubnik did not orchestrate any scoring drives but helped the Jets get into field goal range during a two-minute drill at the end of the first half. He spent most of his time on his own half of the field and took two sacks, but it was not as if he received much help from his offensive line. A 16-yard keeper went down as New York’s longest rush of the day.”

Once considered a potential first-round pick, Klubnik’s draft stock suffered with a disappointing senior season in 2025, and he didn’t come off the board until Day 3 of this year’s NFL Draft. That’s when the Jets traded up to get him, dealing away two fourth-round picks (Nos. 128 and 140) to the Cincinnati Bengals in order to move up 18 spots and grab him in the fourth round with the No. 110 overall pick.

Based on reports from Jets writers, like Rich Cimini of ESPN and Antwan Staley of the New York Daily News, Klubnik is poised to claim the Jets’ QB2 role over his competition in Zappe and Cook.

“You knew there was an affinity for the former Clemson star when they traded up 18 spots to draft him in the fourth round, but they doubled down by not bringing in a seasoned quarterback for the No. 2 job,” Cimini wrote. “They made it Klubnik’s job to lose … and he hasn’t. Not in emphatic fashion, though.”

“Klubnik appears set to be the Jets’ backup quarterback, at least in the immediate future,” Staley wrote.

Klubnik spent four years at Clemson from 2022-25, including the last three years as the full-time starting signal caller. During his career, the two-time ACC Championship Game MVP threw for 10,123 yards with 73 touchdowns and 24 interceptions over 49 games (40 starts), while also rushing for 878 yards and 17 touchdowns on 369 rushing attempts.

“[Klubnik is] gonna play a long time,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said after Klubnik’s preseason debut. “He’s a really, really talented quarterback and that’s why he got drafted and they’ve obviously seen that too right out of the gate. So, hopefully he stays healthy. If he does, he’s going to be one of those guys, you look up and he’s played quite a while.” 

The Jets wrap up their preseason schedule Friday night against the New York Giants. The Jets open the regular season on the road against the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 13