Jets QBGeno Smith did not play in the team's first preseason game on Friday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with what the team is calling a sore ankle. Head coach Aaron Glenn confirmed that it happened in the team's last joint practice with the Bucs earlier this week. "Nothing to be alarmed about. It’ll be day-to-day," Glenn said after the Jets' 24-16 loss. "Thursday, I told him he wasn’t going to play… Precautionary."
The Jets are not too concerned about the injury and it was something that would not have kept Smith out if Friday's game was in the regular season. Fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik started the game with the starters and played a couple of series. He finished 5 of 7 for 56 yards and took a sack. Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook saw the bulk of the playing time as they fight to be the No. 3 quarterback. When Smith eventually does take the field for Gang Green, it will be his first start for the team that drafted him since 2016. He spent the 2017 season with the New York Giants, followed by a year with the Los Angeles Chargers, before reviving his career with the Seattle Seahawks. Last season, Smith struggled in his lone year with the Las Vegas Raiders, going 2-13 as the starter with 3,025 passing yards, 19 TDs, and 17 INTs. The Jets hope there's more left in the tank with the veteran QB, acquiring him from the Raiders in March for a 2026 sixth-round pick prior to the NFL Draft. Klubnik, who was selected with the No. 110 pick, will now get an extended chance to show his potential and make the Jets seriously consider him for their future. The 22-year-old from Clemson went 26-13 as the starter over three seasons, throwing for 10,132 yards with 73 TDs and just 24 INTs.