Brady Cook’s NFL debut went about as poorly as Jets fans feared

The New York Jets were already staring down a nightmare in their Week 14 game against the Miami Dolphins by the time Brady Cook jogged onto the field.

Tyrod Taylor exited early with a groin injury, the Dolphins were pouring it on, and the Jets were already buried in a 21-0 hole before the first quarter was even over. That’s the situation Cook, an undrafted rookie who was signed to the active roster yesterday, found himself making his NFL debut in one of the ugliest game scripts imaginable.

The results were rather predictable. Cook finished a 34-10 loss, completing 14-of-30 passes for 163 yards and two interceptions while taking six sacks. Those numbers look rough, and they were, but genuinely, what did fans expect?

Those are the numbers you’d expect from a third-string, developmental quarterback thrown into the fire behind a sputtering offense, with receivers who did him no favors.

The moment Zach Wilson entered at quarterback for the Dolphins in garbage time, facing the Jets team that once drafted him, summed up the day perfectly. Nothing had gone right.

Brady Cook (somewhat) survived his first NFL test in Jets debut

To Cook’s credit, he wasn’t an unplayable disaster. He had stretches where he looked poised and delivered accurate throws. But he was also let down repeatedly.

Pro Football Focus tagged the Jets for five drops and just one contested catch in six opportunities, including a wide-open John Metchie III touchdown that fell right through his hands. Instead of six points, the Jets committed a false start on the next play and settled for a field goal.

It was that kind of day for Gang Green.

The protection didn’t help Cook either, as he was sacked six times and fumbled twice, although some of that was his own doing. The Jets’ only touchdown came on a 78-yard Isaiah Williams punt return.

Everything else was miscues, missed opportunities, dropped interceptions, and bad luck. Even Cook had to briefly visit the medical tent after being stepped on in the fourth quarter.

Taylor’s groin injury could cause him to miss time. Justin Fields was already sidelined with a knee issue, and Aaron Glenn did not sound confident he’d return soon when speaking to reporters on Friday.

At this moment, Cook might be the only fully healthy quarterback under contract. Not ideal.

The Jets have been officially eliminated from playoff contention for the 15th straight year, and evaluation mode is firmly the priority. Cook didn’t light anything on fire, but he survived a no-win situation.

And right now, survival might be all the Jets can reasonably expect from whoever lines up under center, especially if Taylor is sidelined for the foreseeable future.