Cade Klubnik just took another step in winning over Jets fans

Cade Klubnik has plenty of steps he must take before making his case as the New York Jets’ potential franchise quarterback.

At least he won’t need to take the elevator this time.

Speaking with reporters on Saturday, Klubnik — a fourth-round pick in last month’s draft — opened up about the ankle and wrist injuries he battled at Clemson.

Klubnik admitted that his ankle injury was so bad that he had trouble walking to meetings.  

Instead, Klubnik was forced to use the elevator and receive a pain-killing injection.  

“For me,” Klubnik said, “I think that I really learned how to truly face adversity and just attack it.”

Jets fans should be excited by Cade Klubnik’s refreshing honesty

The cynics out there, especially Clemson fans still angered by the Tigers’ 7-6 finish, might accuse Klubnik of making excuses for a disappointing senior season.

In reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Klubnik took responsibility where it mattered while also making it clear that he believes in himself — and understandably so, as a two-time ACC champion and three-time Texas high school champion.

“In my mind, I'm a winner,” Klubnik said at Jets' rookie minicamp.

“I don't mean that in a boastful way,” Klubnik continued. “I think that's the mentality you have to have as a quarterback, and I think that my résumé has kind of showed that as well.”

Klubnik didn’t opt for a PR-friendly answer, nor did he claim his injuries were the sole reason Clemson barely avoided its first losing record since 2010.

Rather, Klubnik — widely considered a preseason Heisman favorite last summer — reiterated that he hasn’t lost his confidence.  

Jets coach Aaron Glenn called Klubnik a “really smart man,” which arguably stands out more than the generic praise about a player’s talent or fit.

What should be the Jets’ realistic expectations for Cade Klubnik?

Jets fans expecting to see Klubnik take the field in September may only get their wish during pregame warmups.

Barring disaster, the Jets would be wise to use Klubnik’s rookie season as an unofficial redshirt year — and the modern redshirt year, not the one of old.

For those unfamiliar, college players can play in up to four games and preserve their eligibility for another season, so long as they haven’t previously redshirted.

Assuming that Klubnik is the No. 3 behind Geno Smith and either Bailey Zappe or Brady Cook, that’d mean we’d likely only see Klubnik late in blowouts, at least to open the year.

Anything is fair game, though, when we get to the season’s second half. Look what the Dolphins did with Quinn Ewers, a seventh-round pick, last December.

For now, Klubnik is healthy and can walk without issue. One roadblock down, many more to go.

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