Leger Douzable’s Cade Klubnik praise should have Jets fans in love

Jokes and memes aside, poise and confidence issues have plagued New York Jets quarterbacks since the start of the Mark Sanchez era. Sam Darnold was infamously “seeing ghosts” not long into his career, and Zach Wilson was woefully unprepared to play in the New York market.

Unlike those three, Cade Klubnik joined the Jets as a fourth-round pick. He’s already exceeded preseason expectations by emerging as the de facto backup quarterback, and speculation continues to mount about him wrestling the job away from Geno Smith.

Klubnik has earned rave reviews throughout training camp, and he’s looked sharp through two preseason games. The Clemson product went 10-of-14 for 75 yards and added a 16-yard rush against the Steelers last Friday.

Former Jets defensive end and CBS Sports analyst Leger Douzable came away impressed, writing on X/Twitter that he’s a fan of Klubnik’s “short-term memory” and ability to immediately put bad plays behind him.

“Kid [doesn’t] seem to be [fazed] by much, he seems to always respond,” Douzable wrote.

New York Jets fans should love Leger Douzable’s Cade Klubnik analysis

Over the course of eight NFL seasons, Douzable played with the likes of Smith, Blaine Gabbert, EJ Manuel, and was on the 2013 Jets team that lost Sanchez to a preseason shoulder injury. Suffice it to say that he has seen enough mediocre quarterback play firsthand. 

So for Douzable to immediately spot Klubnik’s confidence and the strengths of his mindset, that is especially telling about the rookie quarterback. An NFL player can have all of the talent in the world, but it means nothing if they can’t play to their potential when the lights come on. Wilson garnered pre-draft buzz for his arm strength, yet had “bust” written all over him from the moment he was linked to the Jets.

Sanchez often looked visibly uncomfortable after an interception, but his confidence appeared to take a significant hit after the 2011 collapse. Then came the Tim Tebow trade and the Butt Fumble, and it’s easy to understand why the Jets were so eager to draft Smith in 2013.

To be clear, we’re not suggesting that Douzable was referencing Sanchez, Smith, or any other quarterback he previously called teammates. We’re only noting that his words carry weight as someone who didn’t necessarily play alongside above-average quarterbacks. Arguably the best quarterback play he saw up close was Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2015.

We’re in the final weeks of the Summer of Klubnik, and Douzable is the latest NFL figure to fully acknowledge and enjoy the brewing excitement. As of Tuesday morning, the Jets had not announced how much Smith or Klubnik would play in the preseason finale against the Giants; Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook are the only other active quarterbacks.

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