Two Young Jets’ QBs Will Battle For Last Spot On The Team Tonight

It is rare that you see an NFL team enter the season with three quarterbacks on the roster, but given New York Jets backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s injury concerns, it shouldn’t be surprising if the Jets do just that. Still, with four quarterbacks in the room so far, tonight will be the first chance for rookie Brady Cook to do battle with third-year gunslinger Adrian Martinez, who has never made an NFL roster.

New head coach Aaron Glenn went back on his plan that originally saw the starters sitting out of the Week 1 preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. Now Justin Fields’ unit is set to take the field tonight for an undisclosed amount of drives. It will likely boil down to two or three drives, the first option if the offense looks good, the latter if they are struggling.

But from there on out it will be up to the two young guns to command the offense. No comment has been made on which one will see the field first, however Brady Cook has been receiving glowing reviews through the first two and a half weeks of his NFL career. He will have his work cut out for him as he goes head to head with the UFL MVP, Adrian Martinez.

Expect big plays and high risk throws as both signal callers will be playing for their lives Saturday night.

Brady Cook The 9,000 Yard Man

Brady Cook played five years in the NCAA, all for the Missouri Tigers. In his five years the undrafted free agent signing accumulated 9,000 yards passing, 50 touchdowns through the air, and added 21 more on the ground.

At six-foot-two the 23-year-old had all the makings of a first round pick, but never quite made the final leap scouts were hoping for. His three years of above average starting quarterback play never separated the gun slinger from the other quarterbacks in his class and he eventually fell between the cracks on draft night.

Tonight will be his first chance to prove that he is the quarterback that college football fans were waiting for him to be, even though some around the team are already convinced.

“Sneakily, Brady Cook’s entire being is morphing into something the Jets can work with (will want to work with; far from savior status, Jets fans, so let’s not get nuts; but you get the idea; something workable is there),” wrote New York beat writer Robby Sabo. “On the run, right, he bypasses an open flat for Pritchett on a 20+, DIME near sideline. Unreal QB play.”

Writer Connor Long of Jets X-Factor also has his eyes on Cook.

“If Cook can carry his strong ball security and steady camp performance into Saturday night and New York’s other two preseason matchups, he could make a strong case to beat out former UFL MVP Adrian Martinez for the Jets’ QB3 job,” Long wrote.

UFL MVP Adrian Martinez

Adrian Martinez was a late bloomer. He was once dawned the player that would save Nebraska football, but after four seasons of underwhelming performance, he transferred out to play his fifth year at Kansas State. While at KSU, Martinez threw for just six touchdowns before getting replaced by now National Champion, Will Howard.

Martinez did not make a roster in 2023, but revived his career last year when he brought home the brass in the UFL. He led the Birmingham Stallions to a second consecutive league championship while earning MVP honors.

He set league records for touchdowns in a game, lead all quarterbacks in rushing yards, and was tied for most touchdowns in the league with 18.

This was good enough to earn him his second crack at an NFL roster, after not surviving the cuts with the Detroit Lions in 2023.

At 25-years-old, he too will be playing for his career tonight.