NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Cade Klubnik and his wife were watching Wednesday night’s Seahawks-Patriots game when Seattle starter Sam Darnold was injured on the fifth play, offering the rookie quarterback an immediate reminder of how quickly his number could be called.
The former Clemson standout, selected by the Jets in the fourth round, was named the team’s No. 2 quarterback at the close of training camp. That leaves Klubnik one play away from taking over if starter Geno Smith is injured.
“It’s definitely a reality check for sure,” Klubnik said. “My wife and I are watching that like, ‘Dang. Hey Drew [Lock] is in.’ But I’m just trying to be the best teammate I can be for everybody else and just get Geno in the best possible situation.
“I’ll do anything he needs me to do. And, you know, just create the best opportunity for this team.”
Klubnik showed flashes during the summer, though the Jets’ choice to make the rookie Smith’s primary backup instead of keeping a veteran in that role drew some attention. If Smith were injured in Sunday’s opener, the question would be whether New York truly believes Klubnik is prepared to step in.
“He wouldn’t be our No. 2 if we didn’t have a true belief in who he was as a person, a player, as quarterback, as someone who can lead this team,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. “That’s a very valued position. You look across the league — it just happened the first game of the season.
“So, we thought about it quite a bit and I like the decision that we made.”
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Glenn has said the move also gives Klubnik as many practice repetitions as possible to accelerate his development.
This week, Klubnik has been running the scout team, a job he had not handled since his freshman year of high school.
Along with learning Tennessee’s playbook, Klubnik must remain prepared to operate the Jets’ offense should he be needed.
“Mental reps, man. You know every second counts,” Klubnik said. “And you know just watching the tape over and over and learning the game plan and always being ready. I did that my freshman year of college. You just gotta stay ready.
“And you’ve got to prepare every single week like you’re the starter because you never know when your moment might come and it might never come. But I’m prepared.”
The Jets ruled out RB/KR Kene Nwangwu on Saturday. Nwangwu experienced back tightness Thursday and was listed as doubtful by the Jets, but he was downgraded Saturday. … WR Tim Patrick (groin) was placed on injured reserve. … Jason Sanders was elevated from the practice squad and will handle kicking duties against the Titans.