The New York Jets have added an arm to the bullpen.
Hours ahead of the Week 3 road trip to face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Jets have called up undrafted free agent Brady Cook from the practice squad.
They also elevated rookie safety Dean Clark, the team announced.
This is a temporary elevation, and Cook will revert to the practice squad on Monday, September 22.
He is set to be the QB2 behind Tyrod Taylor. Starting quarterback Justin Fields was ruled out on Wednesday, September 17 with a concussion.
Cook Is Set to Dress for His First NFL Game
Cook, 23, went undrafted this offseason out of Missouri. Following the draft, he signed to the Jets‘ 91-man roster.
This offseason the Jets had four quarterbacks in trianing camp: Fields, Taylor, Cook, and fan favorite Adrian Martinez.
The Jets only kept two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, but it seemed that Cook won the QB3 gig over Martinez. The former Missouri product was brought back on the practice squad after clearing waivers. Martinez eventually joined the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad.
When Fields got hurt in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills, the Jets stayed pat. They didn’t add another quarterback to the roster from outside the organization. Instead, they anointed Taylor as the QB1 and promoted from within with Cook.
Taylor Has an Uneven Track Record When It Comes to Injuries
Taylor, 36, has plenty of experience. He has appeared in 95 games and has made 58 starts. Although he hasn’t been a full-time starter since he was on the Buffalo Bills in 2017.
One of the reasons it has been eight years since his last full-time opportunity is because of Taylor’s troubling injury history.
In 2018, Taylor was the starter in Cleveland and suffered an early-season concussion (against the Jets), giving way to a rookie Baker Mayfield. In 2019, Taylor was the Chargers’ starter when a team doctor accidentally punctured his lung administering a pain-killing injection; rookie Justin Herbert stepped in,” Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic wrote.
“Taylor missed a chunk of the 2021 season with the Texans due to a hamstring injury. In 2023, he took over for an injured Daniel Jones with the Giants, then suffered a rib injury (against the Jets), creating the opening for Tommy DeVito’s viral run,” Rosenblatt added.
He has been the unluckiest guy on the planet when it comes to injuries.
Cook Better Be Ready to Do More Than Hold a Clipboard
Considering Taylor’s checkered injury past, Cook had better be ready to go at a moment’s notice. He is one injury away from leading the Jets‘ offense in Week 3.
During the preseason, Cook appeared in all three games. Cook finished with a 66% completion percentage (25-of-38), 235 passing yards, and had one touchdown and one interception.
The Jets not adding another proven passer this week shows just how much they trust Cook.
“Well, he wouldn’t be here if we weren’t confident in him. I thought he did really good things in the preseason. Listen, he is still learning, and it’s one of those things that we have a number of rookies that play on the field for us. It’s no different with him being a quarterback, obviously, it’s a more highlighted position, but he’s a rookie; if it comes to him to play, he has to play. We are going to do everything we can to put him in the best position to be successful,” head coach Aaron Glenn told the media on Friday, September 19.
Jets Add Rookie QB to Active Roster Hours Before Bucs Game