A new era is upon us.
New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn announced on Friday, December 12, that Brady Cook will get his first career start on Sunday versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini revealed that this is the first time in 50 years that the Jets are starting an undrafted free agent at quarterback.
“It was Dec. 15, 1975, when JJ Jones started for the injured Joe Namath, who wound up playing anyway. Jones, out of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, lasted only a few series, finishing with as many completions as interceptions — one,” Cimini explained. “Jones, the first Black quarterback in Jets history, did some relief work the following week in the season finale and never played another game in the NFL. He went on to the CFL.”
Cook Will Get a Chance to Bounce Back in a Big Way
The rookie passer out of Missouri got his first taste of the NFL in Week 14 against the Miami Dolphins.
Tyrod Taylor hurt his groin on the second drive of the game, which forced Cook onto the field. The only reason he was active on the roster is that Justin Fields has been battling knee soreness.
Cook finished 14-of-30, throwing for 163 passing yards. However, he didn’t score a touchdown, was sacked six times, and threw two interceptions.
Which means it can only go up from here.
In all seriousness, Cook will be in a much better position against the Jaguars. He received the first team reps throughout the week. That will likely provide him with confidence in his new role and much-needed chemistry with his teammates to get everyone on the same page.
“I was really happy with, ultimately, how he performed [last week],” offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand told the media this week via Cimini. “We’ve got to clean up the turnovers and the fumbles, and he knows that, but there’s some things that he did in the pass game, as far as playing on time and working through his progressions and putting the ball in the right place, that were very encouraging.”
This is a developing story, and we’ll provide new details as they become available.
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