Why the Jets Need to Draft Two QBs (and 3 They Can Target as the Second)

You're not going to find many people arguing against the idea that the Jets will select a quarterback in next week's NFL Draft, but they shouldn't stop with "a quarterback." The right answer for the Jets, who hold nine picks, is to draft multiple quarterbacks.

Whether you want to take the "Geno Smith is our starter" messaging at face value or as a smokescreen, drafting a new backup to develop into a hopeful starter is unavoidable. Whether it's Garrett Nussmeier or someone else, the situation has been analyzed at length so I'll spare you the discussion of that first QB need. But why two?

A crowded quarterback depth chart isn't a deep one

The Jets quarterback depth chart already has three names on it, and that first quarterback selection would bring them to four.

Geno Smith (36 years old, 84.7 passer rating in 2025)
Brady Cook (2025 UDFA, 55.4 passer rating as a rookie)
Bailey Zappe (career 76.0 passer rating)

We can slot that hypothetical selection into the QB2 spot immediately, even if you're giving Smith full credit as a starter. So that's already four names. Once you add a fifth, that room starts to get mighty crowded. But that competition is necessary.

Zappe as a non-factor

The Bailey Zappe signing was a weird one for the Jets right from the jump, because he doesn't profile as a player who fits any of the Jets' potential quarterback needs.

He's not a "mentor your young QB" coach-on-the-sidelines type guy. He's not going to compete for a QB1 spot. He's not going to fill in for an injured Geno Smith and keep the ship afloat with a couple wins en route to a playoff berth. He's not a developmental talent who could emerge as a viable starting option in 2027.

His futures contract also shows no real commitment from the team.

He's a practice squad body who's best value probably comes in giving the starting defense some decent looks by adeptly running a scout team offense. The value of that isn't zero, but it's not nearly enough to justify a roster spot for a team that still has long-term questions at quarterback.

Upgrading Brady Cook

It's fun to dream about the potential of young players. And it's easy to look at anything that happens through optimistic eyes. Brady Cook was an undrafted free agent who showed enough to get some starts (albeit as an injury fill-in on a struggling team), and that live game experience gives him a unique edge that other quarterbacks in his position don't usually have.

But he didn't show anything in those four starts to suggest he's anything more than a replacement level UDFA quarterback who happened to be in the right place at the right time (or perhaps the wrong place, depending on how you look at it) to see the field.

New York Jets quarterback Brady Cook (4) throws the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Cook shouldn't be valued any more highly than a typical UDFA quarterback, and if anything his value may be lower. That fun unknown "well we haven't seen what he can do yet, maybe he'll surprise us" upside is gone.

Needing a plan-b

When a team doesn't have a long-term answer at quarterback, finding one needs to be a top priority. Unless you're investing a top-10 draft pick at the position (and even then), you want other irons in the fire. Players further down the depth chart who might have some upside.

Drafting a quarterback to sit behind Geno and develop can't be the only plan. There have been plenty of second- and third-round QBs to go on to have productive NFL careers, for sure, but what is the hit rate in that range? For every Jalen Hurts, Derek Carr and Geno Smith (what does it say that we need to go back to 2013 to pick out three "wins" among Round 2 QBs?) there are two Matt Corrals, Kellen Monds and Davis Webbs. Optimism is good, but so is planning for reality.

A late-round quarterback would obviously be an even bigger crapshoot. But the bar at that point doesn't need to be "more likely to be the answer than the first quarterback selected," it needs to be "more likely to be the answer than Brady Cook." And there are some real options who fit the bill.

Late-round QB targets the Jets should consider

Behren Morton, Texas Tech

Projected as a seventh-round pick on NFL.com, Morton has a lot of the traits you look for when trying to find untapped upside late. Playing through a fractured right fibula in 2025 and owning a lengthy injury history means what teams have seen recently isn't necessarily what he's fully capable of. It also sends a clear message about his intangibles.

Experience against SEC defenses is another plus, and while his game lacks a lot of polish, that's the tradeoff you make when drafting a QB in the seventh. Morton is also someone the Jets hosted for a 30 visit.

Haynes King, Georgia Tech

Again, we're searching for upside here. If you said "he's not going to make it in the NFL" about every single seventh-round QB drafted, you'd be right almost every time. But targeting traits that will bring value if things work out gives you upside. And that's what you get with Haynes King's athleticism.

King ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash, becoming one of the fastest quarterbacks in combine history. He rushed for 953 yards and 15 touchdowns in his sixth and final collegiate season. Of course, "sixth and final" also means he's 25 years old.

Joe Fagnano, UConn

Joe Fagnano is the kind of target the Jets would want if they weren't swinging for the fences here. He's the target if their goal was to find someone who could potentially develop into a long-term backup option behind their earlier-selected quarterback.

His game is already more complete than King or Morton's, playing clean, controlled football with good quick reads. Of course, you're not falling to the seventh round with traits like that unless there are some major red flags as well. He doesn't extend plays well, has some accuracy issues and most concerningly just doesn't seem to have the arm strength to develop into a real QB1 at the NFL level.

He's probably a better fit for a team that already has a franchise quarterback in place, but if the Jets went a more conservative route with the pick he may be the top name.

However the draft plays out, leaving with two quarterbacks should be a priority for the Jets. The position is too important, and the hit rate on draft picks too low, to not take multiple swings.

Add us as a preferred source on Google