An undrafted rookie hasn’t started for the New York Jets at quarterback in 50 years.
That will change on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars: Brady Cook will start for the Jets in Jacksonville, head coach Aaron Glenn announced.
Adrian Martinez, signed to the practice squad this week, will serve as the No. 2 quarterback. Martinez was with the Jets in training camp and then spent most of the season with the San Francisco 49ers. Both Tyrod Taylor (groin) and Justin Fields (knee soreness) didn’t practice this week and were declared out.
“I have all the confidence in the world” in Cook, Glenn said. “That’s something I’ve stated from the beginning. He’ll be a good player in this league.”
Cook received the first NFL snaps of his career last week against the Miami Dolphins when Taylor injured his groin in the first half. He started off poorly but eventually settled in and nearly led the Jets on a scoring drive in the second half before throwing an interception on a pass intended for wide receiver Adonai Mitchell — his second interception of the day. His final stats weren’t pretty — 14 of 30 completions for 163 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions — but Jets receivers did drop five passes in that game, including a John Metchie drop that would’ve been a touchdown.
Cook impressed his teammates and coaches with the confidence he showed in the huddle, especially considering he hadn’t had a single first-team rep all season and this was his NFL debut.
“It’s how he works, the time he gets in in the morning, when he leaves, the way he goes and commands the huddle, the way he gets the play call out, all those things show he’s been studying his butt off for this moment,” Glenn said.
Cook felt himself settling in during the second half — though his quote about that from earlier in the week invoked a word that brings back some not-so-great memories around here: ghosts.
“I think getting back out there in the second half, it definitely started to slow down,” Cook said. “The first few series were definitely quick, and I think when you’re not quite trusting it yet, things are moving fast, you might put a little extra heat on it to protect yourself from the people you don’t see, from the ghosts, or whatever it is, because things are moving fast.”
Context: Sam Darnold once was mic’d up for a moment in a game against the Patriots where he said he was “seeing ghosts.”
Cook went undrafted after three years as a starter at Missouri, including his senior season when he passed for 2,535 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions in 12 games while rushing for five touchdowns.
This was The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s scouting report on Cook from April:
“Though not elusive, Cook is an underrated athlete who consistently picks up positive yards (plenty of options and designed runs in the Mizzou offense). He has solid arm talent as a passer, and he knows when to deliver with zip or when the ball needs touch. He can be too willing to throw without setting his base, which disrupts his accuracy, and there are too many panic throws on his tape when he’s late to feel pressure. Overall, Cook is made of the right stuff, with the functional athleticism and arm to hang in the pros. However, he will need to put more of a premium on ball placement to take the next step.”