Rookie QB Cade Klubnik Delivers in Surprise Start; Jets Fall 24–16 to Buccaneers

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., August 7 — The New York Jets opened their 2026 preseason Friday night with a 24–16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium, but the result was the least interesting thing about the evening. With veteran Geno Smith held out because of ankle soreness, fourth-round rookie Cade Klubnik got his first NFL start on a few hours' notice — and made the most of it.

Klubnik led scoring drives on both of his possessions. The first was a methodical 12-play, 65-yard march that ate more than six minutes and ended in a 27-yard Cade York field goal. The second was the opposite: four plays, 48 yards, capped by a 31-yard touchdown run from Braelon Allen that put New York up 10–0 before the first quarter was over.

Allen's night was its own encouraging note. Returning from injury, he needed only four carries to gain 44 yards, and his burst through the second level on the touchdown was the most convincing offensive rep the Jets produced all night.

From there the game turned on the things preseason games usually turn on. Tampa Bay answered with a 14-play drive that stalled into a 23-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal, and moments later undrafted rookie cornerback Ayden Garnes jumped a throw and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown that tied the score at 10. York's 38-yarder as the half expired nudged the Jets back in front, 13–10, but New York had already given away the one advantage it could not afford.

The Jets finished with a 284–245 edge in total yards. They also finished minus-two in turnover margin — Tampa Bay did not give the ball away once. That gap is close to the whole story of the second half.

Defensively, the run fits were the best part of the night. Tampa Bay needed 25 carries to gain 69 yards, an average of 2.8, and the Jets recorded four tackles for loss. What did not show up was pressure or takeaways: the team finished with exactly one sack, by Will McDonald IV, and no interceptions. Linebacker Mykal Walker led the way with seven tackles.

The soft spots came in long possessions. New York surrendered a 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter that ended with a 12-yard Josh Williams run, then a 16-play, 65-yard grind in the fourth that Jalon Daniels finished himself from a yard out with 3:24 left. Tampa Bay converted 6 of 14 third downs. For a unit that went the entire 2025 season without recording a single interception, the zero in the takeaway column is the number that will keep getting asked about.

The Jets' own scoring stopped after Jason Sanders' 47-yard field goal early in the fourth cut the deficit to one. They went 0-for-1 in the red zone and 5-for-13 on third down. Both interceptions came from third-string quarterback Bailey Zappe, who was 6-of-10 for 55 yards; the offensive line also gave up four sacks for 26 yards across the night. Brady Cook led all Jets passers with 108 yards on 15 attempts. Klubnik's own line was modest by design — 5-of-7 for 56 yards — because his two drives leaned on the run.

Placekicking, at least, was settled business: York and Sanders combined to go 3-for-3, with Sanders' 47-yarder the longest.

New York's coaching setup adds a wrinkle worth watching. Head coach Aaron Glenn is calling the defense himself this season, with Brian Duker in his first year as defensive coordinator handling everything else. Duker has described Glenn as an aggressive play-caller by temperament — a change in posture from a unit that finished 2025 near the bottom of the league in nearly every category.

Announced attendance was 62,082.

The Jets travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers on Friday, Aug. 21, then close the preseason at home against the Giants on Friday, Aug. 28. They open the regular season Sunday, Sept. 13, on the road against the Tennessee Titans.