RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Yahoo Sports — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 1 sources
The New York Jets (0-1) opened the 2026 NFL preseason with the goal of putting forth a better product than they did during the this campaign. New York made various moves over the course of the offseason to improve the team, such as trading for quarterback Geno Smith, but their first test came Friday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1) and it didn't go as planned.
The Jets lost to the Buccaneers 24-16 mostly with players like quarterback Brady Cook, who are competing for playing time for next season.
However, the story of the game was Smith not starting. It was fourth-round rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik who started instead. With his effort put forward, Klubnik was the standout.
Quarterback Jalon Daniels led the way for the Buccaneers competing 10-of-15 passes for 111 yards while wide receiver Garrett Greene caught 4-of-7 targets for 54 yards. Like the Jets, the Bucs did not play their starting quarterback in Baker Mayfield either.
With that, here is Jets Wire's stock report following Week 1 of the preseason:
Stock Up: QB Brady Cook
Cook is vying for a higher position within the quarterback room, but with Smith as the starter, Cook is essentially competing with rookie Cade Klubnik to be the backup. Cook looked to be in command of the offense and the hope is that he can continue playing well if he is going to maintain the backup quarterback spot over Clubnik.
Stock Down: RB Kene Nwangwu
Nwangwu has mostly been a returner for the Jets thanks to his speed, but he has a chance to earn some touches during the regular season by showing his ability to run the football. However, Nwangwu did not get off to a good start to being the preseason as he carried the ball six times, but only gained six yards so there is room for improvement there.
Stock Up: CB Mory Bamba
Bamba is one of the players that is trying to make the Jets' roster once the preseason is over and after how he played on Friday, he seems to be in a great position to do just that. Bamba came away from Friday's with five tackles (three solo) and four passes deflected, showing his ability to be an effective tackler along with guarding his area of the field with the best of them.
Stock Down: CB Azareye'h Thomas
Thomas came away from Friday's loss to the Buccaneers with just one tackle and one pass defended and while he's likely among the players that will see limited time in the preseason, he still has to prove himself on this roster. Thomas was a third-round pick for the Jets last year and this preseason will be his chance to show that he's ready for a bigger role on the defense.
Stock Up: QB Cade Klubnik
Klubnik, the Jets' fourth-round pick from the 2026 NFL Draft, came into the preseason with the opportunity to compete with incumbent backup Brady Cook for the No. 2 spot in the quarterback rotation behind Geno Smith. Cook, who was mentioned earlier in this piece, played well, but Klubnik also impressed by going 5-of-7 for 56 yards and a 94.9 passer rating.
Stock Down: WR Arian Smith
Smith is in a similar position to Thomas in that he was a fourth-round pick of the Jets in the 2025 NFL Draft, but did not impress in Friday's preseason opener by not catching his only target. One of the main storylines surrounding New York is what their passing attack will look like, but if Smith is able to find his groove during the preseason, he could find his way within the passing corps.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Stock up, stock down after Jets' 24-16 preseason loss to Buccaneers
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.