As the New York Jets deal with a banged up quarterback room, undrafted rookie Brady Cook will get his first NFL start against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, coach Aaron Glenn announced on Friday. Cook got his first taste of NFL action last week when he took over for an injured Tyrod Taylor in a 34-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins that dropped the Jets to 3-10.
Justin Fields was already battling a knee injury when Taylor left the loss to the Dolphins with a groin injury. That pressed Cook into action, and he completed 14 of his 30 pass attempts for 163 yards and a pair of interceptions. It was a rough first outing for the rookie, but Cook has been preparing throughout this week is if he would be the starter against Jacksonville (9-4).
“He’s gotten all the reps with the ones,” Glenn said. “Adrian [Martinez] will be our backup. [Cook] knows our system. He’s been here since training camp. He came right in and understands the flow of what we’re gonna do as far as an offense.”
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After spending five seasons at Missouri, Cook signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent in May. New York waived Cook in the final roster cuts at the end of training camp but signed him to the practice squad. The Jets elevated Cook to the active roster earlier this month when Fields went down with his knee injury.
Cook was a three-year starter in college, and he put up some good numbers at Missouri. As a redshirt junior in 2023, Cook completed 66.1% of his passes for 3,317 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also flashed some mobility with 319 yards and eight scores on the ground.
In his final season with Missouri, Cook’s production took a step backward as he dealt with wrist and ankle injuries, which contributed to him going undrafted. Still, Cook ranks third in school history with 9,008 passing yards and fifth in program history with 49 passing touchdowns.
This weekend, Cook will face a Jaguars defense that ranks 22nd in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game (227.5). However, that unit has been a little more stout lately as Jacksonville has surrendered an average of 183.5 passing yards over its last four games. The Jaguars, winners of four straight, are 13.5-point favorites (via DraftKings) over the Jets.
