Whether it's preseason, training camp, the NFL Draft, or anything in between, getting action in the NFL is an honor. Players who get to make their debut, no matter what time of the year, should view it as something special. It's an honor, and something that these players work for throughout their entire lives.
While preseason is preseason at the end of the day to most fans, and rightfully so, it was an exciting time for New York Jets quarterback Cade Klubnik.
Klubnik, 22, played college football at Clemson, though he wasn't as big a star as many Tigers fans hoped. Klubnik showed some promising signs at times, but ultimately was just about average.
Now in the NFL, many Jets fans hope he can turn into a really good player. There's obviously some tools there, which is why the Jets decided to bring him in, but he's far from a guarantee to be a star in this league.
If you ask his former Clemson coach, Dabo Swinney, you would think Klubnik has a very bright future in this league. That isn't crazy to say if he can put all of his tools together, but again, there are far more unknowns at the moment than there are certainties.
However, Swinney had a lot of good things to say about the young man, even saying that he's going to play in this league for a very long time.
“By the time I got to the office, he was out but I texted back and forth with him last night and just proud of him,” Swinney said, per Clemson Wire. “I mean, like I said, he’s going to be a great pro.”
“(Klubnik’s) gonna play a long time,” Swinney said on Saturday. “He’s a really, really talented quarterback and that’s why he got drafted and they’ve obviously seen that too right out of the gate. So, hopefully he stays healthy. If he does, he’s going to be one of those guys, you look up and he’s played quite a while.”
Health is always wealth in the NFL, but Klubnik will have to prove a lot more throughout his young career. In his first game, he went five of seven, throwing for 56 yards and taking one sack.
He was far from perfect, but he looked good in his first action, a promising sign for a Jets team that can use some quarterback help in the future.
