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The New York Jets are a success-starved organization, largely because of their failures at quarterback. That doesn't change after one preseason game, but rookie signal-caller Cade Klubnik showed why he's worth keeping an eye on. The fourth-round pick started in place of veteran Geno Smith (ankle) in New York's home matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday, and he didn't look out of place. He steered the ship on a 12-play, 65-yard field goal drive on the team's first possession before conducting a four-play, 48-yard touchdown drive on its following series. Backup running back Braelon Allen reached paydirt on a 31-yard scamper. Klubnik finished with five completions out of seven attempts for 56 passing yards, highlighted by a 21-yard pass to star wideout Garrett Wilson on third-and-eight at the Jets' 40. The 22-year-old was also sacked once for a loss of two yards. Klubnik did most of his damage with short completions, showing awareness. Young quarterbacks often have trouble forcing deep passes into tight coverage, but the former Clemson Tiger took advantage of the space that Tampa Bay left underneath. That's as much as fans can ask out of a rookie Day 3 pick starting in place of a veteran, even in limited action. If Klubnik maintains his momentum, he'll run away with the backup quarterback job. New York Jets rookie Cade Klubnik has more buzz than Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook Klubnik fared better than veteran backup Bailey Zappe, who completed six of 10 passes for 56 yards and two interceptions. The latter player threw picks on back-to-back drives after subbing in for Klubnik. Cook later followed up with nine completions out of 15 attempts for 108 yards. The 24-year-old is coming off a rookie season in which he completed 57.5% of his passes for 739 yards with two touchdowns and seven interceptions over five games with the Jets. Klubnik being the only draftee in this trio gives him an advantage, as the organization has the biggest stake in his success. Starting in place of Smith on Friday showed that he's the frontrunner for the backup job, and head coach Aaron Glenn was satisfied with his performance, per SNY. "He has a moxie to him," he said. Klubnik hitting the ground running after a four-year career at Clemson gives him an exciting profile, as he could prove to be a draft-day steal. However, that novelty will wear off if he hits a wall over the coming weeks. Klubnik's next game reps will come in a road matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday.