The New York Jets are slowly but surely putting together their roster for rookie minicamp, which will be held later this week at Florham Park. This event is the first time for coaches to get familiar with the rookies and undrafted free agents who will be competing for roster spots this summer.
Fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik will be under the microscope as fans hope that he can develop into a potential QB2 to start, and eventually a starter. However, Klubnik will not be the only QB throwing at minicamp. On Monday, the Tulane Green Wave announced on their Twitter account that quarterback Jake Retzlaff had received a camp invite.
This is Retzlaff's second rookie minicamp invite, as he was brought in by the Seattle Seahawks immediately after the NFL draft. Seattle held their rookie minicamp last weekend, and Retzlaff left without signing a deal.
The former Tulane QB will hope for a better outcome with the Jets, but it will be hard for him to get on the 90-man roster, given that they already have four QBs ( Geno Smith , Klubnik, Brady Cook , and Bailey Zappe ).
And not to mention, the Jets are still searching for a veteran signal caller at QB2 , which would allow Klubnik to develop as the team's QB3.
Needless to say, Retzlaff can't worry about that. He can only control what's in front of him. He started his collegiate career at the JUCO level at Riverside City College and made his way to BYU, where he spent two seasons.
Retzlaff completed 56% of his passes for 3,595 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. He also added 533 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. From there, he transferred again, this time to Tulane, after serious off-the-field issues at BYU .
With the Green Wave, Retzlaff picked up where he left off with BYU, completing 61.9% of his passes for 3,168 yards, 15 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound QB also showcased his mobility again, rushing for a career-high 634 yards and 16 touchdowns.
As a quarterback prospect, he has a nice, quick release and has enough velocity to get the ball to the wide receiver. He's a plus-one in the running game, which is a good bonus. That said, he needs to work on adding more touch to his passes, as not everything can be a fastball. And his anticipation could use more work.
Due to the current situation, Retzlaff's chances of stealing a spot on the 90-man are slim. But if he shows something of value at rookie minicamp, maybe New York will consider bringing him back during training camp at some point, and he gets a spot on the practice squad.
Or he becomes a player that the Jets bring back into the practice facility for a workout during the regular season.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/jets/onsi as Jets Taking Flier on Undrafted QB Ahead of Rookie Minicamp .
