The Jets-Bucs joint practice Day 10 looked like a different offense than the one that struggled through the first session against Tampa Bay. Geno Smith and the offense were sharper underneath and far more productive in the red zone on August 12, Cade Klubnik delivered the standout play of the practice, and Mason Taylor kept turning in the downs that matter. None of it held up in the final period, where Tampa Bay finished a drive the Jets could not answer.
How the Jets Offense Answered Day 9
The short passing game looked cleaner, and the red zone work carried real substance this time. Connor Hughes charted Smith at 10 of 17 passing with one red-zone touchdown, and while he saw better short-route consistency and a handful of good moments, he stopped short of calling the overall day great. Nick Faria had a rosier view of the same practice, calling it much more even than the day before and saying Smith feasted in red-zone work. The offense looked considerably better than the one described in the Day 9 recap, especially on short routes and in red-zone work.
Cade Klubnik and Mason Taylor Delivered the Best Plays
Faria called it the play of the day: Klubnik hit Arian Smith for a touchdown that covered roughly 50 yards. Hughes called it a perfect throw, and Zack Rosenblatt called it one of the better deep balls thrown in team drills all camp. Klubnik was not flawless the rest of the way. Faria and Rosenblatt each separately charted a later interception on a deep attempt, a reminder that the touchdown sat inside an uneven day for the backup quarterback.
Taylor kept building on it. Hughes had him scoring on third and goal and converting an earlier third and nine, both important situational conversions for the offense. Hughes and Rosenblatt each separately charted Taylor picking up a first down on the closing drive as well. Faria’s read was that Taylor had a much better week and is starting to look like the kind of breakout candidate Aaron Glenn’s staff has been discussing, an evaluation worth tracking alongside our Mason Taylor breakdown.
The Closing Drill Still Belonged to Tampa Bay
The response did not carry through the final period. Faria said Tampa Bay dominated the two-minute drill that closed the practice. Hughes tracked the Jets’ closing move-the-ball period and saw it stall. Rosenblatt charted the same closing move-the-ball period and saw the Jets come up empty. On the other side, Rosenblatt described Tampa Bay’s successful closing drive working against a Jets secondary that could not get a stop. Faria’s live look at the same sequence had Tampa Bay finishing effectively against the Jets defense. The Jets’ own closing possession ended with a missed 61-yard field goal attempt from Sanders, the last word on a drive the offense needed to finish and could not.
Reuben Bain Gave Armand Membou Problems
Reuben Bain was the individual problem the Jets could not solve. Hughes charted two sacks and substantial pressure from Bain in the Bain-Membou matchup. Faria’s completion summary described Membou getting beaten a couple of times in that matchup. Rosenblatt’s final-drive chart added one more entry, with Bain collecting a sack and Membou picking up a holding call in the same sequence that ended the Jets’ last possession. Bain had the better of that matchup more than once in this practice, and the Jets’ protection could not consistently hold him off.
What Changed in the Second Joint Practice
The second joint practice against Tampa Bay produced sharper short and red-zone execution than the previous day’s first joint practice, a response Faria’s completion summary also credited, with Klubnik’s deep touchdown to Arian Smith paired with Taylor’s third-down and red-zone production standing out as the offense’s high points. Tampa Bay still controlled the closing period: Hughes’ and Rosenblatt’s charts each had the Jets’ closing possession come up empty, Bain kept pressuring Membou, and Tampa Bay’s successful closing drive finished against a secondary that could not get a stop. Faria said Baker Mayfield picked the Jets apart through the air, while separately crediting the run defense and Will McDonald for a strong day up front. David Bailey factored in briefly too: Hughes noted a contact-qualified rep in team drills, and Rosenblatt logged a one-on-one rep where Bailey won with a spin move. For more on Bailey’s broader camp arc, see our David Bailey breakdown. A larger offense-defense scuffle broke out during the session, which Rosenblatt described. The offense answered Day 9 in the short and red-zone game, but Tampa Bay owned the finish.
