On the heels of Mike White‘s 400-yard debut which keyed a Jets upset win over the Bengals, Robert Saleh did not shoot down the possibility of White pushing Zach Wilson for the starting job once the prized rookie returned from injury.
The first-year coach said postgame the team would go day to day regarding the team’s quarterback outlook and that “anything is possible” here. A day later, Saleh said (via the New York Post’s Mike Cannizzaro), “If everything goes according to plan and Zach comes back and he’s healthy, we’ll address it when we cross that bridge.” Third-year GM Joe Douglas addressed this topic Tuesday.
“I’m in lockstep with the coach. I’m going to piggyback on everything coach said and we’re going to cross that bridge when we get to it,” Douglas said of the team’s QB depth chart (via Newsday’s Al Iannazzone).
Douglas, of course, used the No. 2 overall pick on Wilson this year. This move came shortly after the Jets concluded their previous would-be franchise QB’s run, when they traded Sam Darnold to the Panthers. Wilson has not played especially well thus far — joining a couple of his rookie-year brethren in struggling early. Wilson’s 25.9 Total QBR figure ranks 32nd, ahead of only Justin Fields, and the BYU product has thrown four touchdown passes compared to nine interceptions.
A former Cowboys fifth-rounder who has been with the Jets since 2019, White completed 37 passes — an NFL record for a first-time starter — and joined Cam Newton as the only first-start QBs to surpass 400 passing yards. White’s 405-yard day marked the first Jets 400-yard passing performance since Vinny Testaverde in 2000. Despite the Jets having traded for Joe Flacco, he of 175 career starts (including four with Gang Green last year), White is set for his second start Thursday. Flacco was not active for the Jets’ comeback win over the Bengals.
Any potential decision on a long-term change would not happen until Week 10. The Jets did not place Wilson on IR, hoping he can return from his PCL injury without being moved off the active roster for three games.
“I feel like he was on his way to really taking off in that New England game prior to the injury,” Douglas said of Wilson. “He’s a tough-minded young man. He has great work ethic. I think you’re going to continue to see him just shoot up. His arrow is pointing straight up. He’s going to continue to get better every day once he gets back on the field.”
1 dude throws 10 picks and the other 400 yards? Take your time Jets. Your last great QB is 100 years old.
idiot
Is he though?
I would not call him an idiot, but it is ridiculously premature to toss aside your #2 overall pick QB for a journeyman 5th rounder who threw for 400 yards in his only start as a pro, especially when your season is a lost cause already.
pulled a matt flynn.
Or Rob Johnson
I wouldn’t say they’re tossing him aside. When a guy comes out and throws for 400 yards in his debut, I think it sends a better message to the team to stick with him until he fades. That shows the team that playing better has its rewards and they’re not just going to blindly stick with a player that is getting outperformed
Exactly right, go w/ the winning hand/ QB in this case. I’m not saying Zach is a bust, but this guy looked great last weekend. It’s well documented that he didn’t throw it deep, but allowed for the WR’s to make plays. It worked to beat the #1 seed & rack up Madden stats.
The Jets would be dumb to abandon Wilson because of one good game by a backup QB. Nick Foles passed for over 400 yards and 7 TDs in a 2013 game against the Raiders but that never made him a dependable starter.
I didn’t say abandon Wilson. I said until the new guy plays bad, play him. There’s a reason rookie QB’s used to sit for some of the first year if not all.
Trevor Lawrence would have been helped out more by having a vet QB show him the ropes. And it’s more than just the game; how two handle media, fame, responsibility, the locker room et al.
Foles’ only accomplishment after that was winning a Super Bowl. Once a backup, always a backup
He didn’t even pull a Matt Robinson. Most of his tosses were dump offs
“White would have to repeat his performance in the next three games for him to have a chance at being the starter.”
That’s all that needs to be said.
The only reason the Jets played that well was because they were totally humiliated by the Patriots the week before and needed to reclaim some measure of respect.
The Jets would be idiots to return to Wilson, unless White melts down.
1-The season is lost, so a worse record is a feature, not a bug.
2-Wilson seems fairly lost. Even without White, letting him sit and learn during his rookie year still wouldn’t be a bad idea.
3-Even if they are 100% certain that Wilson is their l/t QB, it is entirely possible that they could build up a lot of value if White continues to play well. White isn’t a 4-year vet with a lot of mediocrity on his resume, and throws one good game. There are already a probably a few teams that had White on their draft charts, but didn’t draft him for various reasons. Give those GMs a chance to buy into his talent. If they liked him before, more starts will simply reinforce their opinion.
Here’s a jump to conclusions mat for ya
Dude! Reaching way back for that one. I remember once upon a time, I was the only one that remembered those lines.
Praying for Mike to be successful.