SEPTEMBER 25: Wilson is expected to be cleared by doctors next week, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (Twitter link). Assuming that happens, Wilson will be in line to start the Jets’ Week 4 contest against the Steelers.
Per Rapoport, Wilson has experienced no setbacks in his recovery and has continued to make good progress.
SEPTEMBER 22: The highwater marks of the past two Jets seasons have come with their high-end quarterback prospect sidelined. Nearly a year after Mike White‘s 400-yard game keyed an upset over the Bengals, Joe Flacco led the NFL’s first 13-point comeback inside of two minutes in 21 years.
But the development of Zach Wilson remains the team’s objective. While Flacco will start in Week 3, Robert Saleh said the Jets will not hesitate to go back to their second-year starter once he is ready ready to return. Wilson remains out due to the August knee surgery he underwent.
“Zach’s the future of the organization. We all know that,” Saleh said, via the New York Post’s Brian Costello. “As soon as the doctors clear him, we’ll get him on the field.”
Flacco’s throwback performance in Cleveland (307 yards, four touchdown passes) could prompt calls for the Jets to keep their 37-year-old backup in the mix. This would remind of the brief Jets QB quandary that came about last season after White’s work against the Bengals. White’s four-interception game against the Bills two weeks later quieted the campaigns for him to keep the gig. After one Flacco start, Wilson was back under center for the final games of the season.
Saleh said before the season Wilson would miss at least the team’s first three games. The former No. 2 overall pick returning in Week 4 is not yet a certainty. Wilson will ramp up his activity this week, but Saleh did not guarantee next week will be the BYU product’s return window. That still looks to remain a realistic target, at least, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Week 3 will mark Wilson’s seventh missed game as a pro.
Their Cleveland comeback notwithstanding, the Jets remain a rebuilding team. They added a few pieces on offense to further assist Wilson — from guard Laken Tomlinson to No. 10 overall pick Garrett Wilson — but his injuries and rookie-year struggles have injected some doubt into the team’s quarterback plan. It remains relatively early, however, as Zach Wilson has not yet taken a regular-season snap with Gang Green’s improved offense. A fair amount of pressure could await the young quarterback upon returning, however. It will be interesting to see how long of a leash Saleh provides if Wilson (30th in 2021 QBR) is ineffective when he comes back.
The season is doomed then.
If you choose to start Flacco for a marginal short-term gain over getting reps and a good look for Wilson, then the whole franchise is doomed. What’s the upside of Flacco? Winning 6 games when you’re afraid you might only win 4? Wilson might be worse this moment, but Flacco has zero chance of being the future, and it’s not like he’s a Jimmy G level of leading the way in the present. They need to try developing the guy they took #2 overall last year and seeing if he can be the path forward a lot more than they need to bet on Joe Flacco miraculously finishing the year as the 23rd best QB in football or whatever a good outcome looks like in that scenario.
2 extra wins may not seem like much but it’s sometimes the difference between a HC being fired or retained for another season. I’m not saying development of young QBs isn’t important but one only has to look at Sam Darnold to realize the Jets are not particularly adept in that area.
They’re season has been doomed the last 40 years!
I once worked with a guy who was from New Jersey and a diehard Jets fan. He started mouthing off at the time (10 years ago or so) about how the Ravens stunk and how much he hated them and that his beloved Jets beat Baltimore in the Superbowl.
I then responded by referring to that iconic image of Joe Namath holding up his index finger and I said, “That wasn’t him saying, “We’re number one,” I explained, “That was him saying, “We’re only gonna do this once.”
The look on his face was priceless and he had nothing more to say.
It was doomed no matter who the QB is…..it’s the jets.
Im guessing that was sarcastic, the season being doomed comment. But yeah, this is just the Jets passing an intelligence check. Wilson looked like he improved as he got more reps during that last stretch of the season last year. His overall numbers weren’t bad either. He had a decimated line, no receivers and his RB was hurt. He had no talent around him besides Moore, got sacked a lot, and still didn’t throw too many INT’s. Only one more than TD’s. Which for a 22 year old QB under those circumstances could have been a lot worse. I’m excited to see how he plays this year.
Just keep your mom and gf away from him.
Losing team’s logic: ‘Even if we are winning w/ our BU, our high draft pick QB must remain the starter…’. So much for ‘camp battles’ w/ the Jets.
“You play…..to win…..the game! HELLO?!”
That’s why Herm Edwards is no longer a coach. He either didn’t get the memo for tanking, or completely ignored it. As a former player, he probably can’t understand the logic of losing on purpose. The complete disrespect you have to have for every player to suit up and kill themselves on the field for you only for you to say, “Meh, we’re not gonna win anyway, so we’re not gonna try because we want this young hot shot that hasn’t proven a thing in this league at all to take all of your jobs.”
Herm Edwards is gone cuz he cheated at ASU and can’t beat crappy E. Mich at home. An investigation and sucking don’t go hand in hand with job security…
I guess I have to tag my posts with the header “THIS IS A JOKE.”
guess who won the camp battle the year i’ll wait
It was already a forgone conclusion based on the current statements. As soon as Wilson is cleared, he’s playing.
I agree with Ooooooof. The upside of a Joe Flacco led team is a few wins. You’ve got to find out if Wilson is a thing. And with the young guys you’ve got, you need to figure that out this year. If he’s not, then you again go back to the draft and start over or you make a play at a better FA signing or trade at QB than Joe Flacco. That’s the long game. Sucks if you miss on Wilson, but Flacco isn’t the answer.
Agreeing with yourself. That’s pretty low.
lol. Not everyone with common sense is me, but nice projecting, brownsbacker.
He is all about projecting!
Sure Hector Projector.
Coming from a “you are really Brownsbacker” cultist. Boy, that guy is living rent free in your heads.
Wilson was a bust before he was drafted.
In a related story, the Jets are also not considering having a winning season for the next decade.
Who cares honestly. The Jets suck and will suck regardless of who the QB is. Wilson is a bust and Flacco will only make their 2023 draft picks worse.
Thank for this really valuable contribution. Deep thoughts with DarkSide!
Pin that quote because it’ll be even funnier if they end up with one of the top picks (they have #19 right now)
Maybe worth waiting to discuss their current draft pick until they don’t have the same record as 18 other teams.
hence my “pin that quote”
I feel like I’ve stumbled onto a talk radio station full of haters and mouth-breathers.
Zach Wilson was on the headset helping Flacco out in that great win at Cleveland. Wilson must have seen something in the Browns secondary and let Flacco know — that allowed Corey Davis to toast the Browns’ defense. Then you had the onside kick which the Jets recovered, then a two-minute drill worked to perfection, then the INT to clinch it.
Perhaps the haters would be more comfortable with cheating, tampering, or signing punters linked to a gang rape.
Jets doing jet things.. let’s take away the chemistry that’s been built and a veteran QB whose winning n go back to the disappointing younger qb simply bc of his ceiling smh
He won one game against a team with a disorganized defense and Jacoby Brissett at QB. Flacco’s had what, two good games since the ’10s?
Joseph Vincent Flacco is the most elite QB to ever walk upon God’s green Earth and Jets fans should be kissing every footstep he places upon it. Just when you thought he couldn’t get any better, he grew out a Fumanchu mustache. Why? Because not only was he like Keanu Reeves and dodging blitzing linebackers like he did in the movie, but to also show to everyone that he knew Kung Fu. Then people dumped on him because he kept getting killed thanks to an obliterated Ravens OL and a WR depth chart that had Kamar Aiken as the #1 guy. A guy that couldn’t hang on another team’s permanent roster.
Then, at age 37, when everybody wrote him off, he engineered one of the most amazing comebacks with a team as completely horrible as the Jets, who are only bested by the team he defeated, the Cleveland Browns, for the highest level of ineptitude the universe has ever born witness to.
bro what, just last week yall wanted Flacco gone for Mike White or Streveler. Spoiler alert, Flacco is still Flacco
I don’t even know who those other two people are.
I guess saleh kept flaccos receipt and is returning him to the bench.
When you play in NY you make money even when you suck. Jacksonville should consider moving there…
Flacco is on a one year, $3.5 million dollar deal. He isn’t the future. For the first 48 minutes of the Jets/Browns game, he wasn’t even the present.
Smart money is going back to Zach Wilson when he is healthy. He needs the reps and the Jets need to know what they have.
What a world we live in when a QB throws for over 300 yards, 4TD’s, 0 INT, and engineers an amazing 4th qtr comeback and people say the guy stinks.
I guess you had a lot of money on the Browns.
Nowhere did I say that Flacco “stinks”, he is a serviceable backup QB, he is not the Jets future.
Zach Wilson may or may not be that future, but they have to find out by putting him on the field.
“For the first 48 minutes of the Jets/Browns game, he wasn’t even the present.”
I think that pretty much supports the claim I made.
That was talking about his position within the franchise. Not about his ability. Until the comeback, Flacco was there to hold a clipboard for Zach Wilson.
Except he was the present when Zach went down with the injury.
There’s a line between being stupid and ruining your draft capital for a few meaningless wins, and then also wanting to build a winning culture in your organization. If you saw how excited the Jets players were on Sunday, you know it’s important. That binds a team together. Gets the players excited. Gets the players to bond more with the coaches. Losing always comes with a negative culture, not just great picks.
If they decide Wilson’s not ready for Week 4, could they retroactively put him on the IR and open up a roster spot for one game?
NO. The Jets would have to make Zach Wilson inactive on game day to open up the roster spot.
Flacco might not even be the starter next week if ZW is ruled out next week too. The fans were clamoring for Mike White after seeing Flacco’s performance yesterday.