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Jets To Start Zach Wilson In Week 14

December 6th, 2023 at 11:41am CST by Sam Robinson

DECEMBER 6: Despite Monday’s report about Wilson being reluctant to return to action, the Jets will start the former top prospect in Week 14. Saleh confirmed Wilson will be back in New York’s lineup for the matchup against the Texans. The third-year HC notably said (via the New York Post’s Brian Costello) he always believed Wilson was the best healthy QB on the team’s roster, but he wanted to see if Boyle and Siemian could provide a spark.

Notably, Cimini notes Saleh was leaning in this direction Monday but delayed his announcement due to the above-referenced report that surfaced about Wilson’s willingness to play again. For a franchise that has repeatedly missed on QBs, this has been one of its most eventful seasons at the position.

DECEMBER 5: Long tabbed as unrealistic, the Aaron Rodgers journey back to the Jets’ lineup is no longer expected to happen. With the Jets’ losing streak dropping the team to 4-8 and out of realistic playoff contention, the team is stuck with a bottom-end quarterback situation for the season’s final five games.

The starter in the Jets’ past two games, Tim Boyle, is no longer with the team. But Robert Saleh has yet to determine if Zach Wilson or Trevor Siemian will start against the Texans in Week 14. This is obviously a problem the Jets had hoped to bury by acquiring Rodgers, but more Wilson drama has surfaced. A report from The Athletic on Monday indicated Wilson expressed hesitancy about returning to the Jets’ starting lineup, citing injury concerns.

While staying healthy will be important for Wilson’s prospects of receiving another chance elsewhere in 2024, should the Jets finally move on, Saleh said the embattled QB approached him indicating he would like to start again. Though it is unclear if Wilson sought out Saleh because of Monday’s report questioning his interest in returning, Saleh said the quarterback “wouldn’t be here” if he truly did not want to play again this season.

That said, Saleh later indicated during his weekly Michael Kay Show interview (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini) that it was conceivable Wilson made such a remark to a teammate that ended up being leaked.

“Empathetically, I’m sure there would be,” Saleh said, via Cimini, about a concern regarding Wilson’s head space due to his run of depth chart movement. “We had this story last year and I think it’s different. I think last year he truly lost confidence in himself. I think this year, as demonstrated by [Monday’s meeting], he knows damn well he should be on the football field.”

The Jets have now benched Wilson three times, doing so twice last season and finally parking him for the since-cut Boyle last month. Saleh’s other options being Boyle and Siemian for most of this season represent why Wilson’s leash was so long this year. The fact the former No. 2 overall pick has a viable route back to the Jets’ starting lineup illustrates how bleak this situation has gotten. Wilson’s QBR figure, after a slight Bryce Young elevation, has dropped to last among qualified players this season. But Boyle and Siemian’s struggles in an ugly 13-8 loss to the Falcons have led to Wilson returning to the starter conversation.

While Rodgers no longer appears in the mix to start until 2024, assuming he follows through on his pledge to return for a 20th season, the future Hall of Famer took aim at the Jets organization for the leak that led to the Wilson story coming out this week, Outkick.com’s Armando Salguero notes.

It would cost the Jets $11.2MM to waive Wilson in 2024, the final year of his rookie contract. The BYU product will enter a contract year in 2024, as there is virtually no chance the Jets pick up his fifth-year option. Going further, Cimini adds Wilson will likely be released after the season.

Wilson went first to third to second to first to third on the Jets’ depth chart from his November 2022 benching to the Boyle cut. Because of Boyle’s exit, Wilson will be no worse than No. 2 again on Gang Green’s depth chart. Brett Rypien is expected to play behind Siemian and Wilson against Houston. It certainly appears Wilson will have more chances to close out his third season; they will perhaps be his final opportunities in what has been one of the worst tenures by a first-round QB in recent NFL history.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/5/23

December 5th, 2023 at 6:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

  • Signed: WR Davion Davis
  • Placed on practice squad injured list: WR Jared Wayne

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Jets To Sign QB Brett Rypien Off Seahawks’ Practice Squad, Waive Tim Boyle

December 5th, 2023 at 11:34am CST by Adam La Rose

Set to make another change to their quarterback depth chart, the Jets are making a shake-up to their roster as well. New York is adding Brett Rypien off the Seahawks’ practice squad and waiving Tim Boyle, per CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson.

The latter passer received a pair of starts after the decision was made to bench Zach Wilson. Boyle did not impress in either outing, however, and he was lifted in favor of Trevor Siemian in the fourth quarter of the team’s Week 13 loss. Now, a new face will enter the situation in the form of Rypien, who had been in Seattle for roughly one month following the end of his Rams tenure.

The 27-year-old filled in for an injured Matthew Stafford for one contest, but he struggled and was let go as a result. No teams put in a claim for him, leaving him free to sign anywhere. He elected to join the Seahawks, a decision which recently saw him elevated in the wake of Geno Smith facing availability concerns. Smith was able to play, however, and the presence of backup Drew Lock limited Rypien’s prospects of seeing playing time in the Emerald City.

Now, the the former Bronco will have the chance to earn practice reps and/or playing time with the Jets as they continue to search for a short-term answer under center. Wilson had an extended run in the wake of Aaron Rodgers‘ Achilles tear, but he was later demoted to third-stringer for the second season in a row to clear a starting spot for Boyle. With the latter now out of the picture, Wilson is believed to be the Jets’ preference for Week 14. A report from Monday indicated, however, the former second overall pick has expressed hesitancy over returning to game action.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh had not yet named a starter for Week 14 or beyond, something which especially makes sense given today’s news. The addition of Rypien will give New York a new option to consider as the team looks to find some level of consistency on offense. Boyle, meanwhile, will hit the waiver wire, making him available to any interested teams. If he clears, he will become a free agent and be able to join the Jets’ practice squad or head elsewhere in search of playing time.

Zach Wilson Reluctant To Reclaim Jets’ Starting Role?

December 4th, 2023 at 10:22pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Jets exited their Week 13 loss with a new round of uncertainty at the quarterback position, and another change to the depth chart could be coming. New York is eyeing a move which will put Zach Wilson back in the starter’s role, Zack Rosenblatt and Dianna Russini of The Athletic report.

However, the pair note that Wilson is “reluctant to stepping back in.” The former No. 2 pick was benched last month to allow Tim Boyle a chance at the starting spot. That decision saw Wilson dropped to third on the depth chart for the second consecutive season, and appeared to mark a firm end to his playing days in New York. Instead, neither Boyle – who received the start for Week 13 – nor Trevor Siemian have impressed in their respective audition periods.

Wilson’s remarks in the wake of his latest benching indicated he feels he has developed individually and the Jets’ offense (a unit which has been riddled with injuries up front and drawn criticism due to OC Nathaniel Hackett‘s play-calling) has struggled due to its collective struggles, not only his own. Rosenblatt and Russini report the Jets are hopeful Wilson will reconsider his stance, but it will be worth watching closely how willing he is to take the field for a team which seemed to move on from him so recently. The Athletic’s Jeff Howe tweets that Wilson would be amenable to starting if asked directly.

Head coach Robert Saleh repeatedly endorsed Wilson during the 2023 season despite his lack of tangible progression in his third season in the league. He later noted the Jets were in lockstep in their evaluation of the quarterback situation before the decision to move in a different direction was made. Now, another switch could be coming soon and Saleh’s Monday remarks noted Wilson is an option to return to the playing field.

Aaron Rodgers – whose Week 1 Achilles tear has precipitated the Jets’ QB instability – reached out to Wilson to advise him to retake the starting position if offered, Russini adds. The latter could showcase himself for a prospective new team by finishing out the season, especially with the expectation Rodgers will not suit up given the team’s losing streak and the fact it has essentially eliminated them from the postseason.

Saleh unsurprisingly declined to name a Week 14 starter on Monday, but New York’s handling of the QB depth chart will be worth following closely as it pertains to Wilson in particular. His rookie contract runs through 2024 – provided the Jets elect to decline his fifth-year option in the spring – and a decision on his long-term future in the organization could be impacted by another stint as a No. 1 should the opportunity present itself.

Jets To Place TE C.J. Uzomah On IR

December 4th, 2023 at 5:29pm CST by Ben Levine

C.J. Uzomah exited Sunday’s loss with a knee injury, and the Jets tight end will now miss at least the next four games. Coach Robert Saleh told reporters that Uzomah will be placed on injured reserve as he recovers from an MCL injury (via the team’s website).

Uzomah suffered the injury early in the first quarter against the Falcons. While blocking on a Breece Hall run, the tight end got his legs caught in the ensuing pile and had to exit the contest. Saleh described the injury as “extensive,” and there’s a chance Uzomah may not return to the field in 2023.

After spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Bengals, Uzomah joined the Jets prior to the 2022 campaign on a three-year, $24MM contract. Uzomah’s numbers took a step back during his first season in New York. After finishing with career-highs in 2021, the tight end hauled in only 21 catches for 232 yards and two touchdowns during his debut season with the Jets.

Uzomah saw an even lesser role on offense this season, catching just eight passes for 58 yards and one touchdown. The 30-year-old was appearing in about a third of his team’s offensive snaps while mostly serving as a blocker.

The injury shouldn’t do a whole lot to impact the team’s depth chart. Tyler Conklin still soaks up most of the snaps at the position, and Uzomah recently started ceding snaps to Jeremy Ruckert.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/4/23

December 4th, 2023 at 5:01pm CST by Adam La Rose

Monday’s taxi squad moves:

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

With Tyrod Taylor set to return to the Giants’ lineup in the coming days, New York has cleared out a spot on the practice squad for a third passer. Eason was added last month in the wake of Taylor’s rib injury, one which – coupled with Daniel Jones being out for the year – left the Giants short on healthy bodies at the QB position. Now that Taylor is healthy, Eason will look to find a new home. He has made one brief appearance with each of the Colts (2021) and Panthers (2022) during his career.

McSorley has bounced around the league since the end of his Ravens stint. He will now return to the AFC North in the wake of Pittsburgh losing starter Kenny Pickett for at least one game. The former has made nine career appearances and one start in the regular season.

Jets Rumors: QB, Winfrey, Other Injuries

December 3rd, 2023 at 6:03pm CST by Ely Allen

The Jets continue to see struggles at the quarterback position. Hours after hearing that Aaron Rodgers would likely not work his way back to a starting role this season, the situation at the position became even more dire as third-string starter Tim Boyle was benched in today’s loss to the Falcons in favor of veteran Trevor Siemian. The team is currently undecided on whether or not the switch will be permanent going into next week, per Josh Alper of NBC Sports.

New York was trailing Atlanta early in the second half, and Boyle had completed just over half of his passes for 148 yards in what was a fairly uninspiring performance. When Boyle threw an ill-advised pass that ended up in the hands of an over-the-top safety, head coach Robert Saleh put the 29-year-old on the bench, sending in Siemian, the recent journeyman.

Siemian, who despite playing for four different teams has started a game in each of the past five years, didn’t fare much better than Boyle against Atlanta. While Saleh hoped the move would spark the offense, Siemian failed to lead the team to any points, completing only 5 of his 13 pass attempts for 66 yards. He also fumbled the ball three times, losing one to the opposing defense.

With that failed experiment, Saleh has yet to make a decision on what the plan will be next week. Asked if benched former starter Zach Wilson could make a return to the first team, Saleh replied that Wilson is “always in consideration.” With Rodgers not likely to return, Saleh will need to figure something out with the options available to him.

Here are a few more rumors coming out of East Rutherford:

  • Defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey made his season debut today after being a standard gameday elevation from the practice squad. Unfortunately, that’s where his 2023 campaign will end. In today’s loss, Winfrey suffered a “really bad” foot injury that Saleh proclaimed would leave him done for the season, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
  • Also sidelined in the loss were veteran tight end C.J. Uzomah and undrafted rookie wide receiver Jason Brownlee. Per Cimini, Uzomah suffered a sprained MCL and Brownlee left the game with an ankle injury. Taking away offensive weapons from the Jets’ arsenal surely doesn’t help the team’s struggles at quarterback.

Jets RB Dalvin Cook Will Not Ask For A Release Or More Carries

December 3rd, 2023 at 12:49pm CST by Rory Parks

Like most players on the team’s offense, Jets running back Dalvin Cook is slogging through a disappointing 2023 campaign. In 11 games, he has recorded just 50 carries and is averaging a meager 3.2 yards per carry, which is by far a career-worst mark.

For what it’s worth, Cook was not hoping to be traded at the deadline — it sounds as if he did not generate much interest anyway — and will not ask for his release or for more carries, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. Although Cook presumably would prefer to catch on with a legitimate contender and would likely clear waivers and become a free agent if the Jets were to cut him, he says that his family has settled in New Jersey.

That said, he is frustrated about his usage. “For any guy that has produced in this league, it’s frustrating,” Cook said. “You want to be productive. I was hoping just to be in the right situation for me. Like I said, I want an opportunity. I feel great. My body is ready to roll. I was just hoping for a great opportunity.”

Cimini points out that Cook, who saw just one carry last week and two the week before, has at least looked more like his old self of late (41 yards on his last seven totes), and that it may make sense to give him a larger role in light of RB1 Breece Hall‘s struggles. Hall (hamstring) and Cook (shoulder) were both dealing with injuries in advance of today’s game against the Falcons, but both are active.

And as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported (video link), the plan was for Cook, who has been “looking better and better in practice,” to see a heavier workload against Atlanta and perhaps to get more carries than he has all season (the 13 carries Cook received in Week 1 represent a season-high). As of the time of this writing, Hall has four carries for two yards in the Falcons matcup, while Cook has three carries for 22 yards.

Barring a late-season explosion, Cook will likely not match the $7MM salary he is earning from the Jets this year on his next contract. The 28-year-old nonetheless has a chance to prove that he is still capable of playing at the level he established during his lengthy tenure with the Vikings — he earned a Pro Bowl nod for four straight seasons from 2019-22 — and to make himself more attractive to RB-needy clubs.

Aaron Rodgers Unlikely To Play This Season

December 3rd, 2023 at 11:02am CST by Ben Levine

DECEMBER 3: In keeping with Rodgers’ comments, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that Rodgers is not expected to play in a game if the Jets are eliminated from playoff contention by the time he is ready to do so. The 4-7, Tim Boyle-piloted Jets are unlikely to pull themselves back into the postseason picture over the next couple of weeks, which means, as Rapoport observes, that Rodgers probably will not play this year.

For all of Rodgers’ efforts to make an unprecedented return to the field, this always felt like the most plausible outcome. Rapoport says that New York could still activate Rodgers before his activation window closes on December 20, but if that happens, he would only be utilized as the third, emergency QB. And, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Rodgers will not take any starter reps.

NOVEMBER 30: The Jets opened Aaron Rodgers‘ practice window yesterday, giving the team three weeks to decide if they should activate the quarterback to the active roster. As ESPN’s Rich Cimini points out, many believed that Rodgers could be eyeing a return for the December 24 game against the Commanders, and the QB confirmed that’s his target. However, when speaking to reporters today, Rodgers wouldn’t rule out an earlier return, noting that “anything is possible.”

[RELATED: Jets Open Aaron Rodgers’ Practice Window]

Of course, there are still plenty of hurdles to overcome before Rodgers can enter the starting lineup. While the QB acknowledged how great it felt to return to the practice field, he admitted that he’s “not anywhere near ready to play.” Rodgers also reiterated that the Jets would have to be in playoff contention for him (or the organization) to consider a return this season.

“A comeback this year before the four-month mark would mean I’m not 100 percent healthy, so it’d be a risk for myself,” Rodgers said (via Cimini). “For the team to sign off on if we’re out of it, I’d be surprised if they would OK that to come back.”

While Rodgers noted the “risk” that would accompany an in-season return, he explained that the chance of re-injury wouldn’t have much of an impact on his 2024 availability. While he wouldn’t be 100 percent healthy, Rodgers said there was little “downside” to playing this year, and if he did injure his Achilles, he’d be ready to go in five to six months anyway (per Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic).

While the risk of re-injury won’t have any impact on Rodgers’ desire to play in 2024, it’s uncertain if the Jets’ brass would change his opinion. Per Connor Hughes of SNYtv, Rodgers wouldn’t say if his 2024 plans are tied to the job status of head coach Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, and/or general manager Joe Douglas.

Rodgers returned to practice on a limited basis yesterday, participating in a handful of seven-on-seven drills. Rodgers sat out today’s practice, and Cimini tweets that these off-days are part of the player’s rehab plan.

“Obviously, I can drop back, I can do some things in a small circle, but I don’t think I can protect myself as well as I’d like to at this point,” Rodgers said. “So I’ve got to do a little more. In practice, I have to take live team reps [in 11 on 11].”

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/2/23

December 2nd, 2023 at 4:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s gameday callups and minor moves heading into Sunday:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

The Chiefs have ruled out running back Jerick McKinnon for tomorrow’s game against the Packers, necessitating some extra depth at the position. The team will turn to Prince, an undrafted free agent who has spent the entire season on Kansas City’s practice squad. Prince had a breakout season at Tulsa in 2022, finishing with 813 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns.

Winfrey, a 2022 fourth-round pick, was cut by the Browns last July after being investigated for pulling a gun on a woman. He joined the Jets practice squad in early November and will finally earn his first promotion of the season. Winfrey got into 13 games for Cleveland last year, collecting 22 tackles and 0.5 sacks.

At age 36, Irvin will be making his debut for a sixth NFL team. The veteran pass rusher signed with Detroit midway through November and will finally have a chance to extend his streak of regular season appearances to 12 straight years. The only absence on the Lions’ front-seven will be linebacker Alex Anzalone, so Detroit may be looking to stand Irvin up to help the team’s depth at linebacker.

 

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