Zach Wilson will get a shot at rewriting the narrative after his midseason benching.
New York Jets coach Robert Saleh announced Wilson would start Sunday against the Detroit Lions after Mike White was not cleared for contact due to a rib injury.
White was optimistic he could play this week after taking multiple shots and exiting twice in Sunday’s loss in Buffalo, but doctors ultimately wouldn’t clear the Gang Green starter.
“Sunday after the game, obviously it’s well documented, he was taken to the hospital to get X-rays and all that stuff,” Saleh said Friday. “All that stuff cleared, he got on the plane, everything was checked out fine. Monday, Tuesday, same thing getting more evaluation. He was cleared for practice, which he has been doing. He feels fine, but our doctors, and rightfully so, have not cleared him for contact. Mike White, who is an absolute warrior and has been doing everything he could this week to try to find another opinion to get him onto the football field, to find somebody that would clear him for contact. He’s exhausted every measure he possibly can because he wants to be out there for his teammates.”
White had jumpstarted the Jets’ offense after taking over as the starter in Week 12, throwing for 300-plus yards twice, a mark Wilson hit just once in seven starts. The former fifth-round pick’s ability to quickly get to the correct read and distribute the ball to playmakers efficiently has opened up a Jets passing attack that had been flagging under Wilson.
Now it’s on the 2021 No. 2 overall pick to prove he can improve after watching from the sideline the past three weeks.
“This is going to be a great opportunity for Zach,” Saleh said. “When he was elevated to the No. 2 quarterback, it was with the understanding that there was a strong possibility that he was going to play and to prepare accordingly.”
Wilson’s erratic play, in which he tried to search out explosive gains, led to offensive struggles and frustration in the receiver corps. In Wilson’s final four starts before his benching, the Jets scored 20 points just once, including a 10-3 loss to the Patriots. The young QB’s dismissal of his play as part of the offense’s struggles was one reason he was sent to the bench.
The 23-year-old needs to show he can stand in versus pressure, get the ball to Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore and the rest of the team’s pass-catchers in stride, and avoid the big mistakes.
Wilson will face a Lions defense that has improved in recent weeks but still ranks in the bottom three in points allowed (26.7 points per game; 31st), yards given up (403.2; 31st) and pass defense (263.4 pass; 30th). The Lions have allowed 199.4 receiving yards per game to receivers in 2022, second-most in the NFL, so there should be opportunities for plays if Zach Wilson plays within the offense.
When Saleh benched Wilson ahead of Week 12, the coach noted that it wasn’t the end for the second-year quarterback. White’s injury gives the once-heralded draft selection a chance to redeem himself and keep Gang Green’s playoff hopes alive.