DECEMBER 18: In addition to Week 15’s tilt with the Lions, White will likely miss the Jets’ Week 16 matchup with the Jaguars as well, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link). Wilson will therefore have a chance to win his job back sooner than expected.
DECEMBER 16: Mike White‘s rib injury will sideline him for the Jets’ pivotal Week 15 game against the Lions, meaning Zach Wilson will end up going from the third-string job to the starter in a week’s time.
The Jets announced Wilson would become White’s backup this week, with Joe Flacco being bumped down to No. 3 again. That shift will now rise in relevance. Doctors will not clear White ahead of the Jets’ Sunday tilt, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Robert Saleh has since announced it will be Wilson against Detroit.
After being forced to leave last week’s game twice, White will be given at least a week for additional recovery. White re-entered the Jets’ Bills rematch after both hits, drawing considerable praise for his toughness from teammates, and has practiced in a limited capacity twice this week. It was believed White, who said he is dealing with multiple rib fractures (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini, on Twitter), would be able to go. But Jets doctors are not ready to clear their starter for contact just yet, per Schefter. This could be a multiweek injury, if doctors determine another hit could lead to internal damage, Cimini adds (via Twitter).
Saleh said the decision to move Wilson from No. 3 to No. 2 on the depth chart was actually made the Friday before the Jets-Bills game, Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets. Flacco still dressed and entered the game to replace White, losing a fumble during one of his seven snaps, but the team had decided Wilson would dress this week ahead of time.
Upon taking the rare step to bench a top-five quarterback pick for performance reasons in his second season, Saleh said the plan was for Wilson to play again this year. This will be an opportunity for the former unquestioned Jets starter to regain some momentum, and Wilson playing well would certainly reopen the door to another promotion. But the second-year passer struggled to the point Saleh had little choice — as far as his team’s playoff push was concerned — but to bench him last month. White has offered better performances since returning to the QB1 role.
Saleh did not confirm Wilson would remain the starter if he fares well Sunday, via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones (on Twitter), but it would obviously be in the Jets’ best interests to see their highly drafted QB earn the starting job back. The Jets bailed on a former No. 3 pick (Sam Darnold) to select Wilson second overall, despite the BYU product not having a sustained run as a top prospect like Darnold did. Wilson has not shown much to indicate he will be a long-term option for the Jets, who have built a strong enough defense to make a surprise playoff push. Football Outsiders gives the Jets a 40.5% chance to qualify for the postseason, but a loss this week would increase the degree of difficulty in a conference that has two other 7-6 teams — the Patriots and Chargers. Entering Week 15, the Jets are just outside the AFC’s seven-team bracket.
Wilson’s 72.6 passer rating ranks last among qualified starters. He threw four touchdown passes in his seven starts this season. Flacco’s five (all in the season’s first three games, as he started in place of an injured Wilson) still lead the team. Wilson’s comments after his most recent start — a loss to the Patriots that included 103 total yards, a bottom-five mark in Jets history — rankled some of his teammates, and select Jets had expressed skepticism about the would-be starter this offseason. Although Wilson is under contract through 2024, considerable doubt about his status beyond this season has emerged. A solid performance this week would help here, though it could also complicate the current Jets’ QB situation.
Well, if he wants to prove himself, now’s a good time. The front will put pressure on him, and he needs to do light years better in that department, but it’s a beatable defense. Of course, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jets try to ride the run game.
Imagine an NFL draft #2 pick QB so bad that he is competing with Joe Flacco to be QB2 and not QB3.
Mike White seems to be the only winner and leader of men out of these three. Hope he can get back on the field soon. If he’s seriously injured, better he doesn’t play. A chronic injury would help no one.
Hmmmm. Wasn’t Ryan Leaf a # 2 overall pick? And JaMarcus Russel went first overall. Believe NFL history will show a ton of wasted top 5 picks on QBs which means being drafted that high does not guarantee success
You’re absolutely right. Zach Wilson is approach Ryan Leaf and JaMarcus Russell territory. What a mess.
The thing is Zach was known to be an arrogant mess out of college. Shocked and appalled that he got benched for just that same
Even more recently, it’s been hit or miss with just as many hits coming from later in the round or later in the draft. Hell, Mr. Irrelevant has been outplaying him!
Baker and Sam are trying to work their way back to relevance from bust territory. Josh Allen became a star as LaMar Jackson did later in that round, but Josh Rosen flamed out. For other #2s, Mariota, Trubisky and Wentz are now all backups.
QB picks certainly have a high bust rate, because they’re hard to evaluate and teams are trying to strike it rich at the most important position, but it’s not true that there are just as many hits coming from later. Mahomes, Allen, Herbert, and Burrow were all top 10 picks. I would also say they’re the four best QBs in football right now. Lawrence is starting to look like a major star. Watson was taken 12th.
If we narrow it down to guys taken after the 2011 CBA, which totally changed how rookie deals and player retention worked, how many really high level QBs have come after the first round? Dak, Derek Carr, Russell Wilson, Cousins, and now Hurts. That’s not all that many, and none have been among the inner circle best, other than Wilson at his peak.
And let’s not get ahead of ourselves with Purdy. He’s played well, he’s a great story, and he’s fun to watch, but he’s had a whopping three starts in the same offense that briefly made Nick Mullens look like a starter, only with better weapons, and he hasn’t started against a particularly good defense yet. Of course he’s been better than Zach Wilson. “Better than Zach Wilson has been” is not the standard for which teams are reaching.
Agree 100%. There are many more “hits” than misses in the first round. People just like to focus on the few guys from later rounds that “made it” to support their ‘first rounders are busts, just look at Tom Brady” narrative without looking at the real numbers.
What are you talking about?
– Sam Darnold
Jets love that White stands tall in the pocket, while Wilson runs around too much. White got crushed and now Wilson is in. OLine and OC need to scheme protection better. Wilson has a golden opportunity to prove himself this week. Lions secondary is not very good.
The other question that hasn’t been answered yet is if Flacco will dress as the backup or if Chris Streveler the Defense Leveler will be elevated off the practice squad to be the backup. Streveler is much more mobile than Flacco.
great nickname for Streveler
the milfhunter returns goat
Yuck
would love for Zach to throw for 400 yards and 4 TDs and during post game interview tell the haters to “suck it”
people in hell would love some ice water too!
Zach will probably stink it up against the Lions in the first half and Saleh will call on Joe to save the day like he did against the Browns. Flacco may not be mobile, but he is a MVP Super Bowl winning QB with the Ravens. Just give him pass protection and the playoffs stay within reach.
The Jets are resting White since they have a short week before hosting Jacksonville.
Also, for the draft geeks and QB freaks, White went to Dallas in the 5th round the year that Darnold, Allen, etc. went in the 1st.