Joe Flacco is Week 1 starter and it hasn't tempered Jets' enthusiasm
Jets quarterback Joe Flacco looks to pass on the run in the first half of an NFL preseason game against the Giants on Aug. 28 at MetLife Stadium. Credit: AP/John Munson
Year 2 of the Robert Saleh era will open on Sunday with Zach Wilson standing on the sideline wearing earbuds to hear all the offensive play calls.
Get used to that sight for at least the first three weeks of the season. A knee injury that Wilson suffered in the preseason will keep him out until Week 4 at the earliest while 37-year-old Joe Flacco runs the offense.
This hasn’t tempered the overall excitement and enthusiasm that the Jets have going into their Week 1 game against the Baltimore Ravens at MetLife Stadium. They improved all areas of the roster and believe they are building something under Saleh that can last.
“I think we have some momentum behind us,” said Flacco, who will face his former team for the first time. “We’re in a good spot, but we need to go out there and prove it to ourselves and get off to a good start.”
The Jets were 4-13 last year and extended the NFL’s longest active streak of missing the playoffs to 11 seasons. This year is about progress for the Jets and for Wilson.
The organization is confident that Wilson will take the necessary steps when he returns and develop into a franchise quarterback. But the Jets are trying to build a team in the mold of San Francisco - where Saleh was a defensive coordinator previously – that doesn’t have to rely so much on the quarterback.
The Jets spent the offseason building around Wilson, but also assembling as much talent all around the field. They’re confident that they have some big-time game-changes in players they already had and have since acquired.
“We have a really cool roster, a really cool group of guys,” Saleh said. “A lot of youth, a lot of good veterans and football always comes to the fourth quarter where your playmakers just rise to the occasion, and they take things over.
“That’s going to be what’s great about this year and then who knows from there. I’m just really excited because I think we’ve got a really good thing going here and it’s going to be fun to watch it evolve.”
The Jets’ defense should look very different and show marked improvement. They added important pieces to a defense that finished last in multiple categories last season.
The return of edge rusher Carl Lawson, who will make his Jets’ debut Sunday after missing all of last season with a ruptured Achilles, should add a boost to this group. The Jets also will rely on new faces in rookie corner Sauce Gardner, the No. 4 overall pick, cornerback D.J. Reed, safety Jordan Whitehead and linebacker Kwon Alexander to be play-makers for this group.
They will be tested immediately, trying to limit Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Jets defense is predicated on the front-four attacking and chasing quarterbacks, but Jackson could make them look silly with his ability to escape the pocket and run for huge gains.
“You have to have all eyes on him,” Reed said. “You can’t just put it on one person. If one person is trying to tackle him, he’s dynamic, he’ll most likely make them miss. It’s about having everybody getting to the ball.”
The coaches have been adamant in saying their offense won’t look much different without Wilson. There will be fewer rollouts and boot legs with the less mobile Flacco, but they’re going to run offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur’s system regardless.
The Jets could have an explosive offense. They drafted talented receiver Garrett Wilson, adding him to a group that already featured veterans Corey Davis and Braxton Berrios and second-year standout Elijah Moore, who could break out this season.
They signed veteran tight ends C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin – who will be integral parts of the offense – and drafted running back Breece Hall in the second round to complement second-year back Michael Carter.
“I see a lot of potential and that potential needs to grow exponentially quickly,” Uzomah said. “There’s a lot of confidence going in. It should be a fun offense."
Even without its starting quarterback for at least the next three weeks.
Notes & quotes: The Jets placed left tackle Duane Brown (shoulder) on IR. He will be sidelined a minimum of four games. The Jets are hoping Brown can return in Week 5. They signed the 37-year-old Brown in August after Mekhi Becton suffered a season-ending injury. George Fant will start at left tackle and rookie Max Mitchell at right tackle on Sunday. The Jets elevated tackle Grant Hermanns from the practice squad to fill Brown’s spot on the roster.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
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