Mike White to start vs. Dolphins Sunday, but Jets' QB position remains unsettled
New York Jets quarterback Mike White (5) walks toward his bench at the end of the first half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez) Credit: AP/Godofredo A. Vásquez
Robert Saleh expects Mike White, the Jets’ physically battered former third-string quarterback with a 1-3 record, to be able to play Sunday against the Dolphins.
So that makes one week of clarity the coach was able to offer on Monday regarding the franchise’s future at that position.
Beyond that looms a dense fog of uncertainty that will keep the franchise in limbo until general manager Joe Douglas addresses the position in the offseason.
What might that entail? Saleh was in no position to say less than 24 hours after a 23-6 loss to the Seahawks dropped the Jets to 7-9 and out of the playoff race.
But he did acknowledge the obvious for a team that has lost five games in a row — a stretch during which it has scored four touchdowns.
“We definitely need better play from that position,” Saleh said, “like I’m sure 22 other teams are saying the exact same thing.”
Perhaps, but few are as unsettled as the Jets, who have started Joe Flacco, Zach Wilson and White there this season, with no one firmly establishing himself.
The idea going into the season was to assess Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. But Wilson has lost the starting job twice, and White — as popular as he is with teammates — has not been able to seize his opportunities, either.
Even beyond the performances of the quarterbacks themselves, the instability at the position has been a distraction.
“It’s tough,” linebacker C.J. Mosley said. “You always want some type of consistency.”
Mosley noted that consistency is important everywhere but added that quarterback is “unfortunately one of the most important positions to have when it comes to building games, building up the offense, building the team and all those good things.”
Saleh called the quarterback “the head of the snake” and added that uncertainty there “makes it difficult for everybody. But at the same time, a lot of good things have come from that room.”
At times they have, especially in White’s tour de force in a 31-10 rout of the Bears on Nov. 27. But the Jets have not won since.
When asked about the future beyond Sunday, Saleh said he still sees development taking place in both White and Wilson but that led by Douglas, the team will look for a best path forward, “and whatever that decision is, we’ll roll with it.”
The Jets figure to draft too low to get an elite prospect, and the projected free-agent class at the position is a mixed bag.
Saleh cited one free-agent-to-be, the Giants’ Daniel Jones, as an example of the benefits of patience with a young quarterback.
Jones is having a career year in his fourth season. Wilson is in his second.
“The easy answer is, well, just get rid of him and go get somebody new,” Saleh said.
He cited Wilson’s ups and downs, including injuries that have compromised his progress in both seasons, as reasons to keep an open mind about him.
The coach said he still has a conviction in Wilson, in part because of his approach to the job.
“There are so many examples in the league where if you love ball and you’re really willing to work at it relentlessly, then odds are you’re going to make it,” Saleh said.
“I think if any franchise would recognize that, there’s so many former Jets out in the NFL that are having a lot of success right now. If there’s any franchise that should recognize that, hey, maybe we should give these young men a little bit of time, it would be this one.”
But the quarterback clock is ticking, and the alarm will go off next Monday morning.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
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