Jets sticking with Zach Wilson as starter, will keep Trevor Siemian on practice squad
Zach Wilson #2 of the Jets walks to the locker room after a game against the Los Angeles Chargers at MetLife Stadium on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Zach Wilson will remain the Jets’ starting quarterback despite his struggles leading the offense.
Robert Saleh said he is not considering a quarterback change and that there is no plan to elevate veteran Trevor Siemian from the practice squad for Sunday’s game at Las Vegas.
Saleh is sticking with Wilson because he feels he’s not the only one to blame for the offense’s ineffectiveness.
“He can be a lot better,” Saleh said during a Tuesday Zoom. “But it’s lazy to just put it all on him. It was collective all the way across the board.”
The Jets (4-4) have played some ugly games with Wilson as their quarterback, and Monday night’s performance certainly left many viewers shaking and scratching their heads.
They faced the Chargers, owners of one of the NFL’s worst defenses, and all the Jets could muster was two field goals in a 27-6 loss. They’ve scored just eight offensive touchdowns all season and three in the last four games.
The Jets’ fans are praying that Aaron Rodgers will return from a torn Achilles tendon to save their season. Rodgers said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday that he could be back in “a few fortnights.”
If you take Rodgers at his word, that’s six weeks, which is around the holidays. It will be Christmas miracle if the Jets are still alive in the playoff race the way their offense is performing.
Wilson and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will be the most scrutinized and criticized, and rightfully so. The Jets rank last in third-down conversion percentage and red-zone efficiency.
In Monday’s game, they were 3-for-17 and 0-for-2 in those two categories in a very sloppy game overall for the offense.
Wilson lost two fumbles and Garrett Wilson lost one. The makeshift offensive line had issues with protection. Wilson was sacked eight times.
There were multiple drops – including one by C.J. Uzomah in the end zone when the game was already decided. They committed five penalties on offense - four of them before the snap - that wiped away 46 yards and two first downs.
“It’d be one thing if it was just him,” Saleh said, explaining why Wilson is still his quarterback. “If it was just him, it would be something that would be worth discussing. But this is a collective issue that we all need to get on the same page with.”
This is starting to feel like last year all over again for the Jets. They have an elite defense, but the offense is subpar.
They held the Chargers to just 191 yards of offense and Justin Herbert to a career-low 136 passing yards. Yet, the Jets lost by three touchdowns. So much is being put on the defense to keep the Jets in games because the Wilson-led offense keeps tripping over itself.
“We’ve all got to grow up, man,” running back Breece Hall said. “Just continue to do our job each and every play. We can’t have one or two people killing the play. We’ve got to take pride in it.”
Garrett Wilson said: “This is disappointing and it definitely messes with your psyche a little bit.”
If the offense doesn’t find its way quickly, it could be a complete replay of last season when Wilson was benched twice and lost the trust of the locker room.
Everyone rallied around Mike White. He’s in Miami now. Tim Boyle is the Jets’ No. 2 quarterback followed by Siemian, who was signed after an unsightly performance by Wilson in a loss to the Patriots.
When asked about elevating Siemian, Saleh said, “No, not at this time.”
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. The Jets are living in that space right now.
“It seems like insanity,” Saleh said, “but when you’re backed into a corner you’ve got to keep swinging, you’ve got to find ways to get better.”
Saleh believes the players are “pressing” and trying too hard to make a play, Wilson included. Saleh didn’t absolve Hackett. Saleh said the offensive coaches are trying different things. They went more no-huddle Monday to see if it could spark something.
“They’re searching,” Saleh said. “They’re trying to turn over every stone. Eventually you hope that we find our groove. I know it’s not where everybody wants it to be, but I know that everyone’s working hard at it.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
