New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh seems unsure about the way he’s handled quarterback Zach Wilson.
Saleh confirmed Friday that veteran Joe Flacco will start when the 7-9 Jets end their season at the 8-8 Miami Dolphins Sunday. Wilson will serve as the club’s QB2, while would-be starter Mike White is sidelined with four broken ribs.
“I want to stay firm with him and make sure that he gets to attack this offseason and I just want to get him to the offseason, so we can start and attack the plan that we’ve been building,” Saleh said about Wilson on Friday, per the Jets’ website. “Putting him out there right now I just don’t, it’s not going to do him any good, it’s not going to do anyone any good. For him, for Zach, it’s all about ’23.”
Saleh offered those comments days after he told reporters that Wilson needs to “get away from this game” for a time this offseason. Thus, it’s curious Saleh and company will enter Sunday’s contest with Wilson potentially a play away from facing a Dolphins team competing for a chance to qualify for the postseason.
Flacco is a 37-year-old who may retire this winter and has received criticism for being “a statue” in the pocket throughout the campaign. According to ESPN stats, the Super Bowl XLVII Most Valuable Player has taken 10 sacks across his four appearances this season.
When asked why Flacco is starting over third-stringer Chris Streveler, Saleh responded that “Flacco gives us the best chance to win.”
Statistically speaking, Wilson was one of the league’s worst quarterbacks of the season. Per ESPN, he begins the weekend dead last among qualified players with a 72.8 passer rating and a 54.5% completion percentage. Saleh clearly doesn’t want to expose the 23-year-old to additional action before spring workouts, so it must be asked:
Why is Wilson active when he may be needed for even mop-up duties?
