No matter how great Joe Flacco plays or last-minute heroics he provides, Zach Wilson will replace him as the New York Jets starting quarterback when healthy. Jets coach Robert Saleh made that abundantly clear Wednesday.
“Zach’s the future of the organization and we all know that,” Saleh said. “As soon as the doctors clear him, we’ll get him back on the field.”
Wilson is still working his way back from Aug. 16 arthroscopic knee surgery. He returned to practice last week but is still not taking part in team drills. Saleh emphasized again Monday that the earliest the Jets expect Wilson to play is Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Zach Wilson hits the practice field: pic.twitter.com/3DHkmGXmD7
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) September 21, 2022
“He’s still limited, not going to get into 11-on-11 (drills) this week,” Saleh explained. “We’re going to ramp up the amount of strain, I guess you could say, from an individual standpoint.”
The coach did add that the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft “is progressing really well.”
The Jets are 1-1 to begin the season without Wilson. In his place, Flacco has thrown for 616 yards (third in the NFL) and five touchdowns (eighth). He has thrown only one interception, completed 61.2 percent of his passes and has a QB rating of 90.1.
JOE FLACCO BABY pic.twitter.com/p3jfrUWMIn
— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 18, 2022
Flacco was runner-up to Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa as AFC Offensive Player of the Week after leading the Jets to a stunning 31-30 win against the Cleveland Browns last week. The 37-year-old was 26-for-44 for 307 yards and four touchdowns last Sunday. He engineered two scoring drives in the final two minutes of the game to lead the comeback win, connecting with Corey Davis on a 66-yard TD bomb and Garrett Wilson on the game-winning 15-yard pass.
So, that prompted reporters to ask, not once, but twice, whether there was any chance Flacco could remain the Jets starter even when Wilson is cleared by doctors to play.
Saleh was asked twice about the possibility of Joe Flacco continuing to start once Zach Wilson is healthy if the Jets keep winning/Flacco keeps playing well. He had the same answer both times: Wilson "is the future of the organization." He'll start when he's ready. #Jets
— Andy Vasquez (@andy_vasquez) September 21, 2022
Saleh was emphatic that Wilson would return when ready, saying he was willing to sound like a broken record providing the same answer.
Wilson sustained a non-contact injury and bone bruise to his right knee in a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 12. He missed four games last season with a knee injury and the Jets were 1-3 without him. Their lone win was a 34-31 upset against the Cincinnati Bengals on Halloween when their third QB Mike White starred.
Flacco will lead the Jets against the Bengals this Sunday, looking to make the most of his opportunity until Wilson is ready to return.
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