Zach Wilson is returning to the field but he’s not ready to be the New York Jets savior. The quarterback will be back at practice this week for the first time since he had knee surgery Aug. 16.
“The plan is to get him on the practice field in a ‘routes on air’ capacity,” coach Robert Saleh said Monday.
Translation: Wilson will work individually with the receivers but will not take part in team drills and is not ready to return to the lineup.
Coach Saleh says the plan is for QB Zach Wilson to throw routes on air this week. pic.twitter.com/5gXM7NYQj0
— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 12, 2022
Saleh said last Wednesday that Wilson is not expected to play until Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers “at the earliest.” Wilson sustained a non-contact injury to his right knee in a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 12.
Perhaps in a moment of gamesmanship, Saleh said that it was “possible” Wilson could play in Week 1 after going through an on-field workout last Monday. Instead, the 23-year-old watched his team get mauled 24-9 by the Baltimore Ravens from the safety of a suite at MetLife Stadium in the season opener Sunday.
Joe Flacco started in Wilson’s place and completed 37 of 59 passes for 307 yards. The 37-year-old was under siege all afternoon. The Jets' offensive line had no answers for the Ravens' pass rush, which recorded 22 QB pressures and sacked Flacco three times.
It took Jets fans slightly more than half the game before they began chanting for third-string quarterback Mike White to replace Flacco. On Monday, Saleh said that Flacco is the Jets starting quarterback “as of now.”
Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
But whether Flacco or White starts Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, one thing is for certain. Zach Wilson is not ready to reclaim his spot as QB1 just yet.
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