Back on Monday, Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters that Zach Wilson was “for sure” the team’s starting quarterback if he was healthy and ready to go for Sunday’s game against the Bills.
Wilson isn’t ready to make his return from a PCL injury, but even if he was, Saleh seems to have reversed field with his previous statement. Instead, after naming Mike White the Week 10 starter, Saleh said the quarterback situation would resolve itself “organically,” and the team would take a week-to-week approach.
“At the end of the day, it comes down to what’s best for the organization and the team,” Saleh said. “That, I’m very confident will happen organically.”
Saleh has tried to avoid a public quarterback controversy, but there appears to be one building as Wilson, who was back at practice on Wednesday, nears his return. The rookie and hopeful franchise savior has struggled badly in his debut season, while White has helped the offense find another gear in recent weeks, at least before leaving last week’s game with a forearm injury.
The initial plan was for Wilson to start from Week 1 and work through the growing pains of being a rookie in the NFL, but Saleh is now also preaching the value of watching the game unfold from a non-playing perspective, perhaps setting up White to continue to be the starter if New York’s offense continues to play better under his watch.
“If Mike is playing phenomenal football, it is what it is. You might call it a controversy or not, but I think I can pull up an article from every single one of you guys that has mentioned that the best thing for a young quarterback is to watch, so there's no harm in either way,” Saleh said.
“We have the utmost confidence in Zach. When he gets ready to play and he gets back on the football field and he's ready to play, he's going to do a phenomenal job. His talent is undeniable. There's a great amount of growth that can happen whether he's playing or not. Those are facts. Those are history-proven throughout the history of time. Playing or not playing, you can get both done.”
Clearly, Saleh likes what he sees from the offense under White, and when Wilson is healthy enough to return, it doesn’t necessarily mean he will be back under center, as Saleh is already pointing to the value of taking in the offense from the sideline, especially one that has shown improvements since Wilson was injured.
“It would be one thing if you were throwing out a quarterback and he was just plain terrible and there’s nothing to learn from,” Saleh said. “It’s another thing when a quarterback who is giving you a clear blueprint on how this offense is supposed to run in that regard.
“Do I think playing and getting those reps is vital? Absolutely. Do I think watching good ball is vital? Absolutely.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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