The New York Jets are facing an interesting conundrum at the quarterback position.
No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson struggled mightily to begin the year and has been out several weeks with a knee injury.
His absence allowed backup Mike White to throw for over 400 yards and take down the Cincinnati Bengals.
The following week then saw White leave with a minor injury, only for veteran journeyman Josh Johnson to do well against Indianapolis.
And don’t forget that Joe Flacco was acquired before the trade deadline.
Quarterbacks who aren’t Wilson seem to be doing fine in the offense.
The rookie is now expected to return to practice this week, but a recent report explains White may hold down the job for now.
From NFL Now: #Jets QB Zach Wilson is expected to return to practice this week, but don't be surprised if Mike White gets another start as Wilson works back to 100%. Having the No. 2 overall pick watch and learn a bit has a lot of positives, regardless. pic.twitter.com/A3ouOBuKeE
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 8, 2021
As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport explains, it would not hurt Wilson to sit on the sidelines and learn a bit as he is still only beginning his NFL career.
That would not be some unorthodox plan and should only benefit the young signal-caller.
Any Jets quarterback who isn’t Zach Wilson running the Jets offense. pic.twitter.com/pvPAo1rd7S
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) November 5, 2021
No Need To Rush Wilson Back
The NFL never used to be like this where rookie quarterbacks all played right away.
But teams get excited and the unfortunate result is that some players perform so poorly, their careers are stunted from the start.
Sam Darnold and a blast from the past such as David Carr come to mind.
Wilson has four touchdowns and nine interceptions in six games.
White already has five touchdowns in three games and Johnson threw three in his lone appearance.
Some rookies need more time to develop and when factoring in his knee injury, the Jets have a perfect excuse to keep Wilson on the sideline and actually try to win with White.
There is a lot of football to be played and it looks like White gives the team a great chance to win.
Robert Saleh did not take this job to lose and should go with his best option, even if it means benching the No. 2 overall pick for now.
NEXT: Mike White Describes His Injury In Detail Versus The Colts
