Getty New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson walking out of the tunnel ahead of a preseason game.
By taking the patient approach when it comes to Zach Wilson’s health and availability for Week 1, the New York Jets are making the absolutely correct call on their franchise quarterback.
Wilson, entering his second NFL season, will have his 2022 debut delayed by at least one week as he continues to recover from a torn meniscus suffered in Philadelphia against the Eagles in New York’s exhibition debut. Veteran Joe Flacco will make the start in place of Wilson, in the Jets’ opener against the Baltimore Ravens.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh wouldn’t even commit to Wilson stepping back on the field during the first three weeks of the season.
“To be honest with you guys, the earliest he’s gonna be available is Pittsburgh,” Saleh told reporters during his September 7 press conference. “That’s gonna be the earliest. Now can it change? Sure, I’m always gonna leave that door open. You guys know me, I’m the eternal optimist. But we are gonna make sure that both mind and body are 110 percent and make sure we do right by him, and we feel like, talking to the doctors, it’s gonna be that Pittsburgh week.”
Coach Saleh says that likely the earliest QB Zach Wilson will be available is Week 4 at Pittsburgh.
This is the second time in 10 months that Wilson has suffered some sort of injury — he missed five games as a rookie, so the temptation has to be there for both sides to get the 23-year-old back on the field as quickly as possible to show both his potential and cast aside the dreaded “injury prone” label.
Resisting that temptation has so much upside for both parties, and shows a maturity both on the part of Wilson and where the Jets now are as an organization.
While the Jets’ offense was a series of fits and starts with Flacco behind center during the preseason, handing the reigns of the offense off to the veteran has the chance to provide a modicum of stability until Wilson can medically get back on the field.
Future of Zach Wilson & Jets More Important Than Immediate Results
It is refreshing to see an organization, this organization, take the cautious approach when it comes to the long-term health and ability of its franchise quarterback.
Even if that means potentially struggling out of the chute against the meat of the schedule.
General manager Joe Douglas and the Jets have built a young, and potentially explosive, supporting cast around Wilson; rookie wide receiver Garrett Wilson joins Elijah Moore and veteran Corey Davis at receiver, the backfield duo of rookie Breece Hall and Michael Carter has prolific potential, and the arrival of security blanked C.J. Uzomah at tight end just may do wonders for Zach Wilson’s development.
Risking further injury, by rushing Wilson back before his knee is fully healed, could have had catastrophic consequences. And undone much of the good work Douglas, head coach Robert Saleh, and the Jets have done over the past two years building a roster that multiple executives and coaches inside the league believe has the chance to be one of this season’s biggest surprises.
First Few Weeks Could Be Turbulent for the Jets
There’s little doubt that the first month of the season could be a bumpy ride for the Jets, filled with landmines against Ravens, at the Browns, against the Bengals and at the Steelers.
However, this is a roster with a bright future. One that Wilson figures to be a significant part of.
“You want to believe Zach Wilson can be special,” an NFC executive recently told Heavy. “I think their offensive line is going to be better, the Jets have a great running game, but he has to stay healthy.”
Wilson didn’t make it out of the exhibition opener healthy, but New York allowing him to get healthy gives the best opportunity for him to reach his ceiling.
If the Jets are to ever climb out of the cellar of the AFC East, Wilson is going to need to prove capable of developing into one of the game’s elite passers. New York has built the infrastructure around him to facilitate that kind of leap, but risking any further or significant injury has the potential to undo all of it.