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The hierarchy of the New York Jets quarterback room seems locked in.
Zach Wilson, when healthy, is the starting quarterback. Entrenched behind him is the ageless wonder Joe Flacco.
The third spot in that room has belonged to Mike White, but after the Jets’ second preseason game, that may no longer be the case.
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Change We Can All Believe In
On July 26, the Jets signed former CFL champion Chris Streveler to a contract. From all reports, he was supposed to be nothing more than a camp arm. However, despite that supposed pre-determination, Streveler was forced into action August 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Given that Streveler had had zero team reps, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur acknowledged that there had been no plans to even play him in that contest. But when Wilson got injured on the second drive of the game, Streveler, 27, took full advantage of his opportunity, going 6-for-9 with 62 yards and two touchdowns.
He carried that momentum into the second preseason game versus the Atlanta Falcons, completing seven of 11 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown against one interception and sparking a social media movement calling for Streveler to rise up the depth chart immediately.
Streveler has outplayed White (22-of-37 for 188 yards) during the preseason, leading some on Twitter to say “it’s time” for an abrupt change to the depth chart.
“Sorry to say but Mike White is showing noting and Chris Streveler should be QB3,” tweeted one fan.
And Zack Rosenblatt, who covers the Jets for The Athletic, simply wrote: “Chris Streveler is unstoppable.”
“chris streveler is QB3 over mike white. i feel like any jets fan should agree with this,” another fan tweeted, perhaps speaking on behalf of Jets fans that it is time to drink the Kool-Aid if they haven’t already.
“Chris Streveler is my QB3,” tweeted Michael Nania of Jets X-Factor.
“Chris Streveler is a better QB than Mike White right now, and it hasn’t been particularly close,” tweeted The Jet Press.
And Jets historian Randy Lange came up with a juicy stat, noting that two of the Jets’ seven come-from-behind preseason wins when trailing by more than 14 points have come this year, with Streveler finishing both games at quarterback.
My partner in crime on the Heavy on Jets page, Michael Obermuller, argued that having a backup quarterback who’s similar to Wilson makes more sense than Flacco when trying to maintain stability offensively.
Stats Back It Up
They say the backup quarterback is the most popular guy on the team. I’m not sure whether that typically translates to the fourth guy on the depth chart.
However, it isn’t just fan noise on social media. Streveler has outplayed White through the first two weeks of the preseason.
In the Eagles game here were White’s stats:
- 10-of-20
- 98 passing yards
- 4.8 yards per clip
And Streveler’s:
- 6-of-9
- 62 passing yards and two touchdowns
- 6.9 yards per clip
Advantage: Streveler.
Now let’s look at the August 22 win over the Falcons. White’s numbers:
- 12-of-17
- 90 passing yards
- 5.3 yards per clip
- 8-of-11
- 119 passing yards with one touchdown and an interception
- 10.8 yards per clip
Besides the passing numbers, Streveler has proved to be a more than capable weapon on the ground as well.
After the Falcons game, head coach Robert Saleh described Streveler as a “warrior and a fighter.” Outside of his interception on a Denzel Mims intended pass attempt, Streveler’s performance was “near perfection,” Saleh said.
White, 27, became famous in November 2021 after a record 37 completions in his debut in an upset of the Cincinnati Bengals, a performance that would lead to his jersey on display in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Since then, he has accomplished almost nothing.
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