Getty New York Jets quarterback Mike White on the sideline of an NFL game.
The New York Jets have made a decision at quarterback.
Head coach Robert Saleh announced on Tuesday, December 20 that Mike White “will not be cleared for contact” and has been ruled out for Week 16.
It appeared unlikely that he would be able to go after missing Sunday’s game versus the Detroit Lions with a short turnaround on Thursday Night Football.
Coach Saleh says WR Corey Davis and DL Quinnen Williams are trending in the right direction.
QB Zach Wilson will start Thursday.
Mike White Is out, Zach Wilson Is in for Jets
Saleh said that White’s injury will be a “week-to-week” evaluation moving forward. He also said he doesn’t believe that this rib injury will keep White out for the season.
That means Zach Wilson will get his second straight start this week. Saleh said on Monday that if White was unable to go they’d start Wilson.
In his first start in over a month the former BYU passer put up some roller coaster numbers against the Detroit Lions:
- 317 passing yards
- Averaged 9.1 yards per attempt
- 51 percent completion percentage
On Thursday versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Jets will be hoping for a little bit more consistency. The splashy plays were exciting but it wasn’t sustainable throughout the course of the entire game.
The Full Zach Wilson Experience
On Sunday everyone experienced the highs and lows of Wilson at quarterback.
A wildly exciting prospect that can make throws that very few humans on planet Earth are capable of. Those plays on a game-to-game basis will convince anyone that he can be the guy and one of the best quarterbacks in all of football.
However, the wild inconsistencies of what he’s capable of on a drive-to-drive basis will also make you go mad.
Wilson only had a 51 percent completion percentage against the Lions on Sunday. The problem is the majority of the 49 percent of those throws he missed on were open.
Why does he miss the short stuff? Is it footwork issues? Is Wilson getting in his own head? Perhaps playcalling is putting him in a poor position? Maybe the bright lights of New York are affecting the young man?
It is impossible to answer that question with any level of conviction in a singular answer.
That makes the pending quarterback decision nearly impossible to answer and that is why general manager Joe Douglas is paid the big bucks.
The Jets surprisingly have a win-now roster at this moment in time. That changes the dynamic and the level of patience.
Winning windows only last so long in the NFL and the Jets can’t afford to waste it. The good news is the core group of guys that you feel good about is all incredibly young. That fun fact should extend this winning window.
However, the immediate desire to win could force the Jets to explore some veteran quarterback waters this offseason in search of a solution. If that happens perhaps Wilson can get the time to properly sit and learn. Or maybe the Jets will continue to be tantalized by Wilson’s gifts and decide to give him one more run in 2023 as the starting quarterback.