Jets turn to White at QB to give Wilson 'a reset'

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Embattled New York Jets backmost Zach Wilson, hailed lone a twelvemonth agone arsenic a franchise savior, is going to the seat successful a melodramatic shake-up.

Coach Robert Saleh made the bombshell announcement successful a late-morning squad meeting, aboriginal confirming to reporters that Mike White volition commencement Sunday against the Chicago Bears astatine MetLife Stadium. Joe Flacco volition beryllium the No. 2 quarterback; Wilson volition beryllium inactive.

It's important pivot for an enactment that had geared astir everything astir Wilson since drafting him 2nd wide successful 2021. It raises questions astir the aboriginal of their backmost position, a proposition the Jets ne'er thought they'd person to face truthful soon.

Saleh said they anticipation to play Wilson again this season.

"Zach's vocation present is not over," Saleh said. "I cognize that's going to beryllium the communicative and I cognize that's what everybody wants to outcry out, but that's not adjacent adjacent to the case. The afloat intent is to marque definite Zach gets backmost connected the shot tract this season. When that is, I'll marque that decision. I'll instrumentality it day-to-day."

That, of course, opens the doorway to a imaginable backmost contention if White is successful. Saleh, trying to make a affirmative rotation connected Wilson, said "the young antheral needs a reset.

"There are immoderate basal cardinal things person gotten truly retired of whack for him," Saleh said. "This is conscionable an accidental for him to beryllium back, absorption connected those things and find a mode to reconnect with each the antithetic things we fell successful emotion with during the draught process. It's thing I consciousness similar he'll beryllium capable to do."

The Jets (6-4), hoping to extremity an 11-year playoff drought, person shifted into a win-now mode. They judge their defence is title caliber and don't privation to discarded this accidental due to the fact that of erratic backmost play.

Wilson passed for a career-low 77 yards successful Sunday's nonaccomplishment to the New England Patriots and created a firestorm by refusing to instrumentality immoderate blame for the offense's dismal showing. Saleh wasn't blessed with the comments but insisted that didn't origin into the determination to seat Wilson.

On Monday, Saleh met with Wilson and told him helium was evaluating the backmost position, aboriginal telling reporters the aforesaid thing. The non-endorsement was important due to the fact that it marked the archetypal clip Wilson's occupation information was called into question by the team.

Wilson addressed the team, according to Saleh. He declined to divulge specifics, but it was presumably astir his postgame comments.

The Jets are 5-2 since Wilson's instrumentality from genu country successful August. Both losses were to the New England Patriots.

But the Jets are winning with defense, not with the passing attack. Wilson has lone 4 touchdown passes and has exceeded 210 yards successful lone 2 of his 7 starts.

Publicly, Saleh remained supportive, saying aft the Oct. 20 nonaccomplishment to the Patriots that helium would instrumentality with Wilson for the remainder of the season. That came aft a three-interception nightmare.

Everything changed Sunday, erstwhile Wilson was inept arsenic helium directed 1 of the worst violative performances successful squad history. The Jets managed lone 103 full yards, which Saleh called "unacceptable."

White is hardly a definite thing; helium has lone 3 vocation starts.

With Wilson nursing a genu wounded past season, White achieved near-cult-hero presumption successful his archetypal vocation start, throwing for 405 yards and 3 touchdowns successful an upset of the Cincinnati Bengals. The 2018 Dallas Cowboys draught prime got 2 much starts: an incomplete crippled against the Indianapolis Colts (he near with an injury) and a four-interception clunker against the Buffalo Bills.

White began this play arsenic the No. 3 quarterback, down Wilson and Flacco. The squad changed the extent illustration successful Week 8, promoting White to QB2 -- a power that near immoderate astir the squad scratching their heads. Saleh said it was to "allow him the accidental to hole arsenic if helium is the adjacent antheral up."

And present helium is.