Jets: Saleh not committing to Wilson as starting QB

FLORHAM PARK, NJ — New York Jets coach Robert Saleh is wavering on his commitment to zach wilsonsetting up a possible quarterback trade this week.

Three weeks after saying Wilson would start for the rest of the season barring injury, Saleh made no commitment Monday on whether the 2021 second overall pick will start Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

This marked the organization’s first hint of doubt about Wilson’s status as the number one quarterback.

“We will keep everything on the table for the next few days,” Saleh said.

Asked if he was prepared to name Wilson this week’s starter, he said: “Not right now, not until I finish evaluating everything.”

Wilson was informed of his status by the trainers, essentially leaving him in limbo.

Mike White is next in the depth chart, followed by Joe Flacco, who started the first three games while Wilson recovered from a knee injury during preseason. Saleh did not rule out any of the quarterbacks as possible replacements.

Wilson is 5-2 as a starter but has played poorly in two of the last three games, both losses to the New England Patriots. He completed just 9 of 22 passes for his career-low 77 yards in Sunday’s 10-3 loss. Subsequently, he showed little responsibility with comments that went viral. When asked if he let the defense down, Wilson said simply: “No. No.”

Some defensive players were upset by the comments, sources said. Saleh was clearly not happy with the way Wilson handled his post-game press conference.

“Is it a mistake? Sure,” Saleh said. “Is it something he’s going to learn from? Absolutely.”

He said Wilson needs to understand that “it’s our job to take responsibility,” adding: “I don’t think it’s indicative of how he feels about his team or his teammates.”

Wilson’s poor play was discussed at Monday’s team meeting, a source said. Saleh said that all performances, good and bad, are mentioned in team meetings.

At 6-4, the Jets are still in the playoff hunt, but they’re not getting much production out of Wilson. He has just four touchdown passes, one less than Flacco, who hasn’t played since Week 3.

Saleh stressed that all positions will be evaluated, not just quarterback.

“When you rack up 100 yards of offense [en realidad, 103]I don’t care how good New England is, and they are good, it’s unacceptable,” Saleh said. “It’s not NFL football.”

A furious Saleh said after the game that the offensive performance in the second half (2 total yards) was “dog poop.” Saleh said Monday that he has no plans to replace offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.

Wilson came under heavy criticism after throwing three interceptions on Oct. 30 against the Patriots, but responded very well with solid play in a win over the Buffalo Bills.

But Sunday’s performance was a big step back. receivers Garrett Wilson Y Denzel Mims they were clearly frustrated during the game, and Garrett Wilson ranted to reporters, calling the offense a “miserable” unit without mentioning Zach Wilson’s name.

“I think we have a championship-quality defense and I think we have very good players on offense,” Saleh said. “From a schematic standpoint, I think we’re up there with everyone else. But I’m just trying to assess to see how we can make this offense work a little bit.”

Wilson ranks 23rd in Total QBR (45.2) and 34th of 34 qualifying passers in completion percentage (55.6). Unsurprisingly, all three players made available to the media on Monday expressed their faith in Wilson. When asked about his level of trust in Wilson, the guard Laken Tomlinson said, “He’s tall. He’s our quarterback. What do you mean?”