It comes as no surprise, but Jets head coach Robert Saleh announced Monday that Mike White will start his third consecutive game at quarterback Week 14 when the Jets visit the Buffalo Bills.
Not that it needed to be asked, but I did anyway: The QB situation is status quo, which means White continues to start and it’s still on a week-to-week basis, Saleh says. #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) December 5, 2022
And by status quo, it means Zach Wilson will remain the QB3/inactive, with Joe Flacco the QB2, per Saleh. #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) December 5, 2022
White’s Week 13 performance against the Vikings was not as strong as his work a week earlier against the Chicago Bears. Still it wasn’t enough to make a quarterback change a viable option.
My sense is we are past the point where the quarterback situation should be a week to week discussion. White should keep the job until he plays himself out of it over a longer stretch.
Saleh reiterated previous statements that the current plan is for Zach Wilson to return to the field at some point in 2022.
Robert Saleh said the intent is still to have Zach Wilson play again this year. #Jets
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) December 5, 2022
Saleh is obviously trying to walk a bit of a tightrope here. He is trying to offer the appearance the team hasn’t lost confidence in the former number two overall pick despite his benching.
Obviously an “intent” like this can change as events dictate. If the Jets were entering December with three wins like they were a year ago, it would be far easier to believe Wilson’s return to the lineup was imminent. With the Jets holding the seventh and final seed in the AFC postseason race currently, the focus has to be on winning games.
For now the coaching staff believes that means starting White at quarterback.