For the first time since his benching, Zach Wilson will be wearing a uniform on Sunday. On Wednesday, New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters that Wilson will serve as the backup to Mike White vs. the Detroit Lions, while Joe Flacco will be third string.
White suffered a ribs injury in the 20-12 loss to the Buffalo Bills after taking several huge shots in the pocket. He was even taken to the hospital after the final whistle as a precaution, but the Jets expect him to start on Sunday.
Wilson was benched for White following the Jets' 10-3 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 11. The former No. 2 overall pick was made a healthy inactive for the past three weeks. While the Jets are 1-2 since the quarterback change, White has certainly brought new life to this offense. He has the third most passing yards in the NFL in his three starts, and already has as many completions of 10-plus yards downfield as Wilson did in his seven starts. Rookie wideout Garrett Wilson has also emerged as a favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year thanks to White, as he's averaging 91.5 receiving yards per game this season without Wilson under center.
In seven total games played this season, Wilson has completed 55.6 percent of his passes for 1,279 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. He has recorded the fewest passing touchdowns through 20 career starts among any active quarterback (13). Saleh has said that Wilson's career in New York is not over, and that he will play again this season. However, the coach hasn't exactly laid out a timeline for when that will be, but Wilson has done enough behind the scenes to earn the job of backup at this point.
The 7-6 Jets currently own the No. 9 seed in the AFC, but share the same record with the Patriots, who currently hold the last wild card spot in the conference.
