Just a week after New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh professed his faith in Zach Wilson as the team’s starting quarterback, the 24-year-old talent has been benched in favor of Tim Boyle moving forward.
Jets Benching Zach Wilson for Tim Boyle
Nick Shook of NFL.com broke the news yesterday, sharing this quote from Saleh about the reversed decision:
“Just give him [Boyle] an opportunity, different style of quarterback,” Saleh told reporters on Monday of his decision to go with Boyle. “It’s really just an opportunity to see if he can do something with the offense.”
Wilson Unable to Overcome Struggles and Get the Jets in the Win Column
Wilson has gone 0-3 in the last three weeks, as the Jets have lost two of those games by a margin of 20 points or more. His struggles were widely scrutinized after the Jets’ 16-12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 10, prompting the media to press Saleh about the potential for a switch at QB.
Saleh was originally invested in Wilson, but his most recent 7-15 performance for 81 total passing yards in their 32-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Wilson’s leeway.
Jets’ Adjustments Likely in Hopes of Giving Aaron Rodgers a Chance to Return and Lead Playoff Charge
The switch comes just after Aaron Rodgers announced his intentions to return to action in mid-December. Rodgers has been out since Week 1 with a torn Achilles and is on a historic pace to come back from the debilitating injury. The expectation was for the Jets to stay afloat and give Rodgers a chance to put his foot on the gas for a potential playoff push.
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What Boyle and Siemian Bring to the Table for the Jets
At 4-6, the Jets’ chances of reaching the postseason look slim, even with Rodgers’ return. Now, Boyle will enter the lineup and earn his stripes. He took over for Wilson during the Bills game and completed 7-14 passes for 33 yards and an 0-1 TD-INT ratio. That was the only taste of action he’s seen thus far and will look to improve upon that as his reign as starter takes off.
Behind him will be veteran Trevor Siemien. The 31-year-old passer knows what it’s like to go for 3,000-plus yards in a season, having done so back in 2016. Though he’s missed seasons in the midst of his NFL tenure, Siemian is a seasoned professional that serves as support in the event that Boyle fails to get the Jets in the win column.
