Per Schefter, veteran signal-caller Josh Johnson is “poised” to be promoted from the practice squad to back up Wilson on Sunday. Wilson has missed the last four games due to what was reported to be a strained PCL. The recovery timetable was reported to be 2-4 weeks, and he’s now four weeks past the injury. The Jets have gone 1-3 without Wilson in the lineup, and have started both White and Flacco.
Advertisement
In New York’s first game without Wilson, White led the Jets to a 34-31 upset victory over the Cincinnati Bengals while throwing for 405 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He was injured early in the 45-30 loss to the Indianapolis Colts the next week, but returned to the starting lineup the following week and flopped. White threw for 251 yards and four interceptions in the 45-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Flacco then took over under center this past Sunday, and threw for 291 yards and two touchdowns as the Jets fell to the Miami Dolphins, 24-17.
It’s only Tuesday, so it’s possible one or even both quarterbacks could be active for the Jets on Sunday. If not, it appears first-year head coach Robert Saleh will head to Houston with just Wilson and Johnson.
Jets second-year quarterback Zach Wilson departed New York’s preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles after suffering a knee injury. With over four minutes to play in the first quarter, Wilson took a first-and-10 snap from New York’s 40-yard line and scrambled out right. As he turned upfield, Wilson tried to make a cut towards the middle of the field to shake loose a would-be tackler and went down awkwardly.
He initially was helped up by a teammate and had a noticeable limp. Wilson was then sent to the locker room for further evaluation and the Jets officially ruled him questionable to return with a knee injury. Wilson did not return to the game, and afterwords, Jets coach Robert Saleh told reporters that Wilson will undergo an MRI on Saturday.
Given that this is merely an exhibition, it wouldn’t be surprising for the team to keep him sidelined for the rest of the game even if he is healthy enough to go. This injury does have some room for concern, however, because it doesn’t appear like Wilson was touched as he went down to the field. And anytime there’s a non-contact injury, it should leave the team holding its breath.
Advertisement
Prior to the injury, Wilson wasn’t off to a hot start. On the Jets’ opening drive of the evening, he threw a poor interception to Eagles linebacker Kyzir White on a pass intended for Corey Davis. Wilson completed three of his five passes for 23 yards and that pick before going down.
The former No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft is entering his sophomore season after a rocky rookie campaign. In 13 games, he completed just 55.6% of his passes for 2,334 yards, nine touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
