As the Jets try to bounce back from Sunday’s humiliating 54-13 defeat to the Patriots, they will have to do so without their starting quarterback.
An MRI exam on Monday confirmed that rookie Zach Wilson suffered a right PCL sprain and will be out 2-4 weeks, Jets coach Robert Saleh confirmed. The Jets face the Bengals, Colts, Bills and Dolphins in the next four weeks.
Saleh said there was some relief that Wilson won’t miss the rest of the season and said, “Thankfully, it’s not a serious injury.”
Wilson suffered the injury in the second quarter of Sunday’s blowout loss. Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon beat Jets tight end Ryan Griffin and hit Wilson as the quarterback threw the ball downfield. Wilson said Sunday that he heard a “pop” and the knee felt unstable.
Saleh said the team will determine whether to place Wilson on injured reserve later this week. If he goes on IR, he will miss a minimum of three games. Saleh said there is a chance that Wilson would only miss two games and could return for the Nov. 14 game against the Bills but they will have a better idea later this week.
Much of the focus of the Jets’ 2021 season has been on developing Wilson, who they chose No. 2 overall out of BYU in April. Now, he will be watching from the sideline, but Saleh said that may be a good thing.
“I don’t think it’s a setback,” Saleh said. “I think it’s always good to be able to step away and just be able to watch the offense through the lens of another quarterback. We thought Mike [White] did a really nice job yesterday running the offense, generating some scoring drives.”
The Jets will move on with White, who played his first NFL game on Sunday in relief of Wilson. White threw a touchdown pass and two interceptions. The Jets expressed their belief in him on Monday afternoon. The Jets got a lot of questions and criticism this offseason about not signing a veteran backup. They will now have the chance to be proven right if White performs well. Though they hedged their bets by acquiring Joe Flacco from the Eagles on Monday, in exchange for a conditional sixth-round pick.
As for Wilson, Saleh said it will be beneficial to watch White run the offense.
“When you can watch the same offense that you were running for the first six weeks run through the lens of another quarterback and just to see how he operates in the same system, I think there’s a lot to be had,” Saleh said. “You can learn a lot off what other people do. It’s different. He can sit and watch Tom Brady all he wants but he’s not in that system. He’s not sure what’s being told. But to be able to watch another quarterback go through the same system I think can help him generate more of an identity and how he operates within it.”
The Jets are banged up at linebacker. Rookie Jamien Sherwood suffered a torn Achilles tendon on Sunday and is out for the season. Quincy Williams is in the concussion protocol. Blake Cashman injured his groin. Saleh said they are hopeful to get C.J. Mosley (hamstring) back this week but have to see what Mosley can do in practice. Jarrad Davis is also expected to come off IR and return to practice, but he may not be ready to play Sunday. Saleh said the Jets will work out several free-agent linebackers on Tuesday.