Rookie quarterback Zach Wilson will start behind center for the Jets against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Sunday, according to a report from The Athletic’s Connor Hughes.
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Wilson has been fully cleared and will be a full participant in practice this week beginning on Wednesday, according to Hughes.
While the Jets get Wilson back, they’ll be without backups Joe Flacco and Mike White, who are both out for Sunday’s game in Houston after being put on the Reserve/COVID-19 list due to close contacts, per Hughes. Josh Johnson will be called up from the practice squad to back up Wilson.
The second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft missed the Jets’ last four games with a PCL sprain he suffered in Foxborough against the New England Patriots on October 24. The Jets went 1-3 in that stretch, with a tremendous win over the Cincinnati Bengals and disastrous losses to the Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.
Head coach Robert Saleh said on Sunday following the Jets’ 24-17 loss to the Dolphins that the Jets would would take Monday and Tuesday to evaluate “where he’s at mentally and physically,” and it appears he is ready to return to the field. Wilson was a limited participant in practice last week, and for the second consecutive Sunday, he went through a “pretty good” workout in the morning at MetLife Stadium prior to the Jets facing the Dolphins.
Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco put together a nice effort in his first start in a year, throwing for 291 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-39 passing, but it didn’t come close to being enough for him to snag the starting position from Wilson. And backup Mike White had his two weeks in the spotlight, but a horrendous performance against the Bills sealed his fate behind Wilson.
In his time off the field, Wilson picked his veteran teammate’s brain.
“As soon as me and (Wilson) get together, he’s like a million questions,” Flacco said on Sunday. “It’s all good, it’s a lot of fun to see somebody that is just coming into the league (be so eager). Being able to talk to him is a lot of fun. I don’t have all the answers, it’s football at the end of the day and he is a little different than I am, but it’s been cool to be around that room. It’s always great to be around as many players as you can and help in any way possible. We all love this game. You can tell that he loves it. When you get him one-on-one, you can really see it.”
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Brian Fonseca may be reached at bfonseca@njadvancemedia.com.