Jets Country

Zach Wilson Should Not Start For Jets in Week 1

Robert Saleh said that it's possible that Zach Wilson could be ready to play on Sunday in Week 1.

Max Goodman

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All of a sudden, Zach Wilson is in play to be the Jets' starting quarterback this Sunday in New York's season opener against the Ravens. 

Jets head coach Robert Saleh revealed on Monday afternoon that Wilson is back to working out for the first time since he underwent right knee surgery last month, partaking in football activities at practice. 

"Looked good, felt good," Saleh told reporters. "We’re going to see how the knee responds today and tomorrow and we’ll have an answer for everybody on Wednesday."

Even if Wilson is progressing well from his knee injury, less than three weeks after his surgery, New York should continue treating this situation with a surplus of caution. Considering Wilson missed time with a similar injury a year ago, and lucked out with this diagnosis, there is no reason to rush the second-year signal-caller back just to play in Week 1.

Perhaps it's a different story here if the Jets don't have a capable backup or they're a title contender, needing to put their best foot forward right away in Week 1. As much as the Jets are poised to improve in the win column in 2022, it still seems like they're one year away from true contention, needing to focus on the small victories this year as they endeavor to play meaningful games in December. Plus, New York has two capable backups on their roster: Joe Flacco, a Super Bowl champion that's familiar with Baltimore after his lengthy career with the Ravens, and Mike White, who stunned the football world last year and upset the Bengals while filling in for an injured Wilson.

Saleh added that New York's game plan won't change regardless of who is under center. Sure, it's not glamorous to begin the year with Flacco at the helm, but giving Wilson another week to get set physically and mentally will put him in a better position to succeed and stay healthy, two of the most important aspects of this entire season for this franchise. 

All of that said, Saleh did make a good point that eventually, this team is going to need to "rip the band-aid off."

"When Zach’s ready to play and he’s healthy, like I’ve said from the beginning, when he’s healthy and he feels good, he’s going to play football," Saleh explained.

Still, if you have an opportunity to err on the side of caution with a player that's already spent a significant chunk of his NFL career impacted by injuries, it's an easy decision. 

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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