Jets Country

Zach Wilson Will Start For Jets in Week 4 Against Steelers

Wilson's second season in green and white will officially begin in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Max Goodman

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Zach Wilson will return from knee surgery on Sunday, starting for the Jets against the Steelers, per head coach Robert Saleh. 

Saleh made the announcement of Wilson's return from his knee injury on Wednesday morning, informing reporters that the quarterback received medical clearance from doctors, as expected.

Wilson will be a full participant in practice for the rest of the week. Barring any setbacks, he'll officially begin his sophomore season at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

"It's really exciting for him to get back on the football field," Saleh told reporters. "It's been six weeks. There's a lot of different things that have to go around in terms of making sure that we run an efficient offense. From us as coaches to O-line to receivers running routes, everybody is involved. It is exciting to get him back out there, but at the same time, it's not all about Zach. It's about making sure that we're executing on all cylinders as we should every week."

The 23-year-old suffered a non-contact knee injury during New York's preseason opener last month, needing surgery. All along, Week 4 was a target for the Jets to welcome their starting quarterback back from injury. Saleh had told reporters back on September 7, before the regular season began, that Week 4 was the earliest No. 2 could return. 

Veteran Joe Flacco filled in for Wilson to start the 2022 campaign, finding mixed results under center. While he led the Jets to a stunning victory over the Browns in Week 2, he struggled at MetLife Stadium. Over his three starts to begin the year, Flacco threw for 901 yards, completing 91 of his 155 pass attempts with five touchdowns and three interceptions.

Wilson returns to an offense that has plenty of playmakers—more than it did last year when he suited up as a rookie for a club that won four games. That said, the offensive line that's protecting Wilson is banged up, to say the least. George Fant was placed on injured reserve this week, joining Duane Brown and Mekhi Becton (who is out for the season).

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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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