Pulling Jets' QB Possibilities Out of Albert Breer's Mailbag

External options available to replace Zach Wilson

The New York Jets made a monumental change at quarterback during the offseason, but that plan went up in flames when Aaron Rodgers ruptured his Achilles four offensive snaps into the season opener.

With former No. 2 overall draft pick Zach Wilson reassuming the starting job he lost last year, a healthy portion of the fan base is calling for an upgrade at what's arguably the most-important position in all of team sports.

Chasing a steep deficit, Wilson was intercepted three times in the fourth quarter of the Green & White's 30-10 road loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Thus far this season, he is  is 26-of-48 passing for 310 yards and two touchdowns. His low completion percentage (54.2) and high interception rate (8.3) have some folks clamoring for an external replacement.

As Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer notes, the pool of options to choose from is thin and somewhat underwhelming. Still, it may be worthwhile for the Jets to kick the tires on a handful of available field generals, including former Super Bowl champion Nick Foles.

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Out of Breer's Wednesday Mailbag:

From Cooper (@andrewhazard989): Why have the Jets not at least brought in a free-agent QB to learn the system while Zach (Wilson) plays? They need to be prepared to make a switch.

Cooper, I get what you’re saying, but the reality is it’s not like there are a ton of options out there. Jets GM Joe Douglas was with Nick Foles and Carson Wentz in Philly, so those would be two available names with connections. You could try to pry Matt Ryan from the booth, but it’s hard to know how ready he would be to play. Colt McCoy would be another option, though he was dealing with a balky elbow when the Cardinals let him go.

As for guys on other teams’ rosters, Houston’s Case Keenum seems like a good name as a guy who could help Zach Wilson, and be the in-case-of-emergency-break-glass guy. And you’d think he’d be available with C.J. Stroud entrenched as a starter and Davis Mills the backup. The problem is the Texans have let others know that Keenum has been so good for Stroud that they’re inclined to keep him for the good of their first-round quarterback out of Ohio State.

So I think the smart thing to do, for now, is to stay the course and give Wilson a month to work all of this out. Then, the closer you get to the Oct. 31 trade deadline, you’ll have a chance to reassess, and at that point some teams will have fallen out of the playoff picture, and there could be more options.

And yeah, I understand that you want to be able to pull the plug if things go wrong, because there’s been such a heightened sense of urgency around this season for the Jets. But right now, there aren’t great options, and if you go away from Wilson at this point—who probably is your best option as it stands—then it’d probably be just about impossible to go back. 

— Albert Breer

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Jets' third-year head coach Robert Saleh addressed questions on the team's current quarterback situation earlier this week and it didn't sound as if any move was imminent.

"That’s probably more of a question for [general manager] Joe [Douglas], but I don’t think so," said Saleh about the possibility of adding an arm

Unsigned Veteran Quarterbacks

Chase Daniel (Age: 36)

Joe Flacco (Age: 38)

Nick Foles (Age: 34)

Colt McCoy (Age: 36)

Matt Ryan (Age: 37)

Trevor Siemian (Age: 31)

Carson Wentz (Age: 30)

READ MORE:

Jets' Official Injury Report: Four Starters Listed as DNP 

SI National Scribe Labels Jets' Quarterback 'Week 2 Loser'

FA Quarterbacks Available to Reinforce Jets' Depth Chart

Jets Grounded by Parsons-led Cowboys, 30-10