The Mike White experience will go on for at least another week.
Robert Saleh announced Wednesday that White will start against the Bills this weekend as Zach Wilson continues to work his way back from a sprained PCL. White getting the nod over Wilson was an expected decision, as the Jets are treating Wilson with kid gloves in his return from injury.
“We had a feeling, on Monday, with Zach’s knee that he wasn’t ready to go,” Saleh said. “So, we’re going with Mike.”
Wilson is practicing this week and will run the Jets’ scout team as White takes the first-team reps. The 26-year-old has fared well under center in place of Wilson, shocking the Bengals with over 400 yards through the air and three touchdowns in a Week 8 win. White threw a touchdown against the Colts on Thursday Night Football before exiting with a minor right forearm injury.
White’s play has led some to wonder — or at least imagine — if the Jets have a Drew Bledsoe-Tom Brady situation on their hands. White wasn’t in the same exact situation as Brady, a sixth-round pick thought to have promise, when he entered for Wilson, but he has stepped into the starting lineup and taken advantage of an opportunity after waiting four years to throw an NFL pass.
There shouldn’t be any confusion when it comes to the Jets’ future at quarterback, though. White is the hot hand right now, but Joe Douglas did not select Wilson with the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL draft to have Saleh bench him at the first sign of trouble in favor of a career backup.
It’s Wilson’s teams as far as the long-term is concerned.
It’s understandable why Jets fans have latched onto White. His performance against the Bengals represented a beacon of hope for a franchise that has been in the doldrums for nearly a decade and has lacked reliable quarterback play for much longer. There hasn’t been much to cheer about at MetLife Stadium in recent years and White provided the kind of memorable moment Jets fans haven’t experienced in a while.
But Saleh laid New York’s quarterback plans out on Monday. Wilson would have started against the Bills if he was healthy enough to do so. That could change next week if White lights Buffalo’s secondary on fire, but he has bounced back and forth from the practice squad to the Jets’ active roster throughout his career with the team for a reason. He’s still a backup with plenty to prove before having a serious chance to overtake a prized rookie on a permanent basis.
Even if White does enough to stay on the field after Wilson is ready to play and Saleh sticks with the former, that decision will be made with the latter’s development in mind. Some quarterbacks — including White — have had success after sitting and learning behind a veteran. Maybe Wilson could pick up a thing or two before from the veterans in New York’s quarterback room before taking back the reigns.
Either way, Wilson is the Jets’ long-term quarterback project. Whether he can ever live up to the billing as a franchise player remains to be seen, but New York is committed to finding out.
“We have the utmost confidence in Zach when he gets ready to play and gets back on the football field that he is going to do a phenomenal job,” Saleh said. “His talent is undeniable. There is a great amount of growth that can happen whether he’s playing or not.”
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