New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson is expected to be back in his starting role on Sunday for the team’s 1 PM ET matchup versus Mitchell Trubisky and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Wilson has been sidelined since the summer after undergoing surgery for a meniscus tear suffered during the preseason. Despite early hopes that he could miraculously be back in time for Week 1, that dream never came to pass and the team has been without their starting QB for the first three games of the season. That is expected to come to an end this week.
On Wednesday morning, Jets head coach Robert Saleh “announced that QB Zach Wilson is medically cleared to play and if all goes well this week he will start Sunday. [via Jets Twitter account]”
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Obviously, the team needs to be a bit cautious with the 23-year-old signal caller. But barring a major setback where Wilson reinjures his knee, the second overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft will definitely be on the field versus the Steelers on Sunday.
How Zach Wilson’s return impacts New York Jets’ offense
While Jets fans will be thrilled to have the player they hope can be their next franchise quarterback on the field this week, backup QB Joe Flacco has been solid as a fill-in over the first three weeks of the NFL season. The 37-year-old helped lead the team to a stunning last-minute win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 2, where he threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns. Last week, he also surpassed the three hundred-yard mark and added another touchdown. However, the team still finished 1-2 in the former Baltimore Ravens star’s starts.
- Zach Wilson stats (2021): 13 games, 2,334 yards, 9 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 69.7 rating
Upon his return, Wilson brings an immediate improvement to the Jets’ offense in two areas: Mobility and the deep ball game. Even in his prime, Flacco was never a very mobile QB. In today’s NFL, quarterbacks being able to threaten a run is pretty much a necessity. Wilson has that ability in his arsenal. However, his powerful arm should help further open up the offense in several ways in Week 3 with first-round pick Garrett Wilson already showing very nice development signs in his first few weeks as a wide receiver in the NFL.
One area that could be problematic is chemistry and rhythm. With Wilson having missed much of the preseason, the rhythm and chemistry teams would expect to see in the passing game by Week 4 of the regular season may not be there in the team’s matchup against Pittsburgh. That will be something to watch over the first two-quarters of their game.