Zach Wilson‘s Week 11 benching will continue into Week 12.
The Jets will start veteran backup Tim Boyle in this Friday’s game against the Miami Dolphins, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday, per a source. The AFC East matchup is the first-ever “Black Friday” game on Prime Video.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh confirmed Wilson’s benching on Monday afternoon and told reporters that Wilson will now be No. 3 on the team’s depth chart. Veteran Trevor Siemian will back up Boyle, while Wilson will also be active on Friday.
“Providing him with an opportunity, as he is a different style of quarterback,” Saleh informed reporters on Monday, explaining his decision to choose Boyle. “Essentially, it’s an opportunity to see if he can contribute something to the offense,” he added.
Boyle replaced Wilson late in the third quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, completing 7 of 14 passes for 33 yards and throwing an interception in the final minutes of the 32-6 defeat.
Wilson completed 7 of 15 passes for 81 yards and threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Breece Hall, but also threw an ugly interception in the second quarter of what was then a 9-0 game. Buffalo turned that takeaway into a TD and a 16-0 lead, which would’ve been enough to win the game at that point, considering how ineffective New York’s offense has proven to be for much of 2023.
That reality is primarily why Jets head coach Robert Saleh is turning to Boyle. New York never expected to be forced to proceed with Wilson this season, but after Aaron Rodgers suffered an Achilles tear early in Week 1, the Jets had no choice but to turn to the former No. 2 overall pick. He’s had brief moments of success in which he’s displayed the potential that prompted the Jets to select him one pick behind Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, but for the most part, the product has been incredibly underwhelming.
Jets fans’ frustration in 2023 is mirrored in Wilson’s statistics: he made 190 out of 321, achieved 1,944 yards, and had a TD-INT ratio of 6-7. The Jets’ performance has been disappointing, with rankings at 30th for total offense, passing, and points per game. This has unfairly burdened their resilient defense with the task of keeping them competitive in games.
Even though Saleh opted to proceed with Boyle and promote Siemian, he continued to back Wilson and refused to categorize the young quarterback’s stint in New York as unsuccessful.
“Things did not pan out exactly as we had hoped, but I wouldn’t consider it a failure,” Saleh conveyed to journalists on Monday. “I view it as a series of unfortunate occurrences. However, I remain firm in my conviction that Zach will have a successful career in this league. He has an exceptional work ethic and has significantly improved over the past year. His arm talent is undeniable. He just celebrated his 24th birthday and has a positive mindset. He needs to maintain focus on his game, seek improvement, and continue learning about various game strategies and how to accelerate his gameplay. I am still confident in his promising career.”
After enduring ten games of subpar quarterback performance, Saleh decided to pull Wilson and explore other options, a move many Jets fans felt was long overdue. There’s no certainty that Boyle will perform significantly better, but at least Saleh has stopped perpetuating the definition of insanity – repeating the same action and expecting different outcomes — in the quarterback position.
