After benching Tim Boyle in Sunday’s 13-8 loss, the New York Jets are back to the drawing board at quarterback.
Head coach Robert Saleh said Monday that he’s not ready to name a starting QB for the Week 14 game against the Houston Texans.
“I’m still not there yet,” Saleh told reporters.
Following Zach Wilson‘s demotion to third string, Boyle started the past two weeks but failed to jumpstart a struggling offense. The 29-year-old completed 14 of 25 passes for 148 yards with an interception on Sunday. As it has much of the season, the offense couldn’t get out of its own way, and Boyle missed several layups to stall drives.
Following his late third-quarter interception, Saleh benched Boyle in favor of Trevor Siemian. The veteran journeyman tossed a few good balls but was equally ineffective and lacked pocket presence, leading to three sacks and three fumbles (one lost) on four fruitless drives.
One option for Saleh is to turn back to Wilson, the maligned former No. 2 overall pick who struggled before his benching. The coach refuted a report suggesting that Wilson was reluctant to return to the starting role for the Jets, saying he met with the QB on Monday.
“Let’s be clear, if he were reluctant to play, he wouldn’t be here,” Saleh said, noting several times that Wilson “wants the ball.”
Saleh added that “empathetically,” he would understand the emotional toll Wilson has gone through, having been benched multiple times in the past two seasons. The coach was adamant, however, that if Wilson were the choice to start, the 24-year-old wouldn’t shy away.
“The young man wants the ball, he wants to start, and believes he’s the best quarterback in the room and the best quarterback for this team and the guy who gives us the best chance to win. And I’ll tell you guys the same thing I told him. I appreciate it, I appreciate the fact that he wants to play, I’m just not there yet.”
Since Aaron Rodgers went down on the first drive of the season, the Jets offense has barely moved. Gang Green has scored two offensive touchdowns since Week 9, the fewest in the NFL. During their five-game losing streak, New York scored 6, 12, 6, 13, and 8 points, respectively.
Sunday marked the second time the Jets lost a game this season in which the defense held the opponent to under 200 total yards.
Saleh’s choices moving forward aren’t pretty: give Boyle another shot, spin the Siemen wheel, or turn back to Wilson again.
One choice he won’t have this week is a surprise Rodgers return.
“Don’t hold your breath,” Saleh said when asked if the star QB could possibly play this Sunday.
