Following a disastrous quarterback performance against the New England Patriots on Sunday, Jets head coach Robert Saleh said on Monday that he has not committed to starting Zach Wilson against the Chicago Bears this weekend.
Saleh said he still has to evaluate the tape, but every option is currently on the table, including starting Mike White or Joe Flacco.
"We all have to be able to sit back and just look at what’s best for the organization and this team," Saleh said. "It’s not all about the quarterback, there’s a lot of things we can do better as coaches, the O-line, receivers, running backs, tight-ends, play-caller, defense, special teams, everybody.
"I get it where everyone looks at the quarterback and just wants to throw everything on him. It’s not always about the quarterback. But there’s also an evaluation process to make sure that we’re doing what’s best for the organization and that’s every position; offense, defense, and special teams."
The Jets are in the thick of the AFC playoff hunt (though they are currently the eighth seed and on the outside looking in), but quarterback play has undoubtedly been their biggest weakness this season.
"We have a great opportunity with these seven games left, we’re 6-4," said Saleh. "There’s a lot of cool things to look forward to and I just want to make sure from a coaching standpoint we’re covering every single base that we can and we’re doing everything that we can to make sure that we’re putting the best 53 players on the football field so we can win games."
In Sunday's 10-3 loss, Wilson completed just nine of his 22 pass attempts for 77 yards and a 50.8 passer rating. He didn't throw any interceptions, but he had a couple of passes that were nearly picked off and was consistently off target with his throws.
On the season, the second-year QB has completed just 55.6 percent of his passes for 1,279 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions.
Wilson also made headlines following Sunday's game when he failed to take accountability for his poor play, simply responding "No" when asked he felt he let the defense down in the loss.
"Obviously, football is an emotional game, and I’m not going to shy away from the fact that I do think he’s the ultimate competitor," Saleh said. "He wants to win just about as much as anybody. He works as hard as anybody. It means so much to him.
"Can he be a little bit better in front of (the media) and when he’s up here on the podium in terms of the expectation that when you are standing in front of the podium it’s our job to take bullets and own it, especially when it’s time to own it? Yeah, of course he can. But I don’t think it’s indicative of how he feels about his team or teammates and I don’t think that he’s naïve to the fact that the offense didn’t play to the best of their ability – I don’t think that’s what he was trying to convey, I really don’t. But yeah, obviously he can be a little bit better, and I think he’ll be better for it."