NY Jets: Why does Robert Saleh continue to defend Zach Wilson?

The New York Jets currently own the rights to one of the longest postseason droughts in the NFL, and the players in the locker room feel like they're the ones to snap that. Last year's AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson is ready to breakout, and head coach Robert Saleh has a dangerous defense.

The only issue is, they're in the same position they were a season ago. Zach Wilson is the starting quarterback, and he might be one of the worst pass throwers this game has seen in a long time. The former BYU product is up there with former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell as one of the biggest draft busts of all time should he continue at this pace.

Saleh continues to defend his young quarterback, and many are starting to wonder if the guys in the locker room are starting to vent their frustrations. In Week 3 against the New England Patriots, the defense allowed 13 points. Wilson was only able to complete 50 percent of his passes for 157 yards. On top of those ugly stats, he took a crucial sack in the Jets endzone which resulted in a safety.

Even if it were a fan's first time watching football, if they saw Wilson play they would know he's not very good. If this team wants to end the postseason drought, they're going to need to make a QB change eventually. The team recently added veteran QB Trevor Semian to the roster, but he will be inactive in Week 4. This means Tim Boyle will be slated as the backup, and it's hard to see Saleh benching the 24-year-old for him.

As I mentioned, the longer that Saleh waits to stop letting Wilson hold the rest of the team back, the more he risks losing trust. In his third season as head coach, the expectations have risen. Even without Aaron Rodgers, the Jets still have a talented enough roster to get to the playoffs.

Zach Wilson is one of the worst starting QB's ever

The 2021 second-overall pick only has two games with more than 300 yards passing. Just so you realize how bad that is, former Jets backup Mike White had more 300-yard passing games with the Jets than Wilson has had in the past three seasons. The 24-year-old has also never thrown more than two passing touchdowns in a single game.

JaMarcus Russell is arguably the biggest bust in NFL history. In his first and only three seasons, he played in 31 games. The former Raiders QB threw 23 interceptions throughout those, and he quickly faded away.

Wilson has a 57.3 QBR through the first three games this season, which is the worst in the NFL. On top of that, he also has the worst completion percentage so far, as he's only completed 52.4% of his throws.

Wilson is right up there with Russell, as in his first three seasons he's played in 25 games. In six less games, he's thrown for 22 interceptions. If the Jets QB doesn't turn it around fast, then Saleh is going to be forced to sit him down.

Saleh and Douglas need to stop letting Wilson hold the Jets back

As much as New York seems to want Wilson to be the guy, it's clear that he is not the best option for this team right now. It is odd how General Manager Joe Douglas banked on the young QB as the backup, as many contending teams value that backup position.

The Philadelphia Eagles are famous for having reliable backups as of late, as Nick Foles won them a Super Bowl as a backup not too long ago. New York had a decent backup just last season in Mike White, but they let him walk away in free agency to the Miami Dolphins.

If the coaching staff felt like Wilson wasn't ready to start to the point where they needed to go get Rodgers to try and fix him, they shouldn't have banked on him being the backup. Just last season there were numerous reports of the locker room not being in favor of the 24-year-old QB being the starter. The Jets players even got shirts to lift the backup QB. 

In the post-game press conferences, the players are saying all the right things to support Wilson. On the sidelines though, it is clear-cut that they're not loving it. The only one who can sit the struggling QB down is Saleh; and if he doesn't, then it's going to get even worse on the sidelines.

It is going to be interesting to see the direction the Jets go in the remainder of the season. Rumors were heating up about potential trades, but it would be hard to find a good QB in the trade market this early in the season.

For Douglas to go after a QB in the trade market though, then New York would have to be in the playoff hunt. With Wilson as the starter, it's hard to imagine them being in playoff contention. Jets fans are wishing for the Minnesota Vikings to place Kirk Cousins on the block, but the GM isn't making that move just to miss the playoffs.

That is why these players are going to implode if Wilson remains the starter. With a 9-16 career record, it's very unlikely that he is going to lead New York into the postseason. Only time will tell though, but in Week 4, the 24-year-old is going up against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chiefs are favored to win that game. If New York loses, all eyes will be on Saleh as everyone is wondering when he is going to bench Wilson. He continues to allude to him as the best option, but if they start 1-4; It's going to be hard to continue to convince everyone Wilson is the best option. 

Is Trevor Semian a reliable option for New York?

New York recently added 31-year-old QB Trevor Semian to the practice squad, and Jets fans are already begging to see him. This week Saleh let the media know that the team's newest QB will be inactive in Week 4.

Once Semian gets to know Nathaniel Hackett's system, he will likely be a better option than the current one. If New York scored more than 15 points against New England, they'd be 2-1. The Jets do have a lights-out defense that features elite names. The offense just needs to be able to limit turnovers and get first downs.

If Semian does see the field shortly with the Jets, he will have one of the best receivers in football to throw too. Last season he became 1/13 rookie receivers to record over 1,100 receiving yards.

In this era of football, it's all about getting the ball into the hands of the best-skilled position players. The former Ohio State receiver is one of those guys, but his current QB has a tough time finding him consistently.

In 2016 when Semian was with the Denver Broncos, he led the team to an 8-6 record. He wasn't a star, but he was enough to keep the team competitive. If he does come in at some point this season, hopefully, he can do the same.

No one is expecting him to take over the starting job and lead the Jets to the playoffs, but he might be able to keep them in the hunt. As I mentioned before, if New York is in the hunt near the deadline, then Douglas might be inclined to make a trade for someone like Cousins.

If Wilson continues to be rolled out as the starter, it is unfair to the rest of the team. Losing your starting QB the way the Jets did is heartbreaking, but it shouldn't prevent them from still trying to achieve their goal of making the playoffs.

The defense is ready to win now, and they're not getting any younger. Sauce Gardner and DJ Reed are one of the best cornerback duos in football, Quinnen Williams is coming off an All-Pro season, and CJ Mosley is one of the best leaders in football.

The only reason this team is 1-2, is because of the lackluster offense. If Saleh wants to show the rest of the team that he wants to change the course of the season, then he might need to bench the second-overall pick.