Zach Wilson Named Jets' QB1 vs. C.J. Stroud, Texans Despite Rumors on Status

The New York Jets have made another change at quarterback ahead of Sunday's game against C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans.

New York head coach Robert Saleh announced Wednesday that third-year signal-caller Zach Wilson, who was benched for the past two games, will start in Week 14.

ESPN's Dan Graziano previously reported that the team seemed to be "leaning toward going back" to Wilson, who is believed to have a strained relationship with the organization.

"The relationship between Wilson and the team obviously isn't fantastic given his most recent benching, and as the third-stringer the past couple of weeks, Wilson hasn't been able to get many practice reps," Graziano wrote. "The Jets have Trevor Siemian, who relieved Tim Boyle on Sunday, as an option and just brought in Brett Rypien, who played in Denver under Nathaniel Hackett last year and knows the offense. So it's possible one of them could get the start this week. But at this point, it feels like Wilson is the most likely option for Week 14."

Going back to Wilson is a major indictment of both the Jets coaching staff and the front office, as the team's handling of its quarterback situation has been less than ideal. After Aaron Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles four plays into the season opener, New York failed to acquire a veteran who could take over in his absence.

Instead, the Jets rode with the much-maligned Wilson, who entered the year expecting to learn behind Rodgers after struggling in his first two seasons in the NFL. After being thrown back into the fire, the 24-year-old showed flashes of improvement, but he still clearly wasn't an effective starting quarterback.

In 10 games, Wilson threw for 1,944 yards, six touchdowns and seven interceptions. The team's offense suffered immensely, as its average of 14.3 points per game ranks 30th in the league.

The Jets initially turned to Boyle to replace Wilson, but he was also ineffective and was benched in last Sunday's loss to the Atlanta Falcons, which extended the team's losing streak to five games. Siemian entered in the second half but looked rusty in limited action. Boyle was waived on Tuesday after the team signed Rypien.

All of this has led the team back to Wilson, who reportedly expressed some reluctance to accept the starting position once again.