Zach Wilson is back
According to Connor Hughes of The Athletic, New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson will make his return to the starting lineup against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in Week 12.
Zach Wilson was fully cleared to return Monday night. He will practice fully and start against the #Texans, sources tell @TheAthletic.
Rookie missed four games with PCL injury. https://t.co/21rlN2TJja
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) November 23, 2021
Wilson went down with a PCL injury in the second quarter of the Jets’ Week 7 loss to the New England Patriots. His absence ceases at four games. The first three of Wilson’s missed games were started by Mike White while the most recent was started by Joe Flacco.
Head coach Robert Saleh revealed on Monday that he planned to make an official announcement on the team’s starting quarterback on Wednesday. Saleh will speak on the decision then.
Wilson returns to a Jets offense that has improved significantly since his exit. The Jets lead the NFL with 346.5 passing yards per game since Week 8.
The support group around Wilson will be different than when he last played.
Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur has moved up to the press box on game days after starting the year coaching from the sidelines.
Replacing LaFleur on the sidelines is John Beck, a former BYU quarterback who has served as Wilson’s personal quarterback coach and was officially signed to the Jets’ coaching staff after Wilson’s injury. Flacco’s veteran voice is also a new addition since Wilson last played.
Wilson managed to avoid taking on the complex defenses of the Bills and Dolphins in his return game.
Instead, he will return against the lowly Texans, who rank 29th in scoring defense (27.1 points per game). However, Houston’s defense is red-hot with five takeaways in back-to-back games.
Jets-Texans kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on CBS this Sunday.
