Report: Joe Flacco to Start at QB for Jets vs. Dolphins as Zach Wilson Rehabs Injury

Joe Flacco will reportedly replace Mike White as the New York Jets' starting quarterback for their Week 11 game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

ESPN's Rich Cimini reported the update Wednesday as rookie signal-caller Zach Wilson continues to recover from a knee injury.

Wilson has been sidelined since suffering a sprained PCL in the Jets' Oct. 24 loss to the New England Patriots. The second overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft threw four touchdowns and nine interceptions across his first six games.

White stepped in to fill the void and put together a memorable first career start. He completed 37 of his 45 attempts for 405 yards with three TDs and two picks in a 34-31 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The 2018 fifth-round pick was off to another strong start in Week 9 against the Indianapolis Colts before suffering a forearm injury that caused him to miss the rest of the contest. He returned to face the Buffalo Bills last week, but he threw four interceptions against the league's top-ranked defense.

Now the Jets will turn to Flacco, who completed all three of his throws, including a touchdown pass to Elijah Moore, in relief against the Bills.

The former Baltimore Ravens starter made five appearances (four starts) for New York last season before leaving to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency. He returned to the Jets in an October trade following Wilson's injury.

Flacco earned his place in Ravens history by leading the franchise to its second Super Bowl title at the end of the 2012 season. He racked up 12 total touchdowns (11 passing and one rushing) with no interceptions during a remarkable four-game playoff run. He's never performed at that level for any other extended stretch throughout his 14-year career, though.

The 36-year-old University of Delaware product pushed aside questions about filling a mentor role after being traded back to the Jets, saying he still wanted to make an on-field impact.

"I think I'm here short term to help out as much as I can on the field," Flacco told reporters in late October before adding: "I see myself playing here at some point in the next couple of weeks."

Now he'll get that opportunity against a Dolphins defense that's allowed the fifth-most passing yards per game (273.8) and tied for the fifth-most passing touchdowns (18) so far in 2021.

Even if Flacco performs reasonably well, Wilson figures to regain the starting spot once fully healthy with the Jets (2-7) rapidly fading from the playoff picture.