Jets' Robert Saleh Not Considering Benching Zach Wilson After Loss to Chargers

The New York Jets offense has been terrible of late, but head coach Robert Saleh told reporters Tuesday he isn't considering benching quarterback Zach Wilson.

"There's a lot of moving parts," Saleh said when discussing the offensive issues after Monday's 27-6 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. "The offensive line combinations, the receivers in and out of the lineup. I'm not looking for excuses but it's something our guys are working through."

He also said, "There's only so many things the quarterback has control over."

On the other hand, Saleh didn't have as strong of an answer Tuesday when defending Wilson on The Michael Kay Show:

It wasn't supposed to be this way for the Jets.

They were competent quarterback play away from being a true contender on paper with a strong defense and collection of talented offensive playmakers and responded by adding one of the league's all-time greats in Aaron Rodgers. However, Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills.

Wilson has shown flashes at times, particularly in an Oct. 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, but he has been nowhere near consistent enough to elevate New York's ceiling above being a fringe playoff contender.

For the season, he has completed 59.9 percent of his passes for 1,600 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions. The offense scored a combined 19 points in their last two games against the New York Giants and Chargers and seems to be moving in the wrong direction as the season progresses.

Even Rodgers said during his appearance on the Pat McAfee Show (h/t The Athletic) "offensively, we're just not doing our part."

Unfortunately for the Jets, it's not as if replacing Wilson will lead to more victories.

Tim Boyle is the primary backup and has three touchdown passes to eight interceptions in 17 games throughout his career. He went 0-3 as a starter in 2021 for the Detroit Lions, and two of his eight pass attempts he threw for the Chicago Bears last year were intercepted.

New York may just be stuck hoping its defense can play at a high enough level that it wins more games like the 13-10 victory over the Giants in Week 8.