As Zach Wilson returns to his role as the Jets starting quarterback following his benching, head coach Robert Saleh made it clear the message he wants Wilson to have Sunday against the Houston Texans:
Let it rip.
“With Zach, it’s always been better to let it go,” Saleh said. “Have confidence. Believe what you see. [We] always have confidence in him. Like I’ve said, he’s done it before, he’s done it in stretches and he just has to have faith in his ability to play at a high level early.
“Good thing about him is he does get better as the game goes on. Just have faith, let it rip and have fun playing football.”
Wilson has not played since Nov. 19 against the Bills – a 32-6 loss in which he threw for just 81 yards. In 10 games, Wilson has 1,944 passing yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions with a 59.2 completion percentage.
Despite the poor numbers and benching, Saleh remains optimistic.
“Just let your mind go, let your arm rip, but playing within the construct of the scheme but not trying to be a hero at the same time,” he said. “The quarterback position is hard, but he gets it. He knows it.”
On the other end, the Texans’ first-round pick, C.J. Stroud, has immediately put Houston into playoff contention while playing for Saleh’s former defensive back and assistant coach, DeMeco Ryans.
When asked how much getting the quarterback right is dependent on the head coach’s success, Saleh replied, “Stability at quarterback is something we’re always chasing, but I’ll leave that topic for you guys.”