Experienced Starter Ready to Replace Zach Wilson, If Necessary
Trevor Siemian is ready to go if Zach Wilson can't.
The New York Jets will start one of the two men at quarterback when they close out their home schedule against the Washington Commanders on December 24.
Jets' head coach Robert Saleh has declared Wilson as the starter, when healthy, but the former No. 2 overall draft pick is currently unavailable. Wilson, who remains in concussion protocol, was a non-participant at the Jets' walkthrough practice on Wednesday in Florham Park. He was knocked out of a Week 15 road loss late in the first half against Miami.
"We'll see. Everything's improved so I'm not closing the door on that yet," said Saleh about the potential of Wilson facing Washington this week.
In the seemingly likely event that Wilson does not clear the protocol prior to Sunday, Siemian will start in his place. The 31-year-old veteran entered the December 17 loss to the Dolphins for the Jets' final possession of the first half and proceeded to finish the game by going 14-of-26 passing for 110 yards and two interceptions.
"At this point in my career, especially, any chances I get to play is awesome, so if it happens, I’ll be ready," said Siemian after Wednesday's practice. "If not, I’m hoping Zach’s coming back and he’s feeling alright."
Both of Siemian's appearances thus far this season have been in relief, but the backup has extensive experience as a starter in the NFL. He owns a 13-17 career record as a starting quarterback, including one game for the 2019 Jets. Siemian was a fill-in starter for New York against the Cleveland Browns on September 16, 2019, but he managed only six pass attempts before exiting due to injury.
Much of Siemian's success came early on in his career with the Denver Broncos. The 2015 seventh-round draft pick posted 13 victories in 24 starts for the Broncos over a two-year period.
In 2016, Siemian threw for 3,401 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions over a 14-game sample that yielded an 8-6 record. For his career, he has completed 58.5 percent of passes for 7,203 yards and a 42:30 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
While the Jets (5-9) own the NFL's bottom-ranked offense (255.1), the Commanders (4-10) feature the No. 32 defense (384.5) in the 32-team league.
"These are NFL games; these aren’t exhibition matches. I can’t tell you how important every single play is in these games," said Siemian.
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