With Trevor Siemian signed, Jets have contingency plan they need
FLORHAM PARK — Robert Saleh hasn’t worked with Trevor Siemian before. From what he’s been told, though, the Jets new quarterback is a “quick learner,” a “quick study.”
Good. There aren’t two better characteristics to have.
New York needs Siemian to get ready, and get ready fast. This will be his show sooner rather than later.
The Jets, and Saleh in particular, have done everything they can to duct tape the sky before it falls. It’s not working. This once proud franchise is again the butt end of jokes, mocked on talk shows across the country, in large part because of their continued ineptitude at quarterback.
It’s deja 2022 as Year 3 Zach Wilson looks no different than his first two. The Jets insist he’s much improved. They implore you to believe he’s a more confident player. The statistics, though, show a passer completing 52.4 percent of his passes with a quarterback rating of 57.0 and on pace to throw 22 interceptions — all career worsts. The tape shows receivers running wide open in the secondary, but Wilson too timid to throw the ball.
The Jets have elite-level playmakers like Garrett Wilson at receiver. They have a dynamic 1-2 punch at running back with Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook. They have a better-than-you-care-to-believe offensive line. They have an elite defense.
They’re unable to showcase any of it as they continue to be held back by incompetence under center. They can’t and won’t say that publicly. “He definitely needs to get better,” is about as harsh as Saleh will get because that’s as harsh as Saleh can get. Internally, though, the Jets know what everyone else does.
“(They look like) a team that wants to run the ball,” Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay told reporters in Kansas City when asked to assess Zach Wilson and the New York offense.
This would be different if the Jets were rebuilding. They could afford to wait as Wilson develops along with his teammates. Only the Jets are not rebuilding. They are built everywhere but quarterback — which is why they traded for Aaron Rodgers. The future Hall of Famer’s injury doesn’t change that because everyone else on the team still believes they’re good enough and knows why they aren’t winning games.
Cameras caught Michael Carter screaming at running backs coach Taylor Embree in the Jets’ loss last week to the Patriots. Garrett Wilson was equally frustrated standing by coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and Zach Wilson as the offense struggled. The fact this is all happening a month before Halloween isn’t all that surprising — tensions built up due to similar struggles in 2022, resurfacing in the face of similar turmoil this year.
Saleh has not lost the locker room yet. If Wilson doesn’t improve, though, the risk of that happening does. The defense stood on its head against New England. They lost despite not allowing the Patriots to run one play in the red zone. They allowed just 13 points.
Wilson will start against the Chiefs. He’s the Jets’ only option. But if his poor play continues Saleh must have a quick trigger finger. Either to Tim Boyle, or, once he gets the playbook down, Siemian.
“There’s a lot of carryover from last year with Coach (Luke) Getsy in Chicago,” Siemian said. “Not exactly the same, but a good bit of carryover for sure (...) It’s not my first time learning a new system. I think as a backup quarterback those are some of the things you get used to pretty quickly.”
This isn’t about Siemian stepping in for an injured starter and becoming the next Kurt Warner or Tom Brady, he simply needs to bring more to the offense than what they’re getting now. It’s hard to believe that won’t happen.
While Siemian hasn’t won a start since 2017, he’s played in eight games over the last two years. He’s completed 57.5 percent of his passes (5.1 percent more than Wilson this season) with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. He has a quarterback rating of 86.9 — higher than any of Wilson’s individual seasons, 17.7 points higher than his career rating, and 29.9 points higher than his mark this year.
The Jets don’t need Superman. They need a player to throw the ball to the open receiver when the receiver is open. Siemian should be able to do that. At the minimum, he’ll be able to do it better than Wilson. By doing so he’ll give the Jets more than they have right now.
“These guys have two quarterbacks,” Siemian said. “They needed a third quarterback. I had some good conversations and here I am. I’m excited to get to work.”
In the Jets’ perfect world, this column is featured on Freezing Cold Takes in a matter of weeks. Something finally clicks for Wilson, whom they drafted second overall, and he ascends into the quarterback upper management believed he could be. The Jets make the playoffs, and they do so because of their young quarterback. The storybook takes a turn with an upset over the defending Super Bowl champions on Sunday night.
But seldom do things work like that for the Jets. There is increasingly more evidence that will not happen for Wilson. He, simply, is not ready to play in the NFL.
And assuming the latter happens, the Jets must have a contingency plan in place.
They’ll have it as soon as Siemian is ready.
