Why was Zach Wilson benched by Jets? Reason behind the franchise's latest move explored

New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson has had a challenging NFL career so far. The former second-overall pick has never won the hearts of Jets fans, and 2023 is the worst year of his young career so far.

The BYU alum recently got benched in a Week 11 game against the Buffalo Bills. New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh had been Wilson's biggest defender all season long, but his patience seemingly finally ran out.

Zach Wilson had a below-par outing against the Bills, throwing for just seven passes for 81 yards, one touchdown, and one interception before he was pulled from the game. Robert Saleh then brought in career backup QB Tim Boyle to see out the rest of the game. Boyle was decent in his first game of the season, seeing out the rest of the 32-6 loss without any major issues.

How has Zach Wilson performed in 2023?

Zach Wilson has had a 2023 season to forget. Ahead of the season, Wilson was pegged to be the Jets second string QB following the trade of Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers ahead of the 2023 NFL draft.

However, Rodgers suffered a potentially season-ending ACL injury in his first quarter as a New York Jet, which led to Wilson stepping in as a replacement. Since that happened, Wilson has played in 10 games in his third season, putting up a stat line of 1,944 passing yards, six touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Fans and the media have regularly criticized him for his lack of improvement and limited skillset as an NFL quarterback. Hence, it didn't surprise anyone when Robert Saleh pulled him from the Bills game in order to try something different.

Is Zach Wilson starting in Week 12?

No, Zach Wilson will not be starting the New York Jets' Week 12 game against the Miami Dolphins. Rather, head coach Saleh has decided to go with journeyman QB Tim Boyle under center for the game. Doyle came in for Wilson during the latter stages of the Bills' loss and has obviously made a big enough impression on Saleh to get the nod in Week 12.

Furthermore, Saleh announced after a training session that Trevor Siemian would be the immediate backup for Doyle. That makes Wilson the QB3 on the franchise's depth chart, a stunning fall from where he was at the beginning of Week 10.

On why he chose Doyle over the other quarterbacks on the roster, Saleh said:

"Doyle is a different style of quarterback. So it's really to give him an opportunity to see if we can do something different with the offense."

Zach Wilson's days as an NFL starting quarterback are over for the near future at least.