Quarerbacks Zach Wilson, Davis Mills Both Lose Starting Roles

As examples of how short a leash young passers have nowadays, a pair of underperforming second-year quarterbacks were benched on Wednesday as the New York Jets sat Zach Wilson and the Houston Texans replaced Davis Mills with Kyle Allen. Wilson made his season debut with a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4 but has struggled since then.

Mike White will take over behind center for the Jets, with Wilson ranking 31st in the NFL in passing yards (1,279) and tied for 32nd in touchdowns through the air (four). Meanwhile, Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett has thrown for 1,426 yards and three scores in about the same time frame. Pickett was substituted in for veteran Mitch Trubisky at halftime of New York’s visit.

Former Steelers division rival Joe Flacco made the first three starts of the campaign for New York after Wilson suffered a bone bruise and meniscus tear in the preseason.

Since returning, Wilson has had passing performances of 110, 121, and 77 yards. The latter showing came in a disappointing loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, while the Jets could only muster three points in an important divisional showdown.

The start of Wilson’s carer as a whole has been far from glamorous. Since being taken second overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, his numbers are in some bad company

Over first 20 career starts

Zach Wilson JaMarcus Russell
70.7 Pass Rating 70.6
13-16 Pass TD-INT 15-13
55.6% Comp pct 52.1%
6.3 Yards/Att 6.2
8-12 W-L 6-14 pic.twitter.com/5cOS3T0oyc

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 21, 2022

With Mills operating their attack, the Texans have had difficulties, as well. At 1-8-1, the postseason is well out of reach for Houston, who earlier this schedule had eight and five yards of total offense in the first halves of games against Washington and Buffalo, respectively.

The Texans currently own the first overall choice in next spring’s NFL Draft and will have their pick of young passing prospects — such as Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud — if they choose to go in that direction.

The Steelers are also slated to draft in the top 10 as it stands.