Zach Wilson has finally run out of chances to prove himself with the Jets.
After the Jets’ 32-6 loss to the Bills in Week 11, coach Robert Saleh announced that the team would be starting quarterback Tim Boyle in the team’s Black Friday matchup against the Dolphins.
The switch to Boyle comes amid a three-game losing streak during which the New York offense has struggled mightily. At one point, the team went a whopping 40 consecutive drives without scoring an offensive touchdown.
While the Jets’ offensive issues extend beyond Wilson, as Saleh has noted, it’s clear that the third-year starter wasn’t up to replacing Aaron Rodgers. New York is now being forced to look for a spark from its third-string quarterback.
Here’s what you need to know about Tim Boyle as he takes the reigns from the ineffective Wilson.
MORE: Why did the Jets bench Zach Wilson?
Who is Tim Boyle?
Boyle is a 29-year-old journeyman who has been seldom used throughout his NFL career. He has started three games with the Lions — all of which came in 2021 — but his six-year career beyond that has been relatively quiet.
Boyle first broke into the NFL in 2018 when he signed with the Packers as an undrafted free agent. He spent three seasons with the team, learning as much as he could from Rodgers and forging a relationship with the quarterback. That is part of the reason that he landed in New York as the team’s third-string quarterback.
Before turning pro, Boyle spent three years playing for UConn and two years at Western Kentucky. He struggled with turnovers in each of those spots but evidently showed enough upside for the next level with his 6-4, 234-pound frame.
The Jets will be hoping that his insertion into the offense provides the team with a spark after their flop in Buffalo. At the very least, they don’t believe it will be any worse than the product Wilson was putting forward, as Connor Hughes of SNY reports.
The #Jets had no choice but to make the move from Zach Wilson. The plane ride home from Buffalo was a rough one — described to me as “catatonic.”#NYJ’s stance: They hope things get better with Tim Boyle, but the worst-case scenario is an offense that still isn’t any worse than…
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) November 20, 2023
Tim Boyle stats
The Jets are right in that the offense can’t be much worse with Boyle than it was with Wilson. But trusting Boyle to help the offense improve is a very tall order.
In his limited NFL action, Boyle has struggled mightily with interceptions. He has nine for his career and has tossed picks on a whopping 7.5 percent of his pass attempts.
Below is a look at the rest of his professional stats across his time with the Packers, Lions, Bears and Jets to date.
Stat Total Comp. % 60.8 Passing yards 607 Pass TDs 3 INTs 9 Yards/attempt 5.1 Passer rating 50.9
For those wondering if Boyle makes up for those bottom-tier passing numbers with any scrambling ability, he has a career total of negative-4 yards on 23 runs. Most of those came on kneel-downs with the Packers, but either way, he profiles as a pocket passer.
And Boyle’s struggles with accuracy and turnovers weren’t anything new at the NFL level. During his college days at UConn and Eastern Kentucky, Boyle dealt with many of the same issues.
Tim Boyle’s college stats
With the Huskies, Boyle failed to complete 50 percent of his passes and had a whopping 13 interceptions in limited action as well.
Year Games Comp. % Passing yards TDs INTs Rating 2013 5 44.4 631 0 8 71.6 2014 9 52.4 335 1 3 83.5 2015 5 51.7 281 0 2 84.6 Total 19 48.4 1,237 1 13 77.9
In his one season at the FCS level with the Colonels, Boyle was better; but still, his turnover issues persisted.
Year Games Comp. % Passing yards TDs INTs 2017 11 61.5 2,134 11 13
This doesn’t exactly paint a bright picture of New York’s future under his guidance, so the Jets may not get the offensive improvements out of this change for which they were hoping.
That will leave the team with two big questions. What happens if Boyle doesn’t succeed and where does Wilson fall on the team’s depth chart now?
Jets QB depth chart
The answer to the aforementioned Wilson question? That would be to the bottom. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Trevor Siemian is expected to be the new backup quarterback for the Jets. That will drop Wilson all the way to the third string, though Robert Saleh said that the Jets will make all three quarterbacks active in Week 12.
Below is a look at New York’s full quarterback depth chart.
Rank Player 1 Tim Boyle 2 Trevor Siemian 3 Zach Wilson
The move to Siemian as the backup is sensible. The veteran is experienced and posted a 13-17 record in 30 starts with a completion percentage of 58.9, 7,027 passing yards, 42 touchdowns and 28 interceptions.
But given that Siemian hasn’t yet been able to beat Boyle, his prospects of impacting this Jets team look bleak. That generally captures the sentiment surrounding New York’s quarterback room — at least until Rodgers can potentially return.
But if Boyle can’t keep the 4-6 Jets afloat in the playoff race, that potential return very well may not come until next season.
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