Around this time last season, Zach Wilson was the guy for the New York Jets and was expected to take the franchise to the next level. That didn’t happen, and ultimately, the Jets brought in four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers in the offseason.
This season, the second pick in the 2021 NFL Draft is competing for the backup quarterback position, and in the Hall of Fame Game against the Cleveland Browns in Canton, Ohio, on Thursday night, where the Jets would lose 21-16, Wilson got off to a great start.
He led the Jets on two scoring drives(two field goals) and completed 3 of 5 passes for 65 yards, including a beautiful 57-yard strike to Malik Taylor, which Wilson said Rodgers called from the sideline.
“Yeah, great call by Aaron Rodgers,” Wilson said after the loss. “He wasn’t on the headset. (Nathaniel) Hackett is calling the plays, but I think that was his suggestion of the play, so I had to give him love there.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh added on the throw: “It was really good. I thought he put it right on the money. Zach (Wilson) did a good job; he was poised, looked comfortable in the pocket, delivered the ball on schedule, and definitely something to build on.”
The 24-year-old says he a more confident entering this season, and that confidence was on display on Thursday night.
“Absolutely, absolutely,” Wilson said about being more confident. “For whatever reason, I feel like I’m trying to find my way. I feel like this training camp and OTA’s, I found what feels comfortable for me, and it’s definitely not perfect, but it’s something I’m working at. It’s a great feeling to feel like there’s a good path you’re going down, and you can just keep working on those things. The goal for this preseason stuff is how consistent, how efficient can you be. That was the goal tonight; how efficient can we be offensively?”
According to Saleh, the Jets are looking to rebuild the third-year quarterback’s confidence.
“Yeah, for him, just rebuilding that confidence and swag that we fell in love within the draft process and all that stuff, and I think he is getting it,” Saleh said. “I said it before, he is a rookie all over again, all the footwork is different, the verbiage is different, the way Aaron (Rodgers) plays quarterback, and the way (Nathaniel) Hackett teaches quarterback is a little bit different, so there is a lot of learning, and I think he has been attacking the heck out of it and doing a really nice job.”
Great start for Wilson, and in all reality, who knows how many more years the 39-year Rodgers will play, so it’s good for New York to see growth from Wilson.
Leave a Reply