Joe Douglas' task for Jets is clear: Find help for Zach Wilson
General manager, Joe Douglas of the Jets speaks to reporters during the NFL Draft Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on March 2, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Credit: Getty Images/Michael Hickey
INDIANAPOLIS – The Jets’ offseason boils down to three words, a simply stated goal that will either portend a season of hope and promise – and possibly playoffs – or doom them to a fate similar to the last six seasons of futility.
Three words to live by for general manager Joe Douglas as he seeks to transform the Jets from an AFC East debacle to an eventual contender: Help Zach Wilson.
It is the only thing that truly matters at this point, and even Douglas acknowledges his single-minded mission over the coming weeks and months revolves around that inescapable reality. If Douglas gets it right, if he surrounds Wilson with more help at receiver and tight end and along the offensive line, and if he helps elevate an historically bad defense that was at the heart of the Jets’ deficiencies last season, then long-suffering fans can think about something other than grinding through a season of hopelessness and defeat.
If not, then there is more heartache ahead.
"There’s a lot of ways we can help our young quarterback, and I think you saw [in 2021], when a young quarterback is playing with a 14-point lead versus trying to come back from a 14-point deficit, he is going to be in a better position to succeed. Obviously, one avenue to help the quarterback is playmakers. It’s the weapons, the wide receivers, the tight ends, the backs. There’s always other ways, which is a good solid defense to get him the ball back as often as they can."
The results were decidedly mixed last year for Wilson, the former Brigham Young star who was taken second overall and was the Day 1 starter. After a promising preseason, he struggled early on, throwing just four touchdown passes and nine interceptions in his first six starts before being felled by a knee injury against the Patriots. After a month-long rehab from a torn posterior cruciate ligament, he returned as a more careful and a more vibrant quarterback. Over his next seven games, he had five touchdown passes and just two interceptions – and none in his last five starts.
The improvement appeared legit, and only reinforced Douglas’ belief that he has his franchise quarterback.
"From the first half of the season to when he came back from injury, I saw his confidence go up," Douglas said. "The way he protected the ball, the way he executed the offense with confidence and let’s face it, in the last three, four, five games, we weren’t at full strength. We had a lot of guys down [with injuries]. For him to play well, take care of the football, put our offense in position to score points, keep our teams in a lot of these games down the stretch with third, fourth, fifth-string guys, that showed a lot of grit, a lot of poise, a lot of confidence."
The game will continue to slow down for Wilson, who played like a lot of rookies early on. As Bill Parcells might have said about Wilson’s initial performances, "He’s like a ball in tall grass … lost."
But Wilson began to find himself after coming back from his knee injury, and you saw flashes of the electrifying performer he can be. The authoritative delivery. The decisiveness. The aggressiveness. And the pizzazz that only the truly gifted quarterbacks possess.
Now Douglas must infuse his roster with more help at receiver, adding to a lineup that has Elijah Moore and – hopefully – Braxton Berrios, whose re-signing should be an offseason priority. Go get another receiver or two in the draft, and maybe on the free agent market. Do you shoot for the moon and go for soon-to-be Packers’ free agent Davante Adams? Probably not. This team isn’t what the Bills were when they traded for Minnesota’s Stefon Diggs two years ago, so now is not the time to spend $25-30 million a year at that spot. Go after a more affordable tight end in Dalton Schultz? A worthy alternative, unless the bidding gets too high.
Fortunately for Douglas, the draft dovetails with the Jets’ needs – on both sides of the ball. The fact that the Jets have four picks among the top 40 augurs well.
"This is a really good draft in terms of the depth of the pass rushers, defensive line, offensive line, even wide receiver and tight end," Douglas said. "The opportunity to get any player that we feel can come in here and improve our roster, help our team on a team-friendly deal or a draft contract, it’s a huge thing. We have an opportunity to add four dynamic difference makers to the team."
It is impossible to understate the urgency of the impending offseason, which begins with free agency later this month and crescendos to the draft in April. Douglas knows the importance of what lies ahead, and understands his moves will significantly impact the team’s direction – good or bad.
Three words for the GM to live by: Help Zach Wilson.
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
