It's early, but Jets rookie QB Zach Wilson is showing the right stuff
New York Jets' Zach Wilson warms up before a preseason NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021, in Green Bay, Wis. Credit: AP/Matt Ludtke
Rule No. 1 for casting judgement on rookie quarterbacks: No matter how things look at the start, always play the long game.
Always.
That said, it’s hard not to feel some level of optimism that what we’re seeing from Zach Wilson at the start of his NFL career is a promising sign of the future. No, we won’t "put him into Canton on roller skates," as Bill Parcells constantly preached during his own Hall of Fame coaching career when young players flashed potential. But we will say that Wilson is already starting to check some boxes for what it takes to become a successful starter.
Wilson came to a Jets team that has been looking for the next Joe Namath for half a century – always managing to come up short when it comes to winning its first post-Namath Super Bowl. And while it is far too soon to pronounce Wilson the answer at a position the Jets have tried mostly in vain to fill, it isn’t too soon to be encouraged by what he has shown in these early moments of his rookie season.
Now, keep in mind that it’s still the preseason, Wilson has yet to play a full game, and the Jets’ first two opponents – the Giants and Packers – haven’t shown all their cards on defense. In fact, very few of the Packers’ key players took part in Saturday night’s matchup at Lambeau Field; when you’re the defending NFC North champions and made it to last year’s NFC title game, you prepare with an eye toward when the games count.
In Wilson’s case, however, these preseason games mean everything in this, the early stage of his NFL development. Every off-season snap, every training camp drill, and now every preseason play can shed light on his progress. There were bright spots during the off-season program, and some misfires as well. Same in practice.
But as Wilson acknowledged last week, some of the errors in judgement in practice have come as a result of pushing the envelope to test his limits.
"I can’t be afraid to make mistakes," he said. "There is where I’m learning what I can get away with and what I can’t."
And when the curtain has come up on his first two experiences with live action against opposing defenses, he has played mistake-free football. And he has looked like this isn’t too big for him. Those are two critical traits that every successful quarterback carries, and while we can’t know whether Wilson will become a star or join the long list of Jets’ disappointments, we can at least see that he’s doing everything you want to this point.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be problems moving forward; in fact, it’s guaranteed that there will be. Even the greatest quarterbacks must go through an apprenticeship that includes mistakes, missteps, and disappointments.
But give Wilson this much: He already looks the part.
In last week’s preseason debut against the Giants, he seemed comfortable on his two drives, completing 6-of-9 passes for 63 yards. First-year head coach Robert Saleh said he wanted to get Wilson more time in the lineup against the Packers, and Wilson responded with some terrific stuff.
There was a 24-yard completion to newly signed receiver Corey Davis on a post route on third down to help set up a field goal on the Jets’ first drive. He found Davis over the middle on another third-down attempt later in the first quarter and found Davis again on a 27-yard pass after the Packers’ defense busted a coverage and left the Jets’ No. 1 receiver alone.
Wilson-to-Davis may soon become a familiar refrain if this keeps up.
Wilson threw his first touchdown of the preseason in the second quarter, as he looked off his first read and found tight end Tyler Kroft near the goal line. Kroft broke a tackle and got into the end zone for an 18-yard score.
Wilson found Kroft again on another 18-yard score, a well-designed play by offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur – younger brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. Wilson took the snap and rolled left, with Kroft open in the left flat. The 28-year-old Kroft, originally drafted by the Bengals in 2015, ran in for the score to give the Jets a 17-14 lead with 1:53 to play in the half.
And that was it for Wilson, who took a seat after a solid day’s work and another important step forward in his development.
"He’s been up and down," veteran receiver Jamison Crowder said of his new quarterback. "He’s just learning to try to get that experience. He had a good day. Hopefully just build on this going forward."
Crowder has been around long enough to know that it takes time for young quarterbacks, especially those who carry the burden of expectation for a franchise. So, no pronouncements from Crowder about what the future holds for Wilson.
Crowder knows it’s best to play the long game. Even so, it’s still ok to feel good about what Wilson has shown so far. Another building block as Jets fans desperately cling to hope for the new guy.
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.”
