Rookie quarterback Zach Wilson shows he can move Jets offense
Jets quarterback Zach Wilson looks to pass as he scrambles against the Giants during the first quarter of an NFL preseason game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Saturday. Credit: Brad Penner
The spotlight was on Zach Wilson in his NFL preseason debut Saturday night, and the Jets rookie quarterback showed some of the traits that made him the second pick in the draft.
Wilson stood in the pocket, avoided the rush, made throws on the move and showed his arm strength in an efficient performance. He did nothing spectacular, but Wilson was efficient. He didn’t make any mistakes in his two series against the Giants at MetLife Stadium.
He led the first-team offense on one scoring drive — a field goal — against the Giants’ second-team defense. Wilson was 6-for-9 for 63 yards in the Jets’ 12-7 victory.
"He looked comfortable, especially on third down," Robert Saleh said. "He made some good throws. He directed the offense really well, got in and out of the huddle. We moved it very well for those first two series. It was a good day."
Wilson said he wasn’t nervous at all, just a little anxious to play. He looked comfortable leading the Jets’ first-team offense.
"It was a great experience," Wilson said. "I really enjoyed having that game-like setting, the introduction to the NFL and the whole game. It was awesome just to be able to get out there."
The first series started on the Jets’ 37. On Wilson’s first NFL pass attempt, he rolled right and connected with Corey Davis for a 9-yard gain. Wilson hit Davis for another 9-yard completion on third-and-6.
Wilson drove the Jets to the 12, but it stalled there. On third-and-4, Wilson threw again to Davis, but there appeared to be a miscommunication and the pass was incomplete. The Jets settled for a Chris Naggar 30-yard field goal.
On his second drive, Wilson took over at the Jets’ 9 and drove them into Giants territory, but that series ended when Ty Johnson was stuffed on fourth-and-1 at the Giants’ 42.
Wilson hung in the pocket on third-and-9 and rifled a pass to Keelan Cole for 16 yards. Wilson also had a 12-yard pass to Vyncint Smith and what appeared to be an 8-yard gain to Jamison Crowder on third-and-4, but Cole was called for offensive pass interference, making it third-and-14. Wilson then hit tight end Tyler Kroft for a 13-yard completion.
Saleh went for it on fourth down, but the line couldn’t get any push up front. It ended the series and Wilson’s night, but his ability to convert on third down stood out.
"You just want him to get his feet wet," Saleh said. "Show that game is not too big for him, which he obviously showed, especially in those third-down moments. He had a couple of critical third-down conversions that I thought is the epitome of playing quarterback in this league."
Wilson said his most memorable plays from his debut were those third downs.
"Converting on third down in this league is hard," Wilson said. "If I’m trying to be a good quarterback in the NFL, it’s how can I help my team convert on these third downs because that what extends drives, and you get some explosive plays and that’s where touchdowns come from is being able to convert."
After the third-down pass to Cole, Wilson immediately let his offensive line know that he wouldn’t have done it without them.
"Everyone sees me make the throw and Keelan make the catch," Wilson said. "It starts with the guys up front."
This was just the beginning for Wilson, the quarterback that the Jets, general manager Joe Douglas and Saleh are betting their futures on. Talk about pressure. But Wilson is taking it all in stride, keeping a level head as he goes through his first NFL training camp.
Wilson’s ups-and-downs in practice have been well documented. He is experiencing the usual first-year growing pains for a quarterback: he has to learn an offense, get to know his teammates and make quick decisions against NFL defenses.
Saleh said it’s "going to get worse before it gets better" for Wilson. But he had his best practice in a while on Thursday and followed that up with a good start to his playing career.
"We have so much confidence in the young man," Saleh said. "You want him to stack up as many good days as possible. But there’s still youth. He’s still a rookie. There’s still a lot of things that he’s going to learn from, there’s still a lot of opportunities for him to grow.
"Despite the fact that he looked comfortable and did a nice job there’s still things he can learn off of. It’s never going to end. This young man’s potential is through the roof. It’s going to be a process."
This was just the beginning for Wilson.
