Tony Romo on Jets' Zach Wilson: Give him some time

New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson sits on the bench during practice before a preseason game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Credit: AP/Adam Hunger
No NFL television analyst was higher on Zach Wilson entering last season than CBS’ Tony Romo, who gushed about the Jets’ then-rookie quarterback.
“I actually think Zach Wilson with the Jets is going to turn that franchise around," Romo said last August on a video call with reporters. "I think Zach Wilson is going to be in the discussion as one of the top three to five quarterbacks [in the league] very quickly.
“Within the next couple of years I think you're going to see him rise. I think he's unbelievable. His ceiling is so high.
"It's rare for me to say someone has the ability to get in the stratosphere of a [Patrick] Mahomes, but I think this kid actually has that ability.”
Then Wilson went 3-10 as a starter, with nine touchdown passes, 11 interceptions and a passer rating of 69.7.
Asked on Tuesday to assess Wilson with one year of NFL evidence to go on, Romo said his belief in him has not wavered.
“I'm still really high on him,” Romo said on CBS’ preview call. “I think some guys come into better situations than others. I like Robert [Saleh]. I think he's a really good football coach, and I think he’s helping the process and turning the culture of the team around. But it takes time.
“I mean, the Jets were coming from a position that they really had to make a lot of steps and there were a lot of things to improve on that football team. But Zach is part of that. I think he's extremely talented.
“Part of that is putting him in a successful situation consistently over and over and teaching, and I think that'll play out. I think it's pretty apparent his skillset, to me. It's just a matter of whether or not, in simple terms: Does he have time?
“If he gets time to throw the football, he'll make things work, and part of that is when you're young, and you don't have time, the game is very fast, and when you have time the game seems slow. Then as years go by, you may not have the same offensive line, but your job as coach, offensive coordinator, is to figure out a system that helps the quarterback if you don't have enough time – bootlegs, things of that nature, different play actions that can really help him.
“You find very quickly that quarterbacks are successful when they have that extra second in the pocket. I think that's all he needs. And until then, you don't always get a clear indication of how good the player is.”
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