The New York Jets went through the normal growing pains of having a rookie quarterback in 2021, leading to a disappointing 4-13 season last year.
Quarterback Zach Wilson went through his fair share of struggles, finishing the 2021 season with 2,334 yards with only 9 passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
It is certainly not unusual to see rookie quarterbacks struggle in their first season, but the Jets will look for Wilson to take a drastic step forward this fall. They’re hoping that he’ll be the team’s long-term solution at the quarterback position going forward. And head coach Robert Saleh (seen above with Wilson during a game last October) spoke about Wilson and his progression so far this offseason on Saturday, and said there are some observable differences heading into this season.
“Zach looks great,” Saleh told The New York Post. “He’s definitely hit the weight room. He looks beefy, in a good way. He’s definitely filled out. He’s still got all his looseness in throwing the football and zip and all that stuff. He looks good.”
Saleh added that Wilson has also taken mental leaps to go along with the physical gains this offseason.
“He’s got a really good early command of the offense and he’s doing a really good job in regards to that,” Saleh said. “There’s little things that he’s doing where you’re seeing a little more security. He’s not a rookie, so he’s being a little more vocal. He looks good. He’s getting more comfortable, obviously grasping the offense. He’s never had trouble grasping the offense, but he was a rookie so he goes through it. He’s much further ahead at this point than he was a year ago, for sure.”
The Jets seemingly made a ton of moves in the 2022 NFL draft to improve both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, drafting three players in the first round of the draft.
While draft prospects are certainly far from a sure thing, many draft experts thought they did extremely well. And rookie receiver Garrett Wilson should certainly play a big role in helping Wilson’s progression in year 2.
[The New York Post; photo from The Record, via USA Today Sports]
