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A New York Jets quarterback received some tough criticism this week.
On “One Bills Live” co-host Chris Brown was questioning the Jets’ ability to consistently convert on third down this season as they head into their rematch with the Buffalo Bills.
Greg Cosell, a longtime NFL analyst, was a guest on the show and he didn’t think it was fair to judge them over that sample size because of the recent quarterback change:
“I think you’ve just got to look at the Mike White situation because Zach Wilson was really really bad. I say that honestly as a film study statement not as trying to be personal. Zach Wilson is at the point unfortunately where he’s broken and he needs to start from scratch.”
Jets Coaching Staff Agrees With ‘Broken’ Sentiment
Head coach Robert Saleh might not have used the same lingo as Cosell, but it was certainly the same sentiment when they decided to make a quarterback change in the middle of this season.
“There are some basic fundamental things [that] have gotten really out of whack for him,” Saleh said via ESPN. “This is just an opportunity for him to sit back, focus on those things and find a way to reconnect with all the different things we fell in love with during the draft process. It’s something I feel like he’ll be able to do.”
Saleh said that “the young man needs a reset” when describing what went into the decision to bench the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
Initially, after the Week 11 loss to the New England Patriots Saleh said that a potential quarterback change was the “furthest thing from his mind.” However, after some time marinating, Saleh changed his mind a few days later.
Wilson was coming off the worst game of his professional career throwing for 77 yards and to make matters worse shouldered none of the blame during the post-game press conference with the media.
Predicting Zach Wilson’s Future on the Jets Roster
The fundamental issues that Saleh brought up can be fixed.
Wilson coming out of college had very clean mechanics but somehow someway those deteriorated during his year and a half in the pros.
Why that happened is up to the coaching staff to figure out. However, it is unrealistic for Wilson to solve that mystery during the season.
In other words, this is going to be Mike White’s team for the rest of 2022. What he does with this opportunity and how far this Jets team goes this season including a potential trip to the playoffs is still very much to be determined.
White and veteran Joe Flacco, the other quarterbacks on the roster not named Wilson, are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents in 2023.
No matter what happens we know the former BYU passer will be on the Gang Green roster in 2023.
If the Jets wanted to move on from Wilson this offseason they would have to eat a $20.7 million dead cap hit.
It doesn’t make financial sense or logical sense to move on anyway. Wilson still has two incredibly cheap years left on his rookie contract and there is still a ton of potential that lies beneath the surface.
If Wilson can use the rest of this season and the upcoming offseason to correct the “yips” there is a very realistic path to him reclaiming his job as QB1 next year.
