The New York Jets coaching staff has been joking about it playfully behind the scenes with Zach Wilson going “on tour” this offseason.
Instead of hosting a “Jets West” as Mark Sanchez did during his playing days where he would bring all the receivers to one central location for an extra workout, Wilson is opting for a different approach.
#Jets QB Zach Wilson (@ZachWilson) is down in Nashville getting some extra work in w/ WR Corey Davis (@TheCDavis84) who is preparing for a major bounce back season in 2022: 📸 coreydavis84 on IG #TakeFlight #NFL
He has been traveling the countryside to get in some extra training with all of his top weapons. Wilson went down to Nashville and worked one-on-one with Corey Davis back on March 22.
#Jets QB Zach Wilson (@ZachWilson) getting some great work in w/ teammates RB Michael Carter (@8kMike) & WR Braxton Berrios (@HNYNUT_BERRIOS) this offseason at the @CanesFootball facilities: 🎥 zachwilson IG #TakeFlight #NFL
Most recently he was down at the Miami Hurricanes training facilities getting some work in with wide receiver Braxton Berrios and running back Michael Carter.
We have the details on his next voyage including who he will be working out with and where Wilson is headed.
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Oh There He Is
Rich Cimini of ESPN released a long and informative column sharing some key details on Wilson’s offseason plans.
Up next on the docket is a trip to Scottsdale, Arizona for a two-day voyage featuring on-field workouts.
In Cimini’s story, he revealed some of the participants who are expected to be in attendance: Elijah Moore, Jeff Smith, D.J. Montgomery, and a “small group of receivers.”
#Jets QB Zach Wilson’s (@ZachWilson) tour around the USA working out with his teammates will continue next week as he heads to Arizona to train with a “small group of receivers” including Elijah Moore (@e_moore03), per @RichCimini.
Although a curious name has been absent from Wilson’s journeys thus far, third-year wideout Denzel Mims.
Since being the No. 59 overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft, the former Baylor product has been a disappointment.
Mims has struggled with the new playbook, drops, a bout with COVID, a stomach illness, and overall it has been a series of unfortunate events that has put his football future very much into question.
With Wilson traveling around the USA, Mims hasn’t been mentioned in any of the workouts and fans were openly wondering if “the writing was on the wall.”
However Wilson did his part to shut all that noise down by confirming Mims will be a part of their workouts in Arizona next week saying, “who else do you think is in the small group?”
He has been the forgotten man in the wide receiver rotation. Gang Green already has three main contributors in Moore, Davis, and Berrios. On top of that, they have been very aggressive in the wide receiver trade market to try and bring in a true No. 1 guy.
If they are able to accomplish that feat ahead of the 2022 NFL draft, where the heck is Mims going to fit into all of this? There are a lot more questions than answers here, but credit Wilson for doing his part to keep Mims included and for trying everything he can to build some chemistry there.
The Truth of the Matter
Wilson putting in all this extra work during the offseason doesn’t guarantee diddly-squat. Ultimately the proof will be in the pudding on how he performs under the lights, however, this is an incredibly encouraging sign.
Wilson appears bulkier than he was at the end of the season and is obviously putting in the work to get better chemistry with all his weapons, old and new alike.
In an exclusive conversation with ESPN, Berrios shared some insight into these workouts and why they’ll translate to the field when the team reunites for offseason training activities:
“Every route we run, we get to talk about it — the concept and the objective. It’s not just a three-step slant or a 10-yard in-cut. It’s our terminology. We’re lining up in our formations and we’re going through mental reps that will carry over into OTAs, into training camp, and into the season as well. It’s a huge advantage and we were able to be very detailed in our approach in what we were trying to work on each day.”
Speaking of there are three different phases to each NFL team’s nine-week voluntary offseason program, here are the details:
Phase One consists of the first two weeks of the program with activities limited to meetings, strength and conditioning, and physical rehabilitation only.
Phase Two consists of the next three weeks of the program. On-field workouts may include individual or group instruction and drills, as well as “perfect play drills,” and drills and plays with offensive players lining up across from offensive players and defensive players lining up across from defensive players, conducted at a walkthrough pace. No live contact or team offense vs. team defense drills are permitted.
Phase Three consists of the next four weeks of the program. Teams may conduct a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity, or “OTAs”. No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are permitted.
In addition, NFL teams are also allowed to hold a mandatory minicamp for veteran players.
Here are the dates for all of the Jets’ activities this offseason:
- First day: April 18
- OTA offseason workouts: May 23-24, May 26, May 31-June 1, June 3, June 7-10
- Mandatory minicamp: June 14-16
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Jets’ Zach Wilson Confirms Workout With Polarizing Wide Receiver