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We’ll look back at this day in the middle of a long offseason as THE moment that everything clicked for rookie quarterback Zach Wilson.
On Tuesday, June 8, the former BYU star had his best day of practice as a member of the New York Jets.
While it’s also worth noting that all of these practices are non-padded and no-contact.
What Stood Out About Wilson During This OTA?
Relentless aggression.
Throughout much of these voluntary workouts, we’ve seen Wilson work the short to intermediate game which is the bread-and-butter of the Mike LaFleur offense. Although what we’ve all been waiting for is the former BYU stud to uncork a long one. Our prayers were answered early on Tuesday.
Connor Hughes of The Athletic called it “the highlight of OTAs so far.”
Wilson dropped back and chucked an absolute rainbow 40-yard pass down the right hash to fellow rookie, Elijah Moore, who made the diving SportsCenter top-10 snag.
From all accounts, it was good coverage one-on-one by second-year cornerback Bryce Hall, but there is no way to defend perfect ball placement.
That last point seems to be the major takeaway from OTAs thus far. Wilson has a unique combination of arm talent and touch that we haven’t seen on 1 Jets Drive in quite some time.
It’s an absolute art to rip a 40 plus yard ball down the field showing off your fastball. Then turning around and giving a soft touch to a pass for a running back working a wheel route down the right hash.
It shows off the full toolset that made Wilson so attractive to the green and white with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
Wide Receiver Depth Continues to Flex Its Muscles
The Jets have reportedly asked veteran wide receiver, Jamison Crowder, to take a significant pay cut. He’s scheduled to make north of $10.3 million in the last year of his original three-year contract.
Why does Gang Green feel like they can make this bold request?
The receiving core has depth for days. The green and white feel like they can not only survive minus Crowder, but they believe they can thrive.
Braxton Berrios has taken full advantage of his reps without some of their key pieces at OTAs (no Crowder because of contract issues and no Corey Davis because of injury).
He’s not the biggest or the fastest, but he’s just a feisty gamer. Berrios’ success alone wouldn’t likely make the Jets feel confident enough to move on from Crowder, but he can be a part of that solution.
Former Jacksonville Jaguars stud Keelan Cole has also continued to impress in his opportunities as the third, fourth, and sometimes fifth option in this passing attack.
While the No. 34 overall pick in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft has lived up to the hype. Moore was projected to go in the first round, but slipped into day two and the Jets were the major beneficiary.
He’s quickly developed a bond with Wilson and that chemistry could lead to big-time success in 2021.
In a perfect world, the Jets would love to have Crowder back on the team with a more cap-friendly number to insure depth and to have a known commodity.
Some folks may tell you to slow your roll on Wilson hype in June, but tell those people they aren’t invited to your next party. The offseason is the perfect time to get hyped. Everyone is 0-0 and hope is in the air.
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