The New York Jets have high hopes for No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson, who they have tabbed as their quarterback of the future. Most first-year signal-callers don’t take the league by storm, however, and Wilson struggled mightily in his first legitimate professional scrimmage.
The Jets hosted their “Green & White” practice on Saturday night at MetLife Stadium, and nearly 20,000 fans attended, according to ESPN. In this simulated game format against the first-team defense, Wilson completed 11 of 24 passes for 112 yards, threw two interceptions and scored just three points in seven possessions.
“Not great,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh said of Wilson’s night, via ESPN. “I have high expectations for myself and this offense. I have to lead the guys and I have to make better decisions. That’s why this isn’t Game 1; that’s why we’re doing this. I understand that. Of course I’m going to be frustrated with myself, but I’m going back to the film room and find out what I can learn.”
Wilson not dominating the first-team defense in August is not something that warrants pressing the panic button, and Saleh understands that. He even referenced newly-inducted Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, who went 3-13 in his first NFL season while throwing a rookie-record 28 interceptions. In Year 2, however, he flipped the script and went 13-3.
The Zach Wilson era has arrived! Don’t miss any New York Jets headlines by downloading the CBS Sports app for the latest headlines and analysis. If you already have the CBS Sports app, don’t forget to favorite the Jets so you never miss a piece of Gang Green news.
“For most rookies, it’s going to get worse before it gets better,” Saleh said, via SNY (H/T Pro Football Talk.) “It is what it is. There’s a lot of things that happen. There’s a reason why being a rookie is hard in this league. There was a Hall of Famer yesterday that was inducted that had a 71 quarterback rating his rookie year. It’s not easy to play quarterback in this league as a rookie. Especially quarterback. It is going to get worse before it gets better. He’s at that point now where he’s going to be able to stack up days. We got the utmost confidence in him and his ability and his ability to figure out his mistakes, correct them and get to a better place.”
This past Saturday was an important step in Wilson’s development, and he will reach another milestone next Saturday, when the Jets take on the New York Giants in their first preseason game. Things are ramping up for all NFL rookies as we inch closer to the start of the regular season, and we will see how quickly these first-year players can learn from their mistakes.
