Jets steadily burying themselves with commitment to Zach Wilson
New York Jets coach Robert Saleh must see what the rest of the NFL world has witnessed. Zach Wilson isn't any good. Not on Sundays. Not on Thursday nights. Not on Monday nights.
Wilson seems poised to sink the Jets' season. And — if it gets really bad — his performance could potentially lead to a shakeup in the team's leadership at the end of the year. New York had Super Bowl hopes. And while those hopes rested largely upon four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, the Jets cannot finish the season with five wins. Given their strength of schedule, that's distinctly possible.
There should be real urgency for Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas to get this team performing at a higher level. Or rather, there should be a real urgency for those two to get more out of their quarterback position. Wilson is the primary problem. He's not the only problem. But he's definitely the largest.
"It starts with me. I have to find a way to be better," Wilson said postgame on Sunday.
What if he can't? He has already struggled with development. Now in his third season, Wilson might even be regressing. Why have the Jets made no efforts to make a change?
I'll give Saleh the benefit of the doubt and believe what he has said, that over the past year Wilson has made strides at practice sessions (which are closed to media members).
"I know it's going to go on deaf ears and whatever, but what we see on a day-in and day-out basis is a young man who is much improved from a year ago," Saleh said Monday. "He's much more confident, he's much more accurate, he's got much more command of the huddle, he looks better in the pocket."
Maybe it's true that at practice Wilson has looked like a quarterback the Jets can trust.
But on game day? At no point has Wilson looked capable. His statistics are, in fact, sinking. Let's look at a few stats from 2022:
Record: 5-4
Completion %: 54.5
TD %: 2.5
INT %: 2.9
Yards per attempt: 7.0
Yards per game: 187.6
Sack %: 8.7
If you think that's bad, wait until you see what Wilson has done in 2023:
Record: 0-2
Completion %: 52.4
TD %: 2.4
INT %: 4.8
Yards per attempt: 5.6
Yards per game: 155.7
Sack %: 8.7
This browser does not support the Video element.
His record should be 1-2, given that Rodgers played just four snaps in the opener. But you get the picture. There was no category in 2022 that spoke to Wilson's capability as an NFL quarterback. This year, it's even worse.
For the sake of thoroughness, I want to point out he's playing elite defenses this year. It's likely that the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots will all finish the year among the top units in the NFL in most defensive categories. (Although Dallas' stinker against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday threw a real wrench in what seemed like an easy-to-praise defense.)
Even with that important context, Wilson looks out beyond his depth. It's pretty simple: The No. 2 overall pick of the 2021 draft is a bust. He's not an NFL QB right now. He will likely never be. The sooner the Jets realize that — and take action upon that realization — the sooner they can pull their season out of a tailspin.
It's almost unfair to Wilson, who is the weakest link on the team — only exacerbated by the fact that he plays the most scrutinized position. It's sad watching him fail. He's struggling to operate a system that's clearly simplified to help him. Saleh was asked whether it is fair to the team to keep playing Wilson. Saleh said: "Yeah." But I wonder if it's fair to Wilson, whose decision-making and accuracy are not at NFL caliber.
On the third-to-last drive against the Patriots in Week 3, Wilson missed an open receiver on first down, with Garrett Wilson streaking over the middle. By the time Zach threw the ball to Garrett, the receiver was actually covered. It was cringey.
A few plays later, Wilson took a sack for a safety on third down. It was bad situational awareness to take a sack when the team was down three points. The error looked even worse on film when you could plainly see he had two checkdowns open downfield.
On the penultimate drive against the Patriots, Wilson had a fourth-and-10 when he threw to a checkdown, tight end Tyler Conklin, at the line of scrimmage. Conklin was instantly tackled for a two-year again — well short of the sticks. Turnover on downs. And still, the Jets defense kept Wilson in the game. On the final drive, he managed to get a Hail Mary opportunity to win — which he and the Jets offense couldn't convert.
The situation looks messy for New York (1-2) at the bottom of the AFC East. During the Jets' loss on Sunday, arguments were breaking out on the sideline. Garrett Wilson, who has openly praised Zach Wilson, looked frustrated on the sideline in conversation with his quarterback. Running back Michael Carter was upset at his position coach, Taylor Embree, during the game, too. Carter apologized immediately afterward.
But it was troubling. New York was competitive against New England for the entire game. There was no reason for the Jets to lose their cool in what was mostly a one-score game. So why in the world were the Jets infighting — rather than fighting against the Patriots?
It speaks to a team that's losing faith in its leadership. That's where Saleh and Douglas could get themselves into trouble. They might lose their team if they keep trotting Wilson out on the field.
Will the Jets consider a different option?
"He's our unquestioned quarterback, guys," Saleh said of Wilson. "He's not the reason we lost [Sunday]. It's always a team effort. As long as he continues to show improvement — and I know from a box score standpoint it's not showing — he's going to be our quarterback."
To a degree, Saleh and Douglas put themselves into this bind. They drafted Wilson at No. 2 overall. They have failed to convert that selection into a starting quarterback. But Wilson is, sadly, a sunk cost. New York has otherwise drafted incredibly well, including both the 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year (Sauce Gardner) and 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year (Garrett Wilson).
But here's the biggest gaffe.
The Jets could have moved on from Wilson during the offseason. Or they could have benched him yesterday. Sure, Wilson would be one of the biggest busts in draft history. But somehow, Saleh and Douglas would actually be safe, given all the other good work they've done.
You can see, too, why they didn't think they'd have to play Wilson this year. Saleh and Douglas expected Rodgers to play the whole season — he hadn't missed a game since 2017 and had missed only 18 games in his entire career prior to his Achilles tear — and the Jets thought Rodgers could help develop Wilson during the year.
But that doesn't explain away the mistake they made with their quarterback personnel. If Wilson was a developmental QB, they needed a true QB2. And yet they won't let Tim Boyle (their current QB2 behind Wilson) see the field — he must not be the answer. And other than signing journeyman Trevor Siemian to the practice squad, they don't seem to be considering any other options. And Siemian certainly isn’t a solution.
It's Saleh and Douglas' strange commitment to Wilson that might cost them their jobs. But that's the current reality.
I don't care how good Wilson has looked in practice. He couldn't play NFL football at all last year. It was madness — the act of doing the same thing and expecting a different result.
Ultimately, it's long past due to cut bait. Joe Namath has.
This browser does not support the Video element.
I wrote about how Wilson was probably the team's best option a few weeks ago when Rodgers went down. But that they should bring someone else into the building and get him up to speed on the offense ASAP. It's not easy to pick up an offense midseason at any position — let alone quarterback. Well, the Jets have that same problem. They still need another QB. And now, they've lost the past two games. They host the Chiefs in Week 4, play at the Broncos in Week 5, vs. the Eagles in Week 6, at the Giants in Week 7 and vs. the Chargers in Week 8.
There are some winnable games on the horizon — maybe even with Wilson at quarterback.
But if the Jets stick with Wilson, this team is going to finish around five to seven wins. They're dealing with a crisis of confidence. They don't have a solution. If they don't act quickly, the situation will only get worse and worse. Maybe Rogers comes back at full strength, maybe he doesn't. They can't really plan on having him save the franchise in 2024. They need a clear plan with strong leadership, regardless of what comes next for Rodgers.
And most troubling? Saleh doesn't seem to acknowledge that Wilson is the problem. Saleh can't seem to see what's happening to his locker room. He thinks media members are making up the discontent.
"As far as the frustration thing guys, that's your narrative. Our guys are fighting, they're just trying to find answers," Saleh said.
I hope he's right and I'm wrong. I hope I'm the one who can't see what's happening. Because what I see is pretty clear: The Jets are on the precipice of a lost season. And it could cost Saleh his job.
Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.