With the Jets likely tabbing Zach Wilson to replace Sam Darnold, many in East Rutherford have now turned their eyes to the future, imagining Wilson as the potential savior to finally give Gang Green the franchise quarterback they have been craving for years.
But despite Wilson’s draft hype, FOX NFL analyst Mark Schlereth thinks Jets fans should pump the brakes on the excitement. Even if Wilson achieves what Darnold couldn’t and becomes the new face of the franchise, there is still plenty of work to be done.
“Fanbases around the NFL have been duped into believing that every guy is going to cover warts,” Schlereth told Moose & Maggie on Tuesday. “And that’s just not the fact. If you look at the NFL in general, there are maybe four or five quarterbacks in the league that can cover your warts. The rest expose them. So to sit there and think ‘hey, we’re gonna put a guy in a position to fail’ and be surprised when that guy fails. It’s about building a roster and a football team.”
Darnold was tasked with covering up the Jets’ warts when he was drafted third overall in 2018, but a coaching carousel and the lack of weapons around him led to a disappointing tenure that ended earlier this month when he was traded to the Panthers. Schlereth hopes the Jets don’t expect Wilson to give the offense an immediate upgrade if he gets the majority of the snaps as a rookie, especially if the team doesn’t make more upgrades around him.
“For a young quarterback to have success in this league, you have to have a great team around them,” Schlereth said. “Remember, [the Chiefs] were winning 12 games a season without Patrick Mahomes…and he sits and gets tutored for an entire year by Alex Smith...and was a fine mentor. If you just throw a quarterback in and say ‘Hey, we’re going to have this young quarterback come in and be our savior,’ I just think that’s unfair.”
The Jets of course have made some upgrades to last year’s 2-14 product, signing defensive end Vinny Curry and running back Tevin Coleman as well as wide receiver Corey Davis to a three-year deal, but the team will need much more if Wilson is expected to help improve the team in the short term, even after a lowly two-win season.
“I’m not saying the Jets haven’t done good things to their roster this offseason, but there’s a lot of work to do from where you started from,” Schlereth said. To give your quarterback an opportunity to be successful, to me, you have to have a damn good roster on both sides of the ball to give him the best opportunity possible.”
Despite his skepticism that Wilson can be an immediate answer, Schlereth does like what he sees from the BYU product as the Jets prepare for draft day, when they expect to take Wilson with the second overall pick.
“He was one of my favorite guys,” Schlereth said. “Talk about ripping the ball, not having supreme talent around him, fitting the ball in tight windows, all of that stuff. But there’s still a learning curve to find out what you like and what you don’t like, and the only way you figure that out is by getting your ass kicked.”
Even if some growing pains and early trials await, if Wilson proves himself in camp and the preseason, Schlereth wants to see him under center for the Jets in Week 1, ready to usher in a new era and begin his quest to be the answer Gang Green has missed on numerous times in recent history.
“I think I would probably, if he shows you enough and he can manage,” Schlereth said. “I think that kid has got a lot of talent, and if he can command that offense from the neck up, I would say ‘Hey, let’s play him.’”
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