Zach Wilson is hardly alone in his early-season struggles as a rookie quarterback, but his troubles have been particularly brutal for the Jets and their stalled offense.
Over the last two games, which New York has tallied a total of six points, Wilson has thrown no touchdowns against six interceptions, taking a big step back from his debut against the Panthers in Week 1.
Still, the coaching staff continues to rave about Wilson’s progress, though it has yet to show on the field.
“He's suffering every scar you can possibly imagine, but it's a good thing,” head coach Robert Saleh said. “It really is, because he’s one of those guys who gets to the film room, he gets to the meeting room and is asking the right questions. He has tremendous process. He’s only going to get better.
“When it clicks, everyone's going to see why he was the second overall pick. It’s just a matter of time.”
It certainly hasn’t clicked yet, as Wilson threw four picks in his first 10 passing attempts in the Jets’ home opener against the Patriots in Week 2, then managed a season-low 160 passing yards with two interceptions against in a 26-0 blowout loss to the Broncos last weekend. Wilson hasn’t struggled like this ever before in his playing career, but Saleh insists that the early funk hasn’t gotten to the 22-year-old.
“He said it. He said ‘shoot, this has never happened to me before,’” Saleh said. “So obviously he showed it. But at the same time, he doesn’t let it affect him. He’s still moving on, he’s still going through his process. His confidence in his arm talent and ability has not wavered.”
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Progress for the Jets offense hasn’t been visible through the first three weeks of the season, instead showing steps backward, as New York’s scoring output has dropped each week since the start of the season, as has Wilson’s passing yards. But the team’s scoring output can’t go down any further from last weekend, so there’s nowhere to go but up. Saleh believes it’s only a matter of time before Wilson leads the Jets into that ascent.
“Everyone gets a day,” Saleh said. “Everyone’s been a rookie before. The young man is talented, he has a tremendous mindset to him, and when it clicks, everyone will see why he was the second pick in the draft.”
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