One of the last times Zach Wilson spoke with reporters as the Jets starting quarterback, he wore a blank expression as he bluntly said that he did not feel like he let his defense down in a 10-3 loss to the Patriots.
Four weeks later, Wilson was all smiles in the locker room, back as the starting quarterback with Mike White sidelined due to a ribs injury.
Wilson had found out he was the starter once again earlier Friday morning before speaking with the media ahead of one of the most important Jets games in recent memory.
“I'm ready to go, man,” Wilson said. “I feel like these past three weeks, I've been just trying to keep improving and getting better and taking each day with the mentality as if I was playing.”
The last time Wilson played, he went just 9-of-22 with 77 passing yards, made his infamous “No” reply about letting his defense down, and was benched days later. In between were liked tweets by members of the Jets defense that were critical of Wilson (both of which were undone and described as an accidental “like”), and an admission by head coach Robert Saleh that Wilson, “could be better” at the podium when speaking to reporters. Now, the former No. 2 overall pick will get another shot, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Wilson, who hasn’t dressed since his benching, and had been promoted to the backup role before White was ruled out of Sunday’s game, got the starting job back due to White’s injury, not based on performance, so he could be a stopgap until White returns, or he could show why he was seen as the hopeful franchise quarterback before last year’s draft.
Regardless, Wilson says he will play with no fear that more struggles could lead to him being put right back on the bench.
“The worst has already happened for me,” Wilson said. “So I’m just going to go out there and have fun.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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