Zach Wilson’s shake and bake run made highlight reels, but his growth is the real storyline

One play from Zach Wilson stood out above the rest during the New York Jets’ 13-6 preseason loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday night.

The third-year pro out of BYU zigged and zagged his way to a 35-yard run, the highlight of an otherwise mundane offensive night for the Jets with the regular season nearing.

How Wilson composed himself after the game as he answered questions following his latest preseason start, however, was perhaps more telling how the quarterback is handling being the backup heading into a season for the first time in his young career.

Wilson, who is now behind four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, came under scrutiny last year for his apparent lack of accountability when the offense struggled.

That came to a head in the back half of the season amid a long losing stretch that included humbling defeats to the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars — the Jets scored just three points in each of those games — and Wilson was ultimately benched.

What improvement has Zach Wilson seen in his own game?

Fast forward nearly a year later, and the Utah native is clear on where he’s seeing the most improvement from himself.

“Just being comfortable, having a clear understanding of what the goal of each play is,” Wilson told reporters. “Why I want to get to certain plays, why we’re doing things a certain way. I think when you really have an understanding of why we’re doing something, it’s easier to be able to be successful in that play.”

Wilson, who now has the ability to learn from a willing teacher in Rodgers, admitted that he wasn’t as comfortable as he would like to have been last year, when his career path careened off course.

“I wanted to feel like I was, but I didn’t feel as comfortable and confident as I do right now, for whatever reason,” Wilson said. “I would like to say I tried to be, I would like to say I knew what was going on, but obviously things didn’t work out that way. Whatever reason it is, I do feel like there’s a better understanding of what’s going on now.”

Related

• Zach Wilson receives wise advice about facing adversity in latest ‘Hard Knocks’ episode

• The Aaron Rodgers and Zach Wilson vibe is strong in the first ‘Hard Knocks’ episode

What Zach Wilson has shown during the preseason

After a tumultuous two seasons as the Jets’ starter to begin his pro career, though, little signs of growth have been present during the preseason.

Through three preseason games, Wilson has shown positive growth in his game, maturity and confidence level, while also showing he’s still got plenty of development to make as a professional quarterback.

Here’s how he has fared so far, with the Jets closing out the preseason next week against the New York Giants:

• vs. Cleveland Browns (L, 21-16): 3 of 5 passing, 65 yards, Sacked once, led two field goal scoring drives, 11 snaps in one quarter of play.

• vs. Carolina Panthers (W, 27-0): 14 of 20 passing, 123 yards, 1 touchdown pass, 1 carry, 2 yards, sacked once, led one touchdown drive and two field goal scoring drives, 40 snaps in one half of play.

• vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (L, 13-6): 9 of 13 passing, 70 yards, 2 carries, 41 yards, led two field goal scoring drives, 25 snaps in one half of play.

• Total, in 5 quarters of play: 26 of 38 passing, 258 yards, 1 TD, 3 carries, 43 yards, 1 TD drive and 6 field goal drives, 75 snaps.

Those are decent if unspectacular numbers for Wilson, even as the regular season nears and marks his return to the bench permanently.

Each outing has featured a highlight-worthy moment from Wilson:

• Against Cleveland, it was a 57-yard pass where he showed off his arm.

• Against Carolina, it was a short touchdown pass that displayed good touch.

• Against Tampa Bay, it was Wilson’s ability to turn what could have been a sack into a long run.

Zach Wilson showed his athleticism with electrifying 35-yard run

Wilson’s big moment Saturday came midway through the second quarter, with the Jets locked into a 3-3 tie. One play after his longest pass of the night — a 26-yarder — Wilson dropped back in the pocket, only to have it collapse around him.

That’s when Wilson showed his escapability.

Wilson used a spin move to get away from a sack attempt behind the line, then ran right towards the sideline and evaded another Tampa Bay defensive lineman.

He then used a stutter step to freeze two other defenders and maneuvered around them, and with open real estate in front of him, he sprinted up the sideline.

To cap off the run with a handful of defenders finally closing in, Wilson lowered his shoulder and got a few extra yards as he was brought to the ground after an electrifying 35-yard run.

Wilson said he noticed Tampa Bay had dropped back in its pass coverage, leaving room for the agile quarterback to make a play on the ground if he could find a lane. It’s been a goal to use his feet more often, a point of emphasis he’s talked about with Rodgers.

The 35-yard play was just that.

“I told myself in this game, if they want to drop some guys, I’ve got to get down to my outlets or try and get out of the pocket,” Wilson said. “… A part of the game is being able to extend plays.”

Rodgers’ reaction to the run? “He said I was watching his highlight film from 10 years ago,” Wilson joked.

How is Zach Wilson trying to handle adversity now?

Still, Wilson understood the effort could have been better, saying the Buccaneers gave the Jets some good looks and “funky” coverages.

“It’s going to be a good learning experience to go back and watch. We had some good, easy completions underneath, but I would love to see if there’s more to them. It’s hard to give an answer until I really go back and watch it,” he said.

For the second time in three preseason games, Wilson failed to lead the Jets on a touchdown drive — six of his seven scoring drives so far in preseason play have resulted in field goals.

One big positive, though, is that Wilson is being able to focus more on the positives, even when things don’t go as planned.

When asked if he was having more fun this preseason, Wilson answered affirmatively

“Yeah, absolutely, I’d say in general. I think just really having an understanding of being grateful that I get to play football for a living, and it doesn’t need to be so stressful. It doesn’t need to putting so much stress on your shoulders every single day to try and be perfect. Every opportunity is a good learning experience, and failing is an opportunity for you to try and get better,” he said.

That’s a good sign for a quarterback that Jets coach Robert Saleh was hopeful the team could help “reset” mentally after two years of struggles.

“It’s just cherishing the locker room, these guys that we have. I think Aaron Rodgers has done a good job of showing all of us that,” Wilson said. “He makes it extremely fun. (Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel) Hackett makes it extremely fun. It helps you realize that there’s so much more to the game than just being stressed every day.”

Will Zach Wilson get a chance again to start in the future?

Whether all this will result in Wilson eventually getting another chance to be QB1 down the road, or even just help extend a career that’s been sidetracked, is too early to tell.

Rodgers has been open about his desire to help Wilson regain that confidence, though.

During a pregame segment with CBS News New York’s Otis Livingston, Rodgers talked about his move from Green Bay to New York this year, after 18 seasons with the Packers.

Part of that change of scenery includes the opportunity to be a mentor to Wilson. “I’d known Zach the last couple of years, loved him and felt I could come help him out as well,” Rodgers told Livingston.

For a franchise that has one Super Bowl win — the Jets won back in 1969 with Joe Namath at quarterback — and hasn’t made the playoffs in 12 years, Rodgers has a long-term goal of making the Jets serious Super Bowl contenders during his time with the team, and that plan includes Wilson.

“I think we’re going to be competitive here for a long time. I’d like to be able to play a few good years here and then hand it right back off to Zach and let him go for the next 15 and it be a really special 18 to 20-year run of great quarterback play,” Rodgers told Livingston.

The 24-year-old Wilson was appreciative of Rodgers’ sentiment when he found out that the former Super Bowl MVP envisions a lengthy career for his protege.

“That’s the goal, to play as long as you can. It helps me knowing that he believes in me, that I can play in this game for a long time. That’s why I lean on him so much. I’m truly appreciative to have a big brother like that,” Wilson said.

Rodgers is expected to play for the first time in a preseason game since 2018 when the Jets play the Giants next Saturday, according to ESPN. Wilson is expected to get his share of time in the preseason finale, too.

Two weeks later, New York will kick off the 2023 regular season with a Monday night primetime matchup against the Buffalo Bills.

Once Wilson is back on the bench, how will that growth continue during the regular season?

“You have to be very good at watching and being able to retain the information, standing behind Aaron and seeing each rep that he takes. There’s a lot of good learning,” Wilson said. “In the quarterback position it can almost be just as beneficial to watch as it is playing. You’ll never get the true feel until you go out there and do it.

“I really need to be paying attention to every rep that he has, ask questions and understand why he’s doing certain things. I think that’s the best way to handle it.”