Zach Wilson lights it up in front of fans in his 2nd camp practice
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The energy flowing through Florham Park was undeniable as Jets fans were in attendance for the first time. Rookie guard Alijah VeraTucker blissfully jumped around as he led a “J-E-T-S” chant with the faithful in the bleacher section before Saturday’s training camp practice.
The sound of hip-hop echoed throughout practice and players felt the energy created by the fans, who were seeing their team for the first time in 2021 — and most importantly the new franchise quarterback.
And Zach Wilson didn’t disappoint.
Wilson was 14-of-20 with an 80-yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie Elijah Moore who was wide open down the middle of the field. The former BYU star was accurate, his timing was crisp and he showed off some of his playmaking ability that led the Jets to taking him No. 2 overall.
Head coach Robert Saleh was pleased but expects roller coaster performances from his rookie QB. Saleh knows it is part of the journey.
“He’s going to have so many ebbs and flows, it’s going to drive us all crazy, but it’s all part of a process of getting better and he was chomping at the bit to get back out here and he’ll chomp at the bit again to get out there tomorrow,” Saleh said. “I thought the receivers were running crisp routes and they were fighting for him to gain separation. It was a very, very good, competitive practice today.”
Wilson finished 5-of-7 in the first two team sessions. He was sharp and decisive with his defensive reads early on and his confidence grew.
Wilson started the day with a dart to Corey Davis on a 12-yard out with Bless Austin in coverage. Next play was a screen to Jamison Crowder. Then Wilson hit Ty Johnson in the flat and Johnson turned upfield for a 15 yard gain.
Those completions allowed him to get into a rhythm and he continued his strong play through the rest of practice.
Then Wilson and Keenan Cole connected for a difficult sideline catch. Wilson fit the pass into a tight window with cornerback Isaiah Dunn draped all over Cole. Dunn broke the pass up, but Cole caught the ricochet with his fingertips and got both feet in bounds.
On the last play of the period, Wilson showed off his ability to play off script. Wilson didn’t see anybody open, so he rolled right before firing a bullet on the run to Denzel Mims on the sideline, who wrestled the ball away from the defensive back.
Plays like that are why Saleh is bullish about his quarterback.
“That’s one of the things that makes us excited about him. He is able to sit in the pocket and play quarterback and go over the progression, one, two, three, four and work through this system,” Saleh said.
Saleh didn’t label that aspect of Wilson’s game a strong point, yet, but he views it as “very unique.” What he likes most about Wilson’s playmaking is when he scrambles he’s looking to throw, not run, and can do it off platform.
And Wilson showed flashes of that on the bomb to Moore.
It was a play-action pass and there was pressure around Wilson. But he stepped up in the pocket and launched it to Moore, who was wide open and took it into the end zone. The crowd erupted into a frenzy.