The New York Jets entered the 2021 season with a new quarterback and new head coach, but they enter their Week 6 bye in a familiar position: tied for last place in the AFC East. Part of the issue to that 1-4 start to the season has been the up-and-down play from No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson. The young quarterback’s inconsistency was on display in London during New York’s Week 5 loss to the Falcons where he completed just 59.3% of his passes for 192 yards and an interception.
While Wilson may not be bursting onto the scene as many had hoped he would out of the gate, there’s still plenty of faith in the BYU product in East Rutherford, especially from his head coach, Robert Saleh. On Monday, he noted that first-year quarterbacks often struggle but do round into form sooner rather than later. Look no further than atop the division with Buffalo’s Josh Allen.
“It’s not easy being a rookie quarterback, never has been, never will be,” Saleh told reporters Monday, via the official team website. “Josh Allen the first five games of his rookie year, the numbers were the same as what our guy is going through. I know it can be frustrating sometimes, but it’s going to start clicking. It’s a rollercoaster ride and you have to take the good with the good, and the bad with the bad.”
Saleh is correct that the numbers are quite similar between Wilson and Allen through their first five starts. Back in 2018, Allen had just a 55.7 completion percentage, two passing touchdowns, five interceptions and averaged 151.6 yards per game on a 62.5 passer rating. Meanwhile, Wilson is averaging 223.4 yards per game on a 57.3 completions percentage. He’s also thrown four touchdowns and an NFL-high nine picks.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that Wilson will take the leaps that Allen has over the years that has the Bills quarterback as a bonafide MVP-caliber quarterback, but it is an example that quarterback development often takes time.
One area where Wilson has flashed strong potential is with the deep ball. Throws 20+ yards down the field is his highest-graded passing depth, according to PFF. He’s completed 13 of his 25 throws from that distance for 404 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. His ADOT in that area of the field is 30.9.
“We’re always looking at ways to simplify things for him,” Saleh said. “At the same time, we can’t help with the speed of the game and the change of schemes. There are things he’s seeing every week, things he has to get better at seeing.”
The Jets are in the midst of their bye week, so they’ll likely take this time to really go under the hood with Wilson to see what things they can adjust to make him a more consistent thrower for the rest of the year.
