Mere minutes after the New York Jets players had left their meeting on Wednesday afternoon, the news had already got out. Zach Wilson wouldn’t be starting against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. He was benched. The fact that ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the news so soon speaks volumes. Wilson’s benching doesn’t come as a surprise, but not for the reasons you think.
Let’s get one thing perfectly clear: Zach Wilson has not been good in his second season in the NFL. Drafted by the Jets with the 2nd pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, excitement was high over a quarterback who had a big arm, could make all of the big-time throws, and could comfortably play off-script like some of the NFL’s new stars. Get it right and the Jets would be looking at the cornerstone of their franchise for the next decade. So far, it’s hard to say they’ve got it anything but disastrously wrong.
Wilson has looked lost over the course of his first two seasons in the NFL. He’s completed just 55 percent of his passes, thrown 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 20 career starts. He’s also dead last in EPA per dropback over the last two seasons. The numbers are pretty damning, and while they don’t tell the whole picture, you’ll know how much Wilson has struggled.
Consistently wild footwork, an inability to handle pressure, and poor processing inside the pocket have plagued Wilson in his first two seasons. The hope was that an improved offensive line and the addition of some key weapons would help alleviate those concerns as Wilson grew. Instead, Wilson’s development has been stagnant in 2022. He’s shown sprays of ability, but those moments have been buried underneath a layer of chaos and confusion. Wilson has often looked like someone who is playing the position for the first time.
His performances have left fans frustrated, but the Jets have been winning more than anyone expected. They’re 6-4. But propped up by a strong defense and running game, the period of winning comes in spite of Wilson and his latest performance against the Patriots might be his last for a while after the news of his benching surfaced.
But, while his play is worthy of criticism, it can’t be the only reason Robert Saleh and the coaching staff is heading in this direction. It’s certainly a big part of it and is likely something that has been building for weeks, but the performance against the Patriots isn’t the one that broke the camel’s back. The credit for that goes to how Wilson handled the post-game conference.
Wilson showed a total lack of accountability during the post-game presser, attempting to delegate blame for his performance on the wind a number of times and refusing to even acknowledge that he had let the defense down after they held the Patriots to just 3 points.
It’s easy to understand Wilson’s frustration after a close loss, but it doesn’t take a lot to say yes here. He has to know that he has to improve and that his performance undermined the defense. It’s a layup, and an easy opportunity to show some accountability. But he doesn’t and it’s worrying. It’s a sign of immaturity and it no doubt left some of the locker room doubting his leadership. Handling adversity correctly helps build chemistry. It builds a bond. But Wilson showed that, maybe, he’s more intent in keeping his ego inflated.
Saleh said that Wilson’s career in New York isn’t over. And it likely isn’t. This could just be a learning moment for him. But it has to be that. Wilson has to put the team first, but even his reaction to being benched suggests that might be difficult.
His benching is obviously a culmination of bad play and a lack of leadership, but there’s enough evidence of bad play to say he could have satearlier than Week 11. So, if he had taken accountability or handled the press conference better, would he still be the starter? There’s every reason to believe he would.
What we now know is that Wilson is not only benched, but he’s a healthy inactive for Sunday’s game against Chicago. No matter what happens next, this will go down as a turning point in his career.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
Photo: Atlanta Falcons. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.