Ups and downs follow most rookies in the NFL. Quarterbacks are certainly no different considering the weight on their shoulders.
What’s much more important is the improvement as time wears on. Braxton Berrios sees that in Zach Wilson.
Berrios said on the Adam Schefter Podcast that Wilson has taken steps forward in his eyes this spring. Berrios described Wilson’s efforts as something that’s two fold.
First, around the QB, things are much more settled which has only helped.
“He’s in a different world than he was last OTAs,” Berrios said. “Last OTAs we obviously had a brand new coaching staff, a brand new offense, we had the first few weeks–we didn’t have everybody there because everybody was still playing with COVID and ‘should I go, should I not?’
“On top of all that, he was a rookie. Everything was really a whirlwind. I truly can’t imagine what that was like for him.”
Then there’s Wilson’s actual game which has improved both physically and mentally.
We’ve already heard New York head coach Robert Saleh refer to Wilson as a “beefy” looking guy now. But Berrios noted the sharpness.
“Everything is there from a physical standpoint, and now everything from his mental [standpoint] has aged so much since just a year ago that I can’t wait, again I hate talking about it, I hate hype–I can’t stand it, but I can’t wait to see him Week 1 and see what he can do because he’s in a different place than he was last year,” Berrios said.
Saleh did also reference what Berrios sees during his OTA interviews. Ground meat wasn’t the only thing on the coach’s mind when it came to his quarterback.
“He’s very decisive with the ball, he’s getting it to where it needs to go, his footwork is a lot cleaner,” Saleh said via video conference. “If he ends up being Tom Brady this year? Awesome. But that’s not the expectation for him. The expectation for him to continue to climb that mountain of quarterback play in this league and we all got his back and he’s got a supporting cast that’s all working its tail off.”
As a rookie, Wilson notched 2,334 passing yards, nine touchdowns, 11 interceptions and recorded a 55.6 completion percentage. Such numbers in 13 starts as a rookie are commonplace.
Again, what happens going forward is what matters most.
Still, Berrios does look toward the past as a sign of things to come from Wilson.
“The back half of the season was completely different than the front half. I think everything was able to slow down for him,” Berrios said. “NFL football, in general? I can’t imagine what it’s like being a rookie quarterback, starting Day 1, in a new system, I just can’t imagine what it’s like.”
And he does have a point.
In three of Wilson’s final four games, he played much better. Things in the season finale against the Buffalo Bills, the NFL’s No. 1 defense from last year, went rough.
But the other three saw signs of life from Wilson via a combined 506 passing yards, a completion percent of 59, and two touchdowns… and what the Jets love to see: Zero interceptions in any of those efforts, including against the Bills.
