Jets QB Zach Wilson will start vs Steelers. Can he elevate the team?

By Henry McKenna
FOX Sports AFC East Writer

Zach Wilson is back. And no one has any idea what that will mean for the New York Jets. 

He’s coming back from a knee injury he suffered in the preseason. In theory, the return of a second overall pick should be a game-changer for any team.

Of course, Wilson’s rookie season wasn’t necessarily representative of what a team would expect from a top-tier rookie quarterback. He finished the year completing 55.5% of his passes for 2,334 yards, nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 13 games played. He was a major work in progress in an offense that didn’t support him.

New York spent the offseason doing what it could to build around their quarterback, with the additions of rookie receiver Garrett Wilson — who has been excellent — and two free-agent tight ends, C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin. They’ve also tried to piece together a stronger offensive line, but keep getting hit with injuries at tackle.

Even with those upgrades, Wilson is set to take over an offense that wasn’t exactly humming under the leadership of Joe Flacco, who led the Jets to a 1-2 record while completing 58.7% of his passes for 901 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. His perfectly mediocre grade on Pro Football Focus (55) attests to the fact that he has brought as much value as he’s detracted. 

The biggest thing for Wilson to keep in mind is that he doesn’t have to change the Jets’ season in one game. He can elevate the offense and help it trend upward. But he has to stay patient.

“He’s going to be one of the ones you have to calm down. It’s not the Catalina Wine Mixer. It’s an opportunity to get out on the football field,” coach Robert Saleh said.

Sage advice from Saleh. 

We’re not talking about the biggest (fictional) helicopter leasing event in the Western Hemisphere. We’re talking about a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. And we’re talking about the Jets elevating their potentially rusty quarterback.

“It’s not all about Zach,” Saleh said. “It’s about executing on all cylinders like we should every week.”

On the whole, the Jets look like they’re on the cusp of converting their young talent into developed talent. They might even be on the cusp of competing in the AFC East, depending on how good the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills end up being. (They both look like they could be among the top five teams in the NFL, but it’s too early to tell.) The Patriots absolutely look like a team the Jets could leapfrog in 2022, depending upon what becomes of Mac Jones’ injury.

New York won’t exactly go the way of Wilson. They are unsettled at a number of positions, most noticeably at tackle and potentially in the secondary. But Wilson could be a difference-maker in helping them grow into relevance. Judging from last year’s film, there is not a lot to be optimistic about. So I’m not going to predict that Wilson does suddenly help the Jets skip gears from third to fifth. But that’s what they should expect from the 2021 second overall pick.

So I’m fascinated to see what happens next.

Since the injury, Wilson has been doing what every injured player does: attending meetings, running through mental repetitions, studying extra film. Over the last few weeks, Wilson has ramped up his participation in practice, often staying late with the scout team and the third-stringers to work on seven-on-seven reps without the offensive line. This week will be his first of full participation in practice since training camp.

It should help that Wilson and the Jets are playing the Steelers, who currently play one of the most unsightly brands of football in the league. If there’s a team Wilson can beat to get his second year started on the right track, it’s the T.J. Watt-less Steelers. Pittsburgh is averaging the 11th-most passing yards allowed. That’s a defense that Wilson could exploit. It should help, too, that receiver Garrett Wilson has looked like an absolute stud in his first three games.

“The game is just not too big over him,” Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said earlier this season. “For Garrett, we can see how dynamic he is in the pass game. He is an awesome guy to coach.”

Garrett Wilson’s snap count was small in Week 1, but increased substantially in Week 2 when he put up 102 yards and two touchdowns. After that game, Conklin was comparing Wilson to the tight end’s former teammate in Minnesota: Justin Jefferson.

“They [Wilson and Jefferson] have those lanky strides and just slippery and just kind of euro stepping down the field. I see a lot of similarities there, just his ability to go up and get the ball at the catch [point],” Conklin said. “He’s just so dang slippery, so I thought it was just a matter of time before he broke out.”

Garrett Wilson should help Zach Wilson complete passes in two places. First the receiver helps the quarterback in the deep third, where the QB is already a solid passer, with a 66.6 grade on Pro Football Focus. Zach Wilson is 17-of-43 for two touchdowns and two interceptions on passes of 20 yards or more. That’s solid work for the riskiest throws on the spectrum.

Garrett Wilson should also help Zach Wilson attack the middle of the field. The intermediate part of the field is where the quarterback is underachieving. He is 24 of 44 for one touchdown and six interceptions. That’s rough. He shouldn’t have that much trouble. The fact that Wilson is beginning to line up both inside and outside should help.

“I like being able to play everywhere. It makes you harder to guard. It makes you harder to game plan for and you can run more routes,” Wilson said this week. ‘Me — I want to do whatever the coaches ask me to do, whatever can help the team. I do love playing slot. I love playing outside.”

The other position group that could help Wilson? Tight ends. The Jets must have signed Uzomah and Conklin with hopes they could help Wilson take more control of that intermediate middle. They should make a bigger difference in helping Wilson limit his mistakes.

And that’s probably all Wilson needs to do to lead the Jets to victory in Week 4 — limit mistakes. New York desperately wants to prove they’re out of the basement of the NFL. They can’t do it without a revitalized Wilson. His performance on Sunday could bring hope to the Jets. Or it could do just the opposite.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.