Zach Wilson struggles mightily in first training camp practice

Zach Wilson has plenty of rust to shake off

Zach Wilson made his long-awaited training camp debut with the New York Jets on Friday, but it did not exactly go swimmingly. The rookie – who performed very well during OTAs – had a rough practice to kick off camp.

Before things went downhill, Wilson got off to a great start. He found Elijah Moore on a deep bomb that seemed to be beautifully thrown.

Well, this is a nice start … Zach Wilson with a 49-yard pass to Elijah Moore on the first throw of team drills. Pretty pass and excellent grab in coverage by Moore. #Jets

— Dennis Waszak Jr. (@DWAZ73) July 30, 2021

That play did not turn out to be a sign of things to come.

Marcus Maye would later snatch an interception off of a Wilson pass that was intended for Jamison Crowder.

Marcus Maye, playing centerfield, steps in front of a Wilson strike intended for Crowder. Maye gets some yards after the theft.

— Eric Allen (@eallenjets) July 30, 2021

A few more incompletions rolled in for Wilson, including some almost-interceptions.

Wilson had a miscommunication to begin a team session, which is the type of mishap you would expect from a starting quarterback who is throwing his first passes after missing the first two practices of camp.

It could take a few days for Wilson to get back into the groove with his new teammates.

Another team session

Wilson first drop back incomplete seemed like miscommunication. #Jets

— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) July 30, 2021

Wilson was nearly picked on a play where he took pressure.

Wilson gets pressured and throws a lollipop and it almost gets picked. #Jets

— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) July 30, 2021

There is a good chance that the pressure came courtesy of Carl Lawson, who has reportedly been shredding Mekhi Becton throughout the early goings of training camp. The losses should be a great experience for the young Becton – iron sharpens iron.

Carl Lawson is welcoming Zach Wilson to practice with a ton of pressure. He’s already sacked him once and nearly got to him a second time, forcing a bad throw. Lawson winning the battle with Becton frequently these past two days. #jets

— Andy Vasquez (@andy_vasquez) July 30, 2021

Wilson misfired high to Chris Herndon, who stands at 6-foot-4.

Wilson throws into traffic to Chris Herndon it’s a bit high Herndon only gets one hand on it. Incomplete #Jets

— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) July 30, 2021

Javelin Guidry had tight coverage against Crowder to force another Wilson incompletion. Guidry is competing with rookie cornerback Michael Carter II for the Jets’ starting slot cornerback role.

Wilson with another incompletion to Crowder. #jets it was tight coverage by Guidry

— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) July 30, 2021

DJ Bien-Aime of the New York Daily News summed up the struggles of Wilson’s day.

Practice is over.

Zach Wilson wasn’t good, and to be real, he was bad. Indecisive, inaccurate, threw a pick, held the ball a lot

But it’s only practice. It’s first first day back in a while. Not the end of the world. How he bounces back tomorrow is what’s important. #Jets

— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) July 30, 2021

Wilson says he continued to study the playbook and work on installs while he was away from the team during his short holdout.

Zach Wilson says he was going through the playbook and installs while he was out before signing. Says it’s all there in his head right now.

“Now it’s just a matter of applying it here.” #Jets pic.twitter.com/AD6FFhj6e1

— Dennis Waszak Jr. (@DWAZ73) July 30, 2021

When asked what he planned to purchase with his signing bonus, Wilson gave the businesslike answer that coaches love.

Zach Wilson was asked if he planned on making a big purchase after signing his rookie contract. “You can’t buy a Super Bowl” #jets

— Andy Vasquez (@andy_vasquez) July 30, 2021

Of course, this was but a single practice for Wilson – his first training camp practice as a professional. Missing the previous two practices likely did not aid him as he took the field, either. Jumping to any conclusions based on his performance today would be foolish.

If Wilson starts to string together negative practices, it would be fair to begin feeling concerned at that point, but until then, it is way too early to overreact to anything Wilson does – be it negative or positive.

The Jets will hit the practice field once again tomorrow before taking a day off on Sunday. Fans will be in attendance, marking the first time that the team has hosted fans in any capacity since its Week 16 win over the Steelers at MetLife Stadium in December 2019.