Zach Wilson racks up the highlights on a cloudy Wednesday
Zach Wilson certainly hasn’t been struggling, per se, but his Monday and Tuesday practices were not quite as highlight-laden as the one he enjoyed last Saturday.
Wilson shoveled some coal back into the hype train on Wednesday with a well-received practice session midway through the New York Jets‘ second week of training camp.
Things kicked off in a familiar fashion as Wilson hit Elijah Moore down the sideline.
Seems like almost every day, but Zach Wilson hits Elijah Moore down the sideline with Brandin Echols in coverage.
— Ethan Greenberg (@EGreenbergJets) August 4, 2021
https://twitter.com/00Jets/status/1422941575102046221
Brandin Echols was in coverage on the play. The sixth-round pick received some first-team reps in place of Bryce Hall.
Saleh feels Echols has been playing well and wanted to see him with the 1s. Product of reps and getting work foe the young guy with the 1s. https://t.co/lJVznBXhZg
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) August 4, 2021
Wilson fed his tight ends in 7-on-7 red-zone drills, getting every tight end on the roster involved except for Daniel Brown and undrafted rookie Kenny Yeboah.
Strong red zone performance by Zach Wilson as practice comes to an end. He completed 7-of-8 in RZ 7v7 and got a bunch of TEs involved: catches from Wesco, Kroft, Herndon and Griffin. #jets
— Andy Vasquez (@andy_vasquez) August 4, 2021
Zach Wilson with a nice practice, particularly in red zone with a tight end-heavy day. #Jets
— Dennis Waszak Jr. (@DWAZ73) August 4, 2021
It isn’t wise to register any significant positive or negative takeaways from red zone drills. They are not similar to a real game situation due to their lack of a pass rush or offensive line.
Nevertheless, they are nice for evaluating the quarterback’s quick-throw timing and accuracy in addition to the short-range one-on-one coverage and route-running of defensive backs and receivers.
Wilson’s red-zone reliance on the tight ends will be an interesting trend to monitor. At BYU, Wilson didn’t necessarily love his tight ends between the 20s, but he embraced them in the red zone.
Tight end Isaac Rex led the Cougars with 12 receiving touchdowns last year despite ranking fourth on the team in receptions (37) and receiving yards (429). Perhaps Wilson will value the position similarly with the Jets.
Keelan Cole made a big play in 11-on-11s against the coverage of Isaiah Dunn. Cole won on a corner route and Wilson delivered a great throw.
Zach Wilson with a beautiful throw to Cole on a corner route. Threw him open. Dunn on the coverage.
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) August 4, 2021
The final reviews for Wilson’s fifth training camp practice as a New York Jet were positive.
Good day for Zach Wilson after two okay practices.
He was sharp and accurate during team. Was pretty good during 7 on 7 in the redzone too but I take those periods with a grain of salt.
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) August 4, 2021
Josh Johnson joins the fray
The Jets have finally added a quarterback with NFL experience to the roster. Josh Johnson signed with the team and was present at Wednesday’s practice, wearing No. 9.
Josh Johnson got some heat to his throws. #Jets pic.twitter.com/mKCQTMRm6m
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) August 4, 2021
Johnson, 35, will compete against Mike White and James Morgan for the Jets’ backup quarterback job. The two young quarterbacks have been considered shaky at best throughout training camp thus far, likely prompting the Jets to get more aggressive in their search for another body.
This is Johnson’s second stint with the Jets, as he had a cup of coffee with the team in the 2015 preseason.
Johnson is on his 20th professional football stint, spanning across 13 NFL teams and three leagues outside of the NFL (UFL, AAF, XFL). The Jets are the third NFL team with whom he has spent multiple stints.
Over 33 career regular-season games in the NFL (8 starts, 1-7 record), Johnson has completed 148 of 268 passing attempts (55.2%) for eight touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and 1,632 yards, earning a 61.7 passer rating. He was last seen in a regular-season game back in 2018, posting a 1-2 record and registering a 69.4 passer rating over three starts with Washington.
Johnson gained a tad of familiarity with Mike LaFleur last year. He joined the 49ers’ practice squad in November and remained there through the end of the season, signing a reserve/future contract after the year. San Francisco released Johnson in June.
