Few NFL wide receivers can move like Garrett Wilson, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ starting defense saw that firsthand on Tuesday.
During a joint practice with the Bucs in Florham Park, N.J., the New York Jets’ star receiver generated oohs and aahs from the fans in attendance as he used two juke moves to turn a tipped pass into a touchdown reception.
Wilson juked Bucs linebacker Alex Anzalone and then reversed field, running laterally from sideline to sideline. He then simultaneously juked out cornerbacks Ayden Garnes and Keionte Scott before driving downfield to power in for a touchdown.
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn raved about the play.
“You expect that from a player like that,” Glenn said. “But when you go against a defense of that magnitude, and you see your players be able to make plays like that, you’re excited, because, man, you know he’s ‘in it.’ It’s not just, ‘Man, I’m trying to catch it and I’m trying to get down.’ It’s, ‘I’m trying to catch it, I’m trying to score, I’m trying to make something happen.’ That’s what you do, you smile.”
Wilson is one of the most difficult receivers to tackle in the NFL. In 2024, he ranked second among wide receivers with 22 missed tackles forced, trailing only Ja’Marr Chase (24). Through the first six weeks of 2025, he was tied for second with nine missed tackles forced.
Sometimes, though, Wilson can dance a bit too much with the ball in his hands, leading to wasted motion. It occasionally creates highlights like the one we saw in Tuesday’s joint practice, but it can also cause him to miss out on yardage he could have gained if he simply used his speed and darted vertically, rather than halting his downfield momentum and looking for more defenders to embarrass.
After-the-catch efficiency is something that Wilson can work on. While he makes plenty of defenders miss, those evaded tackles do not translate into as much yardage as you would expect.
Consider that in 2024, when Wilson ranked second at his position with 22 missed tackles forced, he was only 14th in total YAC (446) and 49th in YAC over expected (+36). Compare that to Chase, who, with just two more missed tackles forced (24), was first in both YAC (797) and YAC over expected (+294).
Here are a few examples from that season in which Wilson may have lost out on more yardage by trying to make defenders miss instead of making a quick “GO” decision, as Robby Sabo alluded to in the X post above.
This is what makes Wilson such a complicated player at times. On one hand, there are very few players in the NFL who could make the play he made against Tampa Bay during Tuesday’s practice, and you would never want to take that away from him. But on the other hand, Wilson’s pursuit of plays like that one can cost him. He has an east-west mentality with the ball in his hands, and it does him more harm than good at times.
In a perfect world, Wilson will naturally develop a feel for which type of YAC move is best in each situation. If there is a lane for him to stick his foot in the ground and just go, he’ll take it; this man ran a 4.38, after all. And if the situation calls for him to put on his Barry Sanders jersey and juke out the whole defense, he’ll do it.
Going into Year 5, this is the primary area where Wilson must begin to use his veteran experience to become the best player he can be. While his somewhat underwhelming career statistics to this point (just 63 receiving yards per game and 18 total touchdowns) can certainly be pinned on quarterbacking to a large extent, Wilson can also own some of it. There are still subtle ways he can be more efficient at translating his unparalleled gifts into winning football.
Tuesday’s highlight-reel moment reminded us that Wilson is a rare breed at his position. But it also reminded us of a key piece of his game that, if fine-tuned, can elevate him to an entirely new level.
