Zach Wilson Has Real Concerns On The Football Field

The New York Jets made a risky move back in 2021 to trade Sam Darnold in favor of drafting Zach Wilson.

Wilson, who’s a product of BYU, didn’t have a good season last year.

Between having a below-average receiving group and a PCL injury last season, there are some actual concerns with him.

Forget all the clickbait stories about him; his second year with the Jets could become troublesome.

So what are the concerns the young quarterback might have going into the 2022 NFL season?

Health Will Clearly Be A Factor With Wilson In 2022

The PCL injury Wilson suffered last season against the New England Patriots cost him four games of his career.

Zach Wilson confirms the belief is a PCL injury and described his knee as loose. Not great. https://t.co/mIuwhLuszX

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 24, 2021

Before that injury took him out, he was doing bad for the Jets.

His six games of four touchdown passes against nine interceptions were alarming.

However, he won one game out of those first six.

The game he won was against a Tennessee Titans defense that saw him pass for 297 yards and two touchdowns.

While the one game might not seem like much, it shows Wilson could have a good game against a good defense.

But his other games show fans a player who isn’t consistent with his play in the NFL.

That’s the concern facing him in 2022 as he heads into his second year in the league.

However, some hope comes out of his injury if he can remain healthy.

Wilson Finished 2021 With Better Stats After Returning From Injury

The post-injury Wilson shows Jets fans there can be some hope with the young star going into 2022.

After his return from injury, he closed out 2021 with nine touchdowns against two interceptions.

Zach Wilson this season:

First 6 Games (pre PCL injury):
4 Total TD
9 INT

Last 7 Games (post PCL injury):
9 Total TD
2 INT pic.twitter.com/bYsUZTdwcl

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 10, 2022

However, his passing yards were down over that span of seven games.

Those seven games saw him passing for 1,166 yards, while the six games before the injury saw him passing for 1,168 yards.

Winning games is also a concern, as he only won two of those seven games since returning from injury.

So despite his improvements with protecting the ball, he still could not lead his team to victory.

If Wilson cannot deliver wins in New York for the team, he could have even more problems beyond 2022.

Could He Be The Next Sam Darnold In New York?

With the way the Jets waste their quarterback talent, there are concerns that Wilson could end up like Darnold.

However, it’s not likely the Jets would do the same thing to their current QB that they did to Wilson.

But if they don’t get him help, something he needs to make big plays, he might slowly head in that direction.

So while that fear isn’t there now for the young quarterback, it could happen if he fails this season.

It’s all about him maintaining his improvements while staying healthy this season.

While getting help with receivers would give him a boost, he’ll still need to protect the ball like he did in his last five games of 2021.

Those five games saw him thrown zero interceptions, something he’ll need to do a lot of in 2022 to keep from becoming the next Darnold.