Ranking the NY Jets biggest offensive issues

2. Zach Wilson, QB, NY Jets

Zach Wilson belongs second on the list due to his inability to function as a serviceable NFL player. We saw it as a rookie, saw it last year, and are seeing it again this year. The man is just not good at all.

There has definitely been growth. He has cut down his interceptions (just one in his last 200+ attempts), but now fumbles have become a massive problem (eight fumbles in the last five games). He is still completing less than 60% of his passes this season, with just five touchdown passes in eight games. 

His 6.0 yards per attempt is worse than his career average of 6.3, which is already embarrassingly low for an NFL quarterback in the modern era, and despite throwing the ball more than ever, he is at exactly 1600 yards this year — good for 200 yards per game.

For comparison, Sam Howell playing on the horrendous Washington Commanders is over 2,300 yards passing, and rookie C.J. Stroud is up over 2,200.

In an NFL where, just this week alone, Stroud threw for 470 yards and five touchdowns with a subpar offensive line, young, unproven receivers, and a first-year defensive-minded head coach, the fact that Zach Wilson has never even looked capable of anything resembling that is frustrating.

Heck, NFL fans saw Josh Dobbs, a career backup journeyman, get traded to the Minnesota Vikings this week, not practice a single day, not know his offensive teammates' names, and have the head coach telling him the plays before the snap in his helmet, lead the Vikings to 31 points and throw for 158 yards and two scores, rush for 66 more, and add a touchdown on the ground.

Playing NFL quarterback is very hard. It’s even harder when penalties, drops, injuries, and bad coaching are hurting the team.

But every week, guys from other teams flash brilliance in bad situations with bad coaching and injuries as well. The fact that after 30 starts, Zach Wilson is just as bad as ever is exceptionally concerning.

He will never be Peyton Manning, or Tom Brady, or Aaron Rodgers. No one is asking him to be. But Wilson can certainly be as good as rookie C.J. Stroud or Josh Dobbs, who doesn’t even know a single play call on the play sheet.