Zach Wilson is balling out and everyone is blaming the NY Jets again

We've seen this story many times before. A former NY Jets quarterback joins another team and starts to show some flashes of potential, and everyone immediately resorts to blaming the Jets for said QB's initial struggles.

Zach Wilson is the latest former Jets quarterback to be put through that cycle. The former No. 2 overall pick has impressed with the Denver Broncos in the preseason, and he put together his best performance of the summer on Sunday.

Wilson finished the game 16-of-25 for 251 yards and two touchdowns while also adding 22 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Notably, Wilson did not turn the ball over. He had a few expected mental gaffes, but Wilson was otherwise excellent in Denver's preseason finale.

Not only has Wilson likely solidified a roster spot, but there's a chance he's even beaten out veteran Jarrett Stidham for the Broncos' QB2 job. Wilson's strong summer has led to the predictable outcry from many outside analysts who haven't really watched the fourth-year quarterback over the last few years.

When in doubt, blame the Jets.

Are the NY Jets to blame for Zach Wilson's failures?

The preseason is peak overreaction season for the NFL. Back-of-the-roster players are deemed superstars, undrafted rookies are labeled future All-Pros, and former draft busts like Wilson are considered "saved" when they show any sort of flashes of their potential.

This isn't to discredit Wilson, who has genuinely shown signs of growth this summer. And it's also not meant to exonerate the Jets of any wrongdoing in Wilson's development. As always, quarterback development is a nuanced discussion.

The Jets likely should not have asked Wilson to start immediately and they failed by surrounding him with an initially lackluster wide receiver room and a poor quarterback room. Wilson's offensive line was also ravaged by injuries in his final two seasons with the Jets.

Wilson was hardly put in an ideal situation with the Jets. That said, his historic ineptitude can't simply just be chalked up to his former organization. Wilson was downright horrific in a situation that other young quarterbacks have succeeded in (or at least not been historically terrible).

Ultimately, Wilson's confidence was shot. The majority of his issues were mental as opposed to physical. He desperately needed a change of scenery to get his mind straight in hopes of salvaging any sort of an NFL career.

That happened this offseason. It's not as if the Broncos are a perfect landing spot. It's not necessarily that Sean Payton has already rehabilitated Wilson, even if that might be the narrative. Again, quarterback development is a very complicated and nuanced discussion. It's not black and white.

Wilson showed flashes at times with the Jets. He had good preseason games. Heck, he had a few really impressive regular-season performances. The issue with Wilson was always consistency, and it's impossible to judge that aspect of his game in such a limited sample size against third-stringers.

Perhaps Zach Wilson will be able to salvage an NFL career and maybe, just maybe, he'll find himself as a starter again one day. For now, though, it's best to give credit where credit is due and avoid overreactions.

But I suppose where's the fun in that?

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