Jets’ Zach Wilson under pressure, Ja’Marr Chase struggles and more
Every NFL quarterback operates with varying levels of pressure, but New York Jets rookie Zach Wilson is the rare youngster with no safety net.
Mike White and James Morgan. These are the men who represent Zach Wilson’s understudies.
The New York Jets drafted Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick in April. Unlike most rookie quarterbacks, he’s without a veteran to lean on in meeting rooms, practice settings or the sideline on Sunday. It’s a bizarre decision from general manager Joe Douglas, who will be under scrutiny if Wilson starts slow for Gang Green.
Looking at the other four first-round rookie quarterbacks (more on the others below) and you’ll see a trend. In Jacksonville, the Jaguars paired Trevor Lawrence with Gardner Minshew. The San Francisco 49ers have Trey Lance sitting behind Jimmy Garoppolo. Justin Fields is part of a veteran-laden trio including Andy Dalton and Nick Foles for the Chicago Bears. Finally, Mac Jones and Cam Newton are competing with the New England Patriots.
In New York, it’s Wilson and two quarterbacks who provide no insight into playing against NFL competition or leading a huddle full of men older than you.
Through two preseason games, Wilson has looked the part of a young starter who can succeed. On Saturday against the Green Bay Packers, he went 9-of-11 for 128 yards and two touchdowns, targeting free-agent addition Corey Davis six times. Stats are far overblown in the preseason, but the numbers gave an accurate depiction of Wilson’s showing, albeit against backups.
With Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers looming, the Jets have the appearance of an improved team with a long way to go. After losing edge rusher Carl Lawson for the season to a torn Achilles in practice last week, the defense took a major hit. Offensively, Wilson and Davis, along with rookie second-round receiver Elijah Moore, give New York more explosiveness.
Still, Wilson and the Jets will hit rough spots. The signal-caller will have struggles, and when he’s watching the film on Monday, installing a new gameplan on Wednesday or trying to figure out a defensive look on a Sunday afternoon, he’d be helped by having a veteran in his quarterback room, in practice or on the sideline.
All of his contemporaries will have such aid. Wilson, incredibly, will be the most experienced player at his position after throwing one NFL pass.
Perhaps Wilson is a revelation and has immediate success. Perhaps he’s like most young quarterbacks — even the good ones — by having good weeks and bad, growing slowly alongside a first-year coach.
Regardless, Wilson’s road would have been easier with a guiding hand who has been there and done that.
Power rankings
Top 10 non first-round rookies to watch in 2021
1. Elijah Moore, WR, New York Jets
2. Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Los Angeles Chargers
3. Terrace Marshall, WR, Carolina Panthers
4. Trey Smith, OG, Kansas City Chiefs
5. Alim McNeill, DT, Detroit Lions
6. Trey Sermon, RB, San Francisco 49ers
7. Ben Cleveland, OG, Baltimore Ravens
8. Benjamin St.-Juste, CB, Washington Football Team
9. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Cleveland Browns
10. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
Quotable
"“For now, I’ll be a radio broadcaster. Jim, to be honest with you, I just don’t have the urge to play right now. I don’t know how I’ll feel in September, October, November moving forward, but I just, today, I just don’t have the urge.”"
– Former Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald on his football future
If Fitzgerald is done playing, he leaves the game with an all-time career. The No. 3 overall pick out of Pittsburgh in 2004, Fitzgerald played all 17 NFL season with the Cardinals, racking up 1,432 receptions, 17,492 yards and 121 touchdowns. Those numbers rank second, second and sixth respectively in league history.
Few players, especially non-quarterbacks, are surefire first-ballot Hall of Famers. Fitzgerald is an exception, and was for almost two decades of phenomenal play.
Podcast
Random stat
The Chicago Bears are the only franchise without a 4,000-yard passing season.
Info learned this week
1. Bears need to start Fields and get rolling
Justin Fields isn’t perfect. Yet the Bears sitting him for Andy Dalton is insanity.
Forget the 41-15 demolition the Buffalo Bills put on Chicago over the weekend. The score doesn’t matter, even if the Bills played few starters and the Bears played plenty. What does matter is the reality of Chicago head coach Matt Nagy continuing to insist on putting a product on the field which has no chance to succeed.
As currently constructed, the Bears offense is led by receivers Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney. The offensive line is subpar, especially with the loss of rookie left tackle Teven Jenkins to back surgery. The running backs and tight ends are a collection of complementary pieces.
Dalton isn’t winning with that group. He’s a veteran, but he’s an average, immobile passer who doesn’t put pressure on defenses and won’t elevate the men around him. With Fields, there will be more blown protection calls and more interceptions. Yet there will also be more big plays, extended drives because of Fields’ legs and a much tougher offense to prepare for.
Nagy talked about not doing what’s best for him, and only thinking of the team. For a coach on the hot seat, it’s an admirable position to take. Yet Nagy isn’t helping anybody by putting Fields on the bench to watch a lifeless offense go 3-and-out repeatedly.
The Bears can fight reality all they want. Putting in Fields is inevitable.
2. Ja’Marr Chase struggles, but there’s no reason for panic
The LSU connection in Cincinnati is having a tough summer. Don’t read into it.
We’ve seen the reports about Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow struggling with the mental aspect of returning from a torn ACL. The word has also been out on rookie receiver Ja’Marr Chase struggling to gain separation in practice. On Friday night, Chase did nothing but rile the skeptics, dropping all three of his targets against the Washington Football Team.
Maybe Chase becomes a massive first-round bust. Maybe Burrow needs a full season to regroup from a brutal injury. Maybe Cincinnati is terrible, head coach Zac Taylor starts looking for real estate and the Bengals have a top-three pick.
Or, maybe it’s August.
Regarding Chase, he sat all of 2020 as a COVID opt-out and is making the jump into a new system, with new coaches, in the world’s best league. This is a kid who with Burrow in 2019, caught 84 passes for 1,720 yards and 20 touchdowns en route to LSU winning the national title. He outshined now-Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson when the pairing played in Baton Rouge.
The Bengals are likely finishing last in the loaded AFC North, but odds are it won’t be because Burrow and Chase can’t play at a high level.
3. Colts have to be dreaming of Wentz after QB showing
Carson Wentz might have been the league’s worst quarterback in 2020. Yet for the Indianapolis Colts, he’s clearly their best hope.
On Saturday in a 12-10 win over the Vikings, both second-year man Jacob Eason and undrafted rookie Sam Ehlinger were mediocre. The duo combined for a stat line of 24-of-40 for 202 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions — both by Ehlinger — averaging a paltry 5.1 yards per attempt. With only one preseason game left, there’s a good chance head coach Frank Reich names his starter should Wentz not be ready, consolidating all the first-team reps.
With the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams looming over the schedule’s first two weeks, Reich has to be concerned about his plight. If Wentz isn’t ready by Sept. 12, Indy is likely going to roll with Eason unless it doe an about-face and trades for a veteran. As has been mentioned in this space and countless others, Nick Foles is an obvious option, having won the Super Bowl in Philadelphia with Reich three years ago.
Yet there’s a chance Wentz is ready, and while the offseason wasn’t ideal by any stretch for he or his team, his presence would still very welcome considering the alternatives.
4. What to watch in Jaguars-Saints on Monday night
A little preseason Monday Night Football action? Sure, why not?
We get our second look at Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, seeing him on the road in the Superdome. While head coach Urban Meyer is still pretending Lawrence is fighting for the starting job, the real intrigue is in the details.
Last week against the Browns, Lawrence was under constant pressure but showed good pocket awareness, footwork and accuracy. Can he back up that strong showing with another?
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints have an actual quarterback competition to watch. It’s hard imagining Jameis Winston losing out to Taysom Hill, but it remains a possibility. And with star receiver Michael Thomas out for at least the season’s first month, New Orleans needs the winner of said battle to step up from the outset.
Against an underwhelming Jags defense, Winston and Hill should be able to make their best cases.
5. Trey Lance, Mac Jones looking at similar scenarios on opposite coasts
Two (more) rookie quarterbacks, two very interesting situations.
For Mac Jones and Trey Lance, both are attempting to beat out veteran quarterbacks. Each has enjoyed past glory and at best, have one season remaining in their current uniforms. For Cam Newton and Jimmy Garoppolo, this is about delaying the inevitable. For their youthful understudies, it’s about earning playing time immediately.
After watching every play Jones and Lance through two preseason games apiece, it’s tough to say either must start now. While Fields is clearly the most talented quarterback in Chicago, there’s a case to be made for Newton at this juncture. And while Garoppolo isn’t the athlete Lance is, the rookie shows immense potential mixed with some correctable errors.
Both the Patriots and 49ers have designs on making deep playoff runs — particularly San Francisco. Neither is willing to lose a few games in 2021 for the sake of ’22 or ’23, like Jacksonville, New York and even Chicago to a lesser extent could and should. It’s about now, and for today, Newton and Garoppolo appear the smarter bets, even as Jones has played steady football and Lance has shown spectacular bursts.
It’ll be fascinating to see how Bill Belichick and Kyle Shanahan handle their respective quarterback rooms in the weeks and months ahead.
Two cents
This is quietly a huge year for Kliff Kingsbury.
The Cardinals head coach is entering his third season, and Arizona is still trying to notch a winning season. Progress has been made each of the first two campaigns, although after starting 5-2 in 2020, the Cards limped to a disappointing 8-8 finish.
While the NFC West is loaded with the Rams, Seahawks and 49ers all being viable Super Bowl contenders, Kingsbury can’t afford another lackluster showing. The Cardinals added veterans in center Rodney Hudson, defensive end J.J. Watt and receiver A.J. Green this offseason, speaking to an urgency to see immediate improvement.
It’s only preseason, but Friday’s effort wasn’t encouraging. The biggest criticism of Kingsbury is his in-game situational acumen. Against the Chiefs, the Cardinals looked out of sync throughout, with communication issues highlighted by two defensive timeouts.
If Arizona is going to improve, Kingsbury must lead the way.
Inside the league
History lesson
Tom Landry is one of the greatest NFL coaches ever. If his career, happened today, things would would have been far different.
Hired away from the New York Giants after serving as defensive coordinator, Landry took over the expansion Dallas Cowboys in 1960, His first year produced an 0-11-1 record. The next four campaigns saw Landry compile an 18-35-3 mark. Can you imagine any coach, under any circumstances, being given such time in this era?
However, in 1966, Dallas made the first of eight consecutive postseason appearances (and 17 in 18 years). The first five were torturous, with the Cowboys losing two NFL Championship Games, two conference title bouts and Super Bowl V.
Finally, in 1971, Landry and Dallas broke through, beating the Miami Dolphins for the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy. In ’77, Landry won his second and final, defeating the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII.
Landry, who revolutionized the shotgun offense and 3-4 defense, is one of the best and most influential coaches of all time. If Dallas had less patience, the sport might have missed out on a legend.
Parting shot
Last year, the Buffalo Bills fell a game shy of the Super Bowl, largely because they didn’t have a pass rush. Perhaps that issue has been fixed.
While preseason games only say so much, the Bills must love what they’ve seen. Against both the Lions and Bears, 2020 first-round pick A.J. Epenesa and April’s top pick, edge rusher, Gregory Rousseau, have flashed considerably. Rousseau has been particularly impressive, using an array of moves to destroy the pocket.
Buffalo has an excellent offense, a top quarterback and an elite coaching staff. Defensively, the back seven is terrific with corner Tre’Davious White, safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, and linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano highlighting the group.
If the Bills found even a mid-level pass rush, they’ve become that much more dangerous to Kansas City in the AFC.