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Zach Wilson had a rough end to Monday’s practice.
The Jets quarterback went 0-for-4 during a competition period against the first-team defense and the starting offense went three-and-out twice.
It was not all on Wilson. He was under pressure on some of the plays, but his throws weren’t accurate and the offense fell flat. Jets coach Robert Saleh chose to credit the defense, crediting a tackle for loss by safety Jordan Whitehead for blowing up the first series.
“I felt the defense was on fire,” Saleh said. “I’ll go the other way with it. I’ve spoken about Jordan Whitehead. First play of that scrimmage, he does a great job with pre-snap communication, shoots his gap, 2-yard loss. It’s pretty much a dead drive from there. I thought the defense was very precise and made it very hard on them. Give credit to them.”
Wilson started Monday off with a beautiful deep pass to Elijah Moore for a 70-yard touchdown. But Wilson has been inconsistent so far in training camp. The Jets have raved about Wilson’s growth in Year 2. Saleh defended his quarterback on Monday from criticism.
“I know from a practice standpoint, we are under a microscope for every little thing that all the quarterbacks do,” Saleh said. “Some of it’s good, some of it’s bad. When we get to games and we get to scrimmages and we get to intersquad practices and we get to preseason games, I think people will see that he’s taken a step. Dissecting every play by him, play in and play out, especially in this market, is a very, very difficult thing to live up to. … I think he’s already taken those steps. I think he’s gotten a lot better and I think in due time people are really going to see it.”
Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur heaped praise on RT Mekhi Becton.
“I’ve been super pleased with Mekhi and on top of it, it’s one, just good to get him back out there. Just to have him on the football field,” LaFleur said. “I mean he is, as I’ve said so many times, he’s just a massive, massive human being, and if he can just be out there every single day like he has been and just battling and battling like all of the other guys to get himself prepared to play in the preseason. But obviously, ultimately, to get him prepared to play Baltimore [in the season opener]. It’s been good and it helps the Jets for sure that he’s out there.”
