Jets' Robert Saleh preaches patience regarding Zach Wilson

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh never fully gave up on quarterback Zach Wilson before or after the club acquired Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers this past offseason. And now he is preaching patience regarding the 24-year-old who is serving as Rodgers' replacement this fall. 

"You just watch these players, you look at a guy like Zach, who does everything right, keeps his head down and attacks every day to the best of his ability," Saleh told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated after New York's 31-21 win at the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon that improved the Jets to 2-3. "And then you see the arm talent and you’re like, 'God, if you could just hold on to this young man and continue to inject confidence in him and find a way to get him some success early, it could snowball into something pretty cool.'"

Saleh benched Wilson multiple times last season, and the plan was for the second-overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft to learn while sitting behind Rodgers throughout this campaign. Things quickly changed, however, when Rodgers went down with a torn Achilles four snaps into what became the Week 1 win over the Buffalo Bills. 

Saleh backed Wilson after the third-year pro played poorly across his first two starts of the season, and Wilson completed 19-of-26 passes for 199 yards with no touchdowns and a late interception against Denver. Such production from Wilson may not be good enough for the Jets to earn an upset win over the 5-0 Philadelphia Eagles this coming Sunday, but Saleh suggested his QB1 can and will continue to take steps in the right direction while playing against one of the NFL's best overall teams. 

"You just trust that eventually, it’s going to show up in the game," Saleh added about Wilson. "Is it frustrating for people because everybody wants to win now? Yeah, it’s frustrating. Is it hard for a coach to be able to do that? Absolutely, it’s hard. But our job is to develop, and it’s not always going to work. More often than not, when they’re built the way guys like Zach Wilson are, all with their mental makeup and his drive to be successful, usually it works out." 

Rodgers wants to complete what would be a remarkable return for the playoffs assuming Wilson helps the Jets qualify for the postseason tournament. Saleh told Breer that Rodgers is "really trying to come back," but those plans will mean little if Wilson ultimately isn't what his coaches hope he'll become as soon as later this month.