Chris Streveler, Zach Wilson, and Justin Fields Are All Tragically Connected After Thursday Night Football

Chris Streveler is not a good quarterback. His passes fluttered and fought to get through the cold Thursday night air. Yet, the same New York Jets offense that could only manage three first downs in the first seven drives of the game with Zach Wilson had seven with Streveler. And the difference was the threat and ability of the QB run. While hindsight is 20-20, Justin Fields should be the Jets’ QB right now. It’s groupthink that got New York in this predicament.

Chris Streveler’s Legs Worth More Than Zach Wilson’s Arm

Sixteen weeks into the 2022 NFL season, three things have become abundantly clear regarding QB play from watching 225 football games. Overall situation matters, speed at WR is critical in a modern offense, and the quarterback run is a cheat code.

The mobile quarterback evolution stared us in the face when Michael Vick was wowing us with his legs as an Atlanta Falcon. But it wasn’t until a generation of young athletes watching him became young men. And unfortunately for the Jets, they had the second-overall pick two seasons before the advantage of a running QB became too apparent to ignore.

New York only picked up one first down on the ground, but it was Streveler’s legs that put them in position to get past the sticks. Streveler did his best impression of Fields on a 2nd-and-23, scrambling for 14 yards. On the very next play, Streveler kept a read option and picked up a 3rd-and-9 with his feet.

The option — and QB runs in general — have been seen as a gimmick for a long time. But the tides are changing, and 2022 has been the catalyst for that. Now, the “pro-ready” QB is no longer the pocket passer but the one who can pick up a 3rd-and-long with their legs. The pocket passer is as good as dead, and the abundance of quarterback runs in 2022 is proving to us how valuable the play can be.

Streveler and Trevor Lawrence posted the same EPA per play number last night (0.17). Streveler managed that while posting a negative EPA as a passer.

Jalen Hurts is an MVP candidate, and the Eagles have only one loss because of the value he brings with his legs. Even when their passing attack has an off night, the Eagles can bully defenses on the ground at a higher EPA (0.116), better than 24 NFL teams can manage through the air.

Meanwhile, Fields has gone from a surefire bust to one of the most exciting players in the league simply because he started using his legs more. Sustainability is often questioned with mobile QBs, but that’s a currently disproven worry.

Last night, Streveler’s legs were far more efficient than Wilson’s arm, and it begs the question, “What could have been with Fields instead?”

Wilson, Justin Fields, and the Jets’ Big Mistake

Wilson and Fields both have major issues as passers. Neither displays particularly good pocket presence nor do they manipulate the pocket well to find throwing hallways. They don’t feel pressure particularly well, and neither is particularly adept at operating the quick game.

Fields was more of a dropback passer in college than he is now. The Ohio State offensive line was good, and Fields was throwing to the likes of Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. They decimated defenses in the intermediate areas of the field, and Fields’ natural accuracy and above-average arm were a perfect fit.

But Zach Wilson had the hearts and minds of media members and NFL evaluators. They saw him scrambling away from pressure and flicking his wrist to complete contested passes downfield to big, physical receivers.

That effortless velocity and a little bit of mobility had evaluators screaming, “MAHOMES!” Even though they missed what really makes Patrick Mahomes an alien; his otherworldly vision.

Why Fields Over Wilson Isn’t Hindsight

Fields and Lawrence have been connected since before they could legally buy cigarettes (before the federal law changed). Together, they were two of the highest-graded QB recruits in college football history. Depending on which recruiting site an individual preferred, they could see either one at the top, with near-perfect grades.

Fields never went anywhere in the conversation, but the narrative between the two quarterbacks changed in a hurry. Trevor Lawrence became the chosen one, winning a national championship as a freshman at Clemson. Fields couldn’t supplant Jake Fromm State Farm and transferred to Ohio State, where he’d go on to play in consecutive College Football Playoffs.

The 6-foot-2, 230-pound athletic freak wasn’t often showing off his athleticism because it wasn’t often he was forced to create. Maybe had Fields played a bit more outside of structure, evaluators would have seen how special his athleticism was.

Instead, helmet scouting, Fields’ epilepsy, and the all too well-known stereotypes surrounding black quarterbacks eventually tanked his once set-in-stone draft stock.

And now we’re seeing all the issues purported for Fields manifesting in Wilson’s play. The worst part for the Jets is, this should have been a bigger concern all along.

Fields came from an offense at Ohio State that used option routes and spread teams out. BYU used heavier formations, play-action, and isolation routes on the outside to give Wilson easy looks. When they got into the red zone and things condensed, Wilson’s processing issues in the quick game were apparent. They were ignored. And even though Fields and Wilson both have issues as passers, Fields has the trump card, that is his rushing ability.

This brings us back to Streveler, the Jets, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. We could have had Justin Fields versus Trevor Lawrence with a ton on the line on a national scale. Fields behind a better offensive line than what he has in Chicago, with far superior weapons, a Shanahan-tree offensive mind, and a top-10 defense probably isn’t 7-7.

They’re probably competing with the Bills for a division title.

The Jets Important Offseason

Instead, the Jets are giving up on the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Maybe Wilson somehow turns things around and becomes a competent NFL QB, but it won’t be in New York.

The Jets might have options in the offseason. They’re built to compete now, so while they could draft and develop a first-rounder, they need a veteran in the fold for 2023 as their starter. On the high end, that could be Jimmy Garoppolo, who is familiar with Mike LaFleur. Jacoby Brissett had a productive season for Cleveland and, in a good situation, could be a good enough bus driver to keep things between the lines.

But Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas absolutely must get this right, or they won’t be around for the Jets’ next QB change. And the worst thing that could happen looks like Denver, where a great defense is wasted by an offense that can’t score enough points to be competitive.