FLORHAM PARK — Having an offense that is struggling for a second straight year to pass the ball can hurt the psyche of any top wide receiver.
Just not Garrett Wilson and the New York Jets offense.
Unlike many top wide receivers at his position, the second-year Ohio State product hasn’t publicly chastised his quarterback or play-caller in 2023 despite the Jets 31st ranked passing offense. While no one would blame the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year for his frustrations with New York’s struggling pass offense, he’s only looking to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
“It starts with how we train and how we practice throughout the season,” Wilson said “It’s not like the way a lot of the league does it like the way we practice…I feel like when you do things that way, you’re going to respond on Sundays. I feel like we have all the right guys here to put it on display but it doesn’t happen overnight.”
After a season in which he set the Jets rookie receiving record, New York’s top wideout has 39 catches for 469 yards and two scores in seven games – all leading the team. Throughout the season, that projects for a second straight 1,000-yard season and a 90-catch total.
Not even Hall-of-Fame wideout Don Maynard has enjoyed the level of consistency that Wilson has had over his first two NFL seasons. Add in the roller-coaster ride that has been their quarterback situation, and the fact that the former 10th overall pick continues to consistently produce on Sundays is a further testament to his skill.
The best testament to his character though is putting some blame on himself for part of the Jets’ struggles on offense – even if fans and analysts alike wouldn’t even dream of putting that blame on him.
“We haven’t been where we want to be on third down,” Wilson stated. “I put a lot of that on my plate on not being open when it matters most and being able to move the chains.”
New York’s struggles on third-down and in the red zone are well documented in 2023. The offense ranks dead last in both categories – a strong indicator of why the group is averaging a measly 18 points per game.
With those struggles though comes the need to change. According to Wilson, the rest of the offense is looking to make some adjustments on the fly for Monday Night’s contest against the Los Angeles Chargers. In the receiver’s mind, those changes have to start by being open more.
“We’re going to try some new things and see how they work out,” Wilson explained. “That’ll help as well. Just making sure I’m doing my job and always 100% open. That might open up something else and give Zach (Wilson) a quicker look.”
Professionalism is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about a receiver like Garrett Wilson. As New York’s most consistent target, he gets the unenviable task of going up against some of the top blanket corners on the plenty. That hasn’t stopped him from a Pro-Bowl caliber start to his career. The wins haven’t piled up just yet for the organization but the locker room and coaching staff know they are close.
“The idea of the season is to be able to play your best ball at the end of the season as you go into the hopefully playoffs,” Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said. “So, for me, everything is just continually grinding on, trying to figure out what you can do better.”
For the offense, it’s now just putting it all together and making sure that a player like Wilson isn’t wasting away his talents. It certainly helps that he’s a stable presence in the locker room at just 23 years old. Unlike most receivers in the game, the struggles of the offensive group haven’t discouraged the wideout.
It’s only pushing him to work harder on what he can do to help the organization for another competitive stretch run.
