Jets’ Zach Wilson: ‘I need to be able to get the ball out of my hands faster’

Zach Wilson has gotten off to a slow start in his NFL career, but acknowledged one aspect he can improve on: holding the ball.

“If the pocket’s breaking down quicker, I need to be able to get the ball out of my hands faster,” Wilson said. “Sometimes if I got to skip a couple reads and get the ball to my check downs, feeling that, and it’s really just reacting to what they’ve given me. I think every single week that can just keep getting better.”

Wilson is completing 55.2% of his passes and has only two touchdowns with seven interceptions, tied for the most in the NFL with No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence. The former BYU star’s passer rating is 42.

A good amount of his struggles come down to holding the ball. According to Next Gen Stats, Wilson is fifth in time to throw at 3.02 in the NFL, among qualified starters.

On 32.4% of Wilson dropbacks, he’s gotten the ball out in 2.5 seconds or fewer. When he does that, he’s been efficient. He’s 26-for-34 with 158 yards, one touchdown and a passer rating of 95.

Once Wilson holds the ball his numbers nosedive into the toilet. He’s 32-for-71 with 470 yards, one touchdown, seven interceptions with a passer rating of 32.

“That’s across the league, the longer you hold on the ball, the worse it is going to get,” Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said.

That’s true for the two players Wilson was compared to upon being drafted; Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers has amassed an absurd 41-for-46 with 330 yards and four touchdowns when throwing within 2.5 seconds. And Mahomes is even better at 49-for-52 with 417 yards and six touchdowns.

When they hold the ball longer than that 2.5 second frame? Rodgers has gone 19-for-40 (47.5%) with 319 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and a passer rating of 47.5. Mahomes has gone 29-for-59 (49.2%) with 523 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Of course, Wilson shouldn’t be expected to become one of the two former MVPs by his fourth start. But it’s an example of what playing within the rhythm of an offense will do.

It also explains why Wilson has been sacked 15 times. Are there plays when the offensive line gets cooked which leads to a sack? Yes. Are there plays when the receivers run poor routes which causes Wilson to hold the ball before getting sacked? Yes.

But, there are other moments when Wilson brings it on himself. He has taken eight sacks this season when he’s held the ball for 4.5 seconds or longer, according to Next Gen Stats. That leads the league.

Here’s another nugget: Wilson’s average pocket time before pressure is 2.5, seventh most among starters, according to Pro Football Reference. Wilson has been under pressure 35% of the time, but some of that is him holding the ball.

The main reason for Wilson sometimes holding the ball is because he’s not reading defenses quick enough, which causes him to get stuck on his initial read. Other times he’s fooled with the defense pre and post snap. And defenses want quarterbacks to be indecisive because it’ll lead to trouble.

“Quarterback gets one hitch,” LaFleur said. “Sometimes the quarterback has to speed up a little bit and you have to put the ball, literally right on him.”

All correctable things that will take time when dealing with a rookie quarterback.

“The NFL is super-fast, and I would say my biggest thing I need to work on is just how detailed can I be, how quickly can I progress and understand when somethings not there to not hang on it and just to move on,” Wilson said.

It’s in Wilson’s nature to look for the kill shot, that’s why he was able to produce an electric final season at BYU.

But in the NFL, holding the ball is dangerous. The defenses are too good. Robert Saleh said that aspect of his game is because of his competitiveness, but they’re teaching Wilson how to balance that out.

“I think one of the things you saw in college is this competitive nature and that he is not going to let a play die. He is so confident and he can make every single play, he can make every throw, and he can. His arm talent is ridiculous,” Saleh said. “We just have to learn that the league is a little bit different in that it’s okay. Just because you take something doesn’t make you any less competitive, you’re just being smart.”

The Jets can help Wilson break that habit by becoming more balanced on offense to allow easier reads with more play action.

Right now, Wilson has attempted only 22 play action passes, 11th fewest in the NFL. But the main reason for the lack of play action attempts is because of the Jets commitment to running the ball. They’re currently 29th in the NFL in rushing attempts per game at 20 and they’re averaging 35 pass attempts.

Wilson and the Jets must find a way to reduce the amount of time he’s holding the ball because it’s only causing trouble for the rookie.