Jets QB Zach Wilson ‘would’ve benefited’ by sitting behind a vet, says

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — When the New York Jets drafted quarterback Zach Wilson second overall in 2021, they handed him the starting job with no competition. In retrospect, that was a mistake, according to offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.

“In hindsight, it probably would’ve benefited [him] just to sit back and learn a little bit and watch a veteran and just kind of grow in this league — kind of in the backseat, watching,” LaFleur said Thursday. “Get better in practice, get better through the scout team and all that. But that wasn’t the course that we went.”

This was the first public admission by anyone in the organization that Wilson might have been better served by easing into a starting role. His struggles over two years have emerged as one of the major issues surrounding the Jets (7-9), who have a five-game losing streak and were eliminated from postseason contention last weekend.

Wilson, benched twice this season, will be a healthy scratch Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.

LaFleur explained why they decided to give Wilson the job from Day 1.

“If you think back to the preseason, I think everyone wanted to crown him after the first preseason, right?” he said. “I don’t think any of us got too high or too low on the preseason, but he was playing pretty good football through that.”

Wilson completed 75% of his passes with two touchdowns and no interceptions, but he faced no starting defenses that preseason. Still, the Jets were committed to him from the outset. In fact, they never actually announced that he was the starter because they saw it as obvious. “We’re going to have to look back and see what — not necessarily red flags, but what indicators were there that said he wasn’t ready,” LaFleur said. “Hindsight is 20/20. It really doesn’t matter. We just have to learn from it, and we will.”

At the time, the only quarterbacks on the roster were Wilson, Mike White and James Morgan. White had no NFL experience, and Morgan was a rookie. They eventually added…