Jets' Sauce Letting Zach Wilson Off Hook For Poor Play?

Who deserves the blame for the failed development of former No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick Zach Wilson? Some could point to poor offensive line play as a limiting factor in Wilson's development.

The Zach Wilson experiment is ending for the New York Jets as they look to trade away the former No. 2 overall pick. That process has already been started, as confirmed by Jets general manager Joe Douglas, who said they have already permitted Wilson to seek out interested teams. 

However, even after three seasons of never living up to his No. 2 overall draft status, Wilson still has supporters in his current Jets teammates. One of them was star cornerback Sauce Gardner, who stood up for Wilson in a quote tweet Friday in response to a "report" claiming Wilson wasn't garnering much trade interest.

“This has to be cap. Zach is a BALLER,” Gardner wrote. “All he needs is time to throw the ball and if for whatever reason he don’t have it, he can get it done with his legs.”

New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (left) and cornerback Sauce Gardner (right) / USA Today Network

It is surely quite the statement from Gardner, considering it could come off as if he is throwing his own team's offensive line under the bus. While no one can argue against Garnder's indirect claim that the Jets' offensive line was a problem last season, it may not go over well in the locker room. 

However, Wilson's status as a "baller" in the mind of Gardner never seemingly translated during games for the Jets. Even after an offseason of mentorship by Aaron Rodgers, who was not only brought in to be the Jets' starting quarterback but also to help develop Wilson, it didn't bear fruit this past season after he tore his Achilles.  

The injury would force the former BYU product back into the starting job, a role he held for nine games before he was benched in favor of career backup Tim Boyle. 

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However, that was just for two games before Boyle was cut, and Wilson returned to the field for two more games before being replaced by Trevor Siemian due to injury for the final three games.

Now, Wilson will look for his next team, which may just have an offensive-minded coach and a strong offensive line.

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