The Jets are still in the throes of a search-and-rescue mission for their top picks from the 2020 and 2021 drafts.
They have steadfastly — stubbornly? — refused to give up on tackle Mekhi Becton (the 11th-overall pick in 2020) or quarterback Zach Wilson (second-overall in ’21). Entering the 2023 season, the team seems determined to prove neither player is a lost cause. These dog days of summer training camp, the preseason games and eventually the regular season will determine the outcome of the mission.
The start of Becton’s career has, because of weight issues and two knee injuries, been more about stops — more specifically, his extended time on the injury list. Becton hasn’t played a regular-season game since the 2021 season opener.
For Wilson, his first two years were riddled with disappointment as he struggled to live up to being the second pick in the draft and the face of a franchise.
To a large degree, the 2022 draft — which produced cornerback Sauce Gardner, the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, and receiver Garrett Wilson, the Offensive Rookie of the Year — has masked the shortcomings of Becton and Wilson.
Now, with Aaron Rodgers the focal point of the team and having pushed Wilson into a more manageable supporting role as he tries to resuscitate his career as at least a dependable backup, his struggles as a starter have been put on the back burner.
To borrow the publicized phrase of head coach Robert Saleh from his recent rant about the team’s struggling offensive line on HBO’s “Hard Knocks,’’ Becton and Wilson have an opportunity to “change the stink’’ that has been attached to their respective careers to date.
Wilson, thanks in large part to the way Rodgers has taken him under his wing as a mentor, has had a solid summer so far, looking more comfortable and confident in his decision-making. He looked good in last week’s 27-0 preseason win over the Panthers, making sound decisions in that game, though he wasn’t asked to do a whole lot.
Becton, in Thursday’s practice, was moved to right tackle for the first time this summer — a place where he might be best used this season if he performs well.
Both Wilson and Becton will see a decent amount of playing time in the preseason game against the Buccaneers on Saturday night at MetLife Stadium. It’ll be fascinating to see if Becton, who played 27 snaps in last week’s game at Carolina in a backup role, gets some reps at right tackle against the Bucs, who have an active front seven.
Saleh said after Thursday’s practice that was still to be discussed among the coaches.
What Saleh was clearer on about Becton, though, is his want-to. Becton has, in the past, pushed back on the coaches wanting to play him on the right side instead of his natural left tackle spot. But Duane Brown is the slated left tackle and that’s not negotiable.
“We had a really nice conversation [Wednesday],’’ Saleh said of he and Becton. “It’s the most confident I’ve felt with him. I look in a guy’s eyes and he’s going for it. He wants to be on the field. He wants to play football. ‘Going for it’ is the amount of strain and fight. I just feel a different person.’’
Hopefully, Becton stays healthy and the Jets see a different player than they’ve seen when he has played.
Same for Wilson.
Rodgers recently said he hopes that this time for Wilson “is like a deep inhale and exhale, that he can really like take a breath and pause and sit with the disappointment of last year and the frustration and then channel it … just reach in and channel it to a positive and focus on the opportunity in front of him. Then just go be himself and look at this as a chance to reset.’’
Saleh on Thursday described Wilson’s “growth’’ as “phenomenal.’’
“The confidence at which he’s just letting the ball rip … he’s playing without fear, he’s letting the bad plays go,’’ Saleh said. “The nuances — the ball-handling, all the little details of his game — have just kind of elevated. I give him so much credit, because it’s hard enough to do what he’s been doing [take a backseat after starting], and to do it with the openness and the way he’s attacked it … it’s a credit to him.
“He’s going to be in this league for a long time and he’s going to start for a long time.’’
All of that — for Wilson and Becton — is, of course, still in the hope stage and still to be determined is whether the top draft picks can be salvaged.
Saturday night at MetLife Stadium should continue to answer more questions.
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