New York Jets’ Offensive Woes with Zach Wilson Would Have Failed Aaron Rodgers Too

Blaming quarterback Zach Wilson for everything wrong with the New York Jets offense is like blaming a young pilot who can’t fly a dilapidated plane. A better and more experienced aviator would have trouble sticking the landing with the same deficient machine. A better cockpit is necessary if the Jets ever want to be a team of any consequence.

The excitement created by Aaron Rodgers’ acquisition lasted all of four plays before he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon. The soon-to-be 40-year-old quarterback still hopes to return this season. Jets general manager Joe Douglas went as far as telling reporters last week that he’s “expecting” Rodgers’ eventual return. Rodgers even told Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James Monday to give him “a few weeks” and he’ll be ready.

Although, any dream of a miraculous recovery actually happening may have gone out the window with Rodgers watching how the rest of the offense continues to play, as the Jets fell to 4-4 overall after a 27-6 loss to the Chargers.

The issues run far deeper than what many would consider a first-round bust orchestrating the system.

“I’m not going to say it was even close to [Wilson’s] worst game,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh said after the game.

The coach is absolutely right. Wilson’s 263 passing yards and 5.4 yards per attempt average aren’t exactly inspiring. But the entire Jets offense was outmatched and completely overwhelmed all because of an impaired roster.

The Dalvin Cook signing, the constantly reshuffled offensive line, the lack of a secondary threat at wide receiver and little-to-no impact from the tight ends have all been critical failures. Even an S-tier quarterback playing at his absolute peak would have trouble getting this albatross off the ground.

Up front, the offensive line is in shambles and the Jets are simply rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic (sorry about the mixed metaphor). Duane Brown, Connor McGovern, Wes Schweitzer and Alijah Vera-Tucker are all on injured reserve. So, the Jets coaching staff trotted out yet another offensive line combination.

From left-to-right, a starting five of Mekhi Becton, Laken Tomlinson, rookie Joe Tippman, Max Mitchell and Billy Turner took the field. Interestingly, Mitchell and Turner switched spots after how they finished the previous week’s game against the New York Giants. Mitchell did not look good playing guard for the first time during his professional career. The veteran looked even worse at right tackle. Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa consistently beat Turner off the edge to create pressure and turnovers.

Questions about the Jets’ offensive front existed prior to the start of the season. So much shuffling caused a complete breakdown. Los Angeles sacked Wilson seven different times, hit him eight more times and caused three forced fumbles.

Wilson may be slow processing compounded by a slightly elongated release, but it’s hard to fault any quarterback with how poorly the Jets’ offensive line played. The Chargers wrecked most plays and never had a letdown by allowing only 270 total yards.

New York’s defense did its job. Comparatively, the Chargers didn’t exactly fill the stat sheet, with 191 total yards. Granted, Los Angeles benefited from short fields and Derius Davis’ 87-yard punt return for a score.

But this is exactly how the Jets are built. They have a playoff caliber defense. Outside of wide receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall, when healthy, no one on offense is doing their job well enough to entertain a postseason run, even if Rodgers were behind center.

The Jets signed veteran ball-carrier Dalvin Cook to a one-year, $7 million contract after the Minnesota Vikings released the four-time 1,000-yard rusher. The 28-year-old lacks the explosivity he once brought to an offense. He provided two carries for seven yards, a catch for another yard and a dropped pass. To think, the seventh-year veteran had the chutzpah to want a trade before the deadline.

Allen Lazard is another big ol’ whiff when it comes to the swings New York took in free agency. The wide receiver signed a four-year, $44 million contract to join Gang Green and remain a favorite target of Rodgers. Without the four-time NFL MVP in the lineup, Lazard is a replacement-level performer, who struggles to create separation and doesn’t make the tough catch.

Beyond Wilson, who caught seven passes Monday, the Jets’ other receivers combined for four receptions.

A byproduct of the previous problem is a heavier usage of tight ends. The Jets like to use 12 personnel with two tight ends regularly featured. Here’s the problem: No tight on the roster is a legitimate threat. Tyler Conklin, C.J. Uzomah and Jeremy Ruckert form a solid trio. None of them dictate coverage or demand the ball on a regular basis. They’re not difference-makers in a league where other tight ends serve as their respective offenses’ No. 1 target.

The Jets can’t have “one or two people killing the play,” as Hall stated.

So it comes as no surprise that the Jets rank 31st in total offense and 30th in scoring. They entered Monday’s game dead last in regards to third-down conversion percentage. In fact, New York’s 23 percent conversion rate was already the worst since 1978. The number actually went down when the Jets converted only three of 17 third-down attempts during Monday’s contest.

The 2023 Jets are one of four teams over the last five seasons to have scored eight or fewer offensive touchdowns through eight team games, according to Football Perspective. It just so happens Gang Green repeated the feat twice before this season in 2019 and 2020.

“It’s true. We’ve gotta be better,” Hall added.

Would a healthy Rodgers playing at anything less than a MVP level have saved this season? It’s unlikely.

Things might have operated more smoothly. But the beating the aging star would have taken and the issues the Jets still faced would have been offset only so much by a more seasoned signal-caller with a quicker release. No one should believe Rodgers, at this point of his career, is capable of elevating New York’s roster as its currently constructed and have it playing anywhere near the level of the AFC’s best squads.

The Jets have stalled once again. The Sully of all quarterbacks isn’t enough to bring this aircraft down safely.

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.