Why Would the Broncos Want Zach Wilson?
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The Denver Broncos agreed to terms on a trade with the New York Jets recently, sending former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson to the Broncos. The Jets received Denver’s sixth-round pick (No. 203) and the Broncos also received New York’s seventh-round pick (No. 256). Wilson has not had the best career so far, as he’s been in and out of the starting spot for New York and called a bust by many, but this move by Denver is a low-stakes one that can cause no harm.
Why would Denver want Wilson, especially with the quarterback prospects that should be available for them to select with the 12th overall pick? Wilson has a poor track record, and his playstyle doesn’t fit what Sean Payton likes to do on offense. Payton is all about the quick game and impeccable timing between a quarterback and the receivers, and one of Wilson’s weak spots has been his lack of chemistry with his targets.
However, if anyone is built to revive the career of a disappointing quarterback, it’s Sean Payton, backed with his rugged mentality. He’s shown that he won’t cater to poor quarterback play, as seen last year with his benching of Russell Wilson, and has a guy who he trusts in his back pocket in Jarrett Stidham.
For the young guys available in the draft, the prospects who are projected to be available, Michael Penix Jr., Bo Nix, and possibly J.J. McCarthy are without a question a tier below the top guys, and the Broncos would have to give up a lot of capital to trade up into the top three to pick one of the A-tier prospects. After giving up a lofty number of first-round picks, cutting/trading multiple valuable players, and taking on lots of dead money in recent year, it is not worth it for Denver to give up more picks and talented players for a top pick.
That brings up another question. Are the Broncos going to tank this season? Payton will be the first one to tell you that the answer is no. However, it’s no secret that this team won’t win many games with Wilson or Stidham under center. This move allows the Broncos to either select a non-quarterback at 12, or even trade back and get two solid prospects without having to worry who’s taking the other quarterbacks. In next year’s draft, when prospects such as Shedeur Sanders and Carson Beck are available, the Broncos could possibly go in on their next quarterback of the future.
During his time in New York, Wilson went 11-21 as the starting quarterback, and appeared in two more games as a backup. He had a 23:25 touchdown-to-interception ratio and has only completed 57% of his passes in his career. These stats aren’t impressive by any means, but it’s not a question that he has a talented arm. The issue has been channeling that talent into productivity, which can partly be blamed on him and partly on poor coaching. A fresh start for Wilson could be the first step he needed in a true career revival.
