Wilson Returns with The Jets, While Trubisky Stays with The Steelers

Kenny Pickett will be joining Zach Wilson and playing for the New York Jets after being traded by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It would seem that the only issue is when. A full-circle moment for a guy who was once on the opposite side of the equation is something that Mitch Trubisky’s duty is to make sure happens later rather than sooner.

Trubisky was the highly-touted newcomer who spent the early part of his first season in Chicago in 2017 waiting behind a well-traveled veteran (Mike Glennon) who was fighting to cling on to what would become his last opportunity at being a full-time NFL starter.

This was Trubisky’s first season in Chicago. It lasted for the whole of the four games.

Trubisky was given the keys to the franchise when the Chicago Bears were off to a 1-3 start, and he proceeded to put together three and a half seasons that were both intriguing and inconsistent before moving on.

At this point, it is Trubisky who is at the top of the depth chart, and he is doing his best to delay Pickett’s rise to the position of starter.

Although Trubisky has been very skilled at wearing figurative ear muffs as a result of spending four seasons in the eye of the ever-churning maelstrom in Chicago, the cry for change will only get louder if the Steelers (1-2) fall again Sunday at home against the Jets (1-2).

Possibly Deafening

Trubisky said, “You’ve got to keep the blinders on.” “You need to tune out the distractions, keep your mind on the job at hand, and give all your attention to what we’re doing in here. Keep your attention on the team as a whole and improve and bonding with one another.

A delay would mean Trubisky would fall to the same level of success as Joe Flacco. While Wilson healed from a right-knee injury, the 37-year-old former Super Bowl champion started the first three weeks.

He sometimes looked younger than his age, but he struggled during a poor defeat to Cincinnati last Sunday.

Although this game would take place in a city where the New York Jets have never won in team history, head coach Robert Saleh has no qualms about naming Wilson the starter. According to Saleh, Wilson, not Flacco, represents the future of the franchise.

It would be more beneficial to assess where Wilson stands as he enters his second season by putting him in challenging situations rather than arbitrarily shielding him. Wilson, who started 3 games in 2021 and lost all of them, has no problem with it.

He said, “I am going to give this my all.” I plan to enjoy myself and let the end outcome come naturally.

The game should go well if I go out there and play my game, do what I am meant to do, and have a good short-term memory so that I can forget about bad plays quickly. With Wilson, the Jets have their sights set far into the future.

The people of Pittsburgh have a unique outlook. When a team has not had a losing season since 2003, they do not tend to freak out easily.

Inside linebacker Myles Jack remarked, “It’s the first quarter (of the) NFL season dude, you can’t hoist up the trophy yet.” This structure has our full faith. Yes, man, it has been a long year. We have not even begun!

The Big Guy Shuffling

The five offensive linemen who were anticipated to start for the Jets did not spend much time during the offseason training together as a unit before the regular season began.

It was a worry back then, and it continues to be one going into the regular season. As of earlier this week, left tackle George Fant was put on injured reserve, which indicates that veteran backup Conor McDermott is going to start in his stead on Sunday.

Due to a knee injury, Mekhi Becton, who began training camp as the right tackle for the team, will not play again this season.

Fant was moved to the right side of the offensive line following the signing of Duane Brown, who was supposed to play left tackle but is currently out with a shoulder ailment and will be on injured reserve for at least another week.

Third And Wrong

On first and second down, the New York defense has done an adequate job. However, the Jets have struggled mightily when facing third downs.

In their matchup with New York, opponents have been successful in converting 51.3% (20 of 39) of their third-down plays into first downs.

These places the Jets in 31st place among all NFL teams. Seven of the 10 touchdowns that New York has allowed opponents to score have come on third-down plays. This includes all three touchdowns that Cincinnati scored in their 27-12 victory against New York last Sunday.

C.J. Mosley, a linebacker for the team, remarked that “whether it’s a system or whether it’s the offense getting in the correct positions and stuff like that, we’ve got to find a way to get off the field.”

“We are in the National Football League. They are going to attempt to outsmart us and produce difficult plays against our pressure and zone defenses by producing elaborate strategies. Other than that, we simply need to figure out a solution.”

Depleted By Run-Off

As of this point in the season, the results of Pittsburgh’s efforts to improve their run defense, which ranked lowest in the NFL in 2017.

Tomlin is hopeful that by moving Montravius Adams to the starting lineup, he will improve a defense that has had trouble getting off the field in key situations.

Adams, who stands at 6 feet 3 and weighs 304 pounds, was signed to a two-year deal in March after spending the previous season on New Orleans’ practice squad. The injury sidelined the 27-year-old for the majority of preseason.

The setback may have been beneficial to his growth since it provided him more time to thoroughly grasp the playbook he had to learn on the fly a year ago.

When asked whether he was the unit’s savior, Adams chuckled. The team is ranked 28th in the league against the run. He believes the Jets will relieve Wilson of part of his workload by sending the ball to Breece Hall and Michael Carter, their youthful running back duo.

Adams described the league as “a copycat league.” So, we had some difficulty (stopping the run). So, therefore, I anticipate that they will begin by attempting to run into us. But do you know what? We are going to go on as usual.

This article was aided by Dennis Waszak Jr., a pro football writer for the Associated Press based in New York.