FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) 鈥 Garrett Wilson’s bond with Justin Fields goes back to their days at Ohio State, when they connected for plenty of big plays and a whole lot of wins.
They’re hoping for much of the same now as teammates on the New York Jets. And they’re .
Not that Wilson is surprised. In May, the star wide receiver spoke about being reunited this season with his former college quarterback, saying he knows exactly what Fields can do while adding: “I still think the world鈥檚 got to see it.鈥
Fields gave everyone a pretty good glimpse last Sunday when he was 16 of 22 for 218 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson, and ran 12 times for 48 yards and two other scores in .
鈥淚 mean, 100%, man,鈥 Wilson said Thursday. “This game, it rewards people that love it. That’s just the way I see it, and he loves the game. He plays it the right way and has the right mindset every time he takes that field. And to all the teammates, that stuff鈥檚 contagious, right? So when your quarterback鈥檚 doing that, it鈥檚 like, you’ve got no choice 鈥 I鈥檓 gonna pop up after taking that hit, whatever it may be, because you see him do it.
鈥淪o he’s not done yet. You know, we’re not done yet. We鈥檙e all excited for the opportunities we have to go show the world what we can do.鈥
Fields has since joining the Jets, his third team in as many years. Since being the No. 11 overall pick of Chicago in 2021, the quarterback has had plenty of criticisms thrown his way as he tried to live up to expectations, develop his game in the NFL and overcome mistakes.
鈥淭hose hits you鈥檙e referring to all throughout his career, I鈥檝e been watching some of the hits he鈥檇 take and, you know, some of those weren鈥檛 as deserving as people thought they were at those times, right?鈥 Wilson said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the game we play. People try to do stuff like that. But the reality of it is it鈥檚 a new opportunity, a new team. It’s a fresh slate.鈥
That’s exactly what coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand figured when they brought Fields in as a free agent in March. They liked his dual-threat ability, thinking it could be the perfect complement to the run-first offense the Jets showed in training camp and then in the opener against the Steelers, against whom they ran for 182 yards.
鈥淚 thought that Justin took what the defense gives him,鈥 Engstrand said. “We鈥檝e talked about that a lot here and when the defense was giving the opportunity to take an explosive play or push the ball down the field, he did it. When it wasn鈥檛 there, he was able to check the ball down. He did a nice job playing the game and playing each individual play that way.
鈥淪o, I thought it was very good. His leadership showed on the field and in the huddle.鈥
It was a familiar feeling for Wilson, who saw those traits 鈥 along with fast reads and a smooth operation 鈥 on full display when they were Buckeyes together during the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
Sure, it’s just one game and Fields acknowledged he needs to improve on some things. But it was certainly a performance off which he, Wilson and the offense can build as they on Sunday.
鈥淲e have some good chemistry here,鈥 Wilson said. 鈥淚 mean, all of us here, we鈥檝e built something special since March, since April. I don鈥檛 want to make it bigger than what it is. It鈥檚 just playing good ball and that鈥檚 what J. Fields does, man. He鈥檚 a baller.鈥
Injuries
Cornerback Sauce Gardner showed up on the Jets’ injury report Thursday with a groin issue that limited him after he was a full participant Wednesday.
Wide receiver Josh Reynolds was also added with a hamstring injury that kept him out of practice.
Running back/kick returner Kene Nwangwu (hamstring) and defensive tackle Jay Tufele (illness) missed practice for the second day in a row. Tight end Mason Taylor (ankle) was limited after sitting out Wednesday.
___
AP NFL:
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation