Zach Wilson figures to see his playing time increased in Saturday’s game against the Packers after playing two series in his first preseason action, last week against the Giants.
The rookie quarterback also is slated to play in the preseason finale the following week against the Eagles, Jets head coach Robert Saleh said Tuesday.
“Hoping to get him a couple of series just like we did against the Giants, maybe a couple more after that, maybe one or two more,” Saleh said of Wilson, who completed six of nine passes for 63 yards in his debut. “We’ll see, we got to talk towards the end of the week, see how these practices go.”
Wilson and the Jets will practice Wednesday and Thursday with the Packers in Green Bay ahead of Saturday’s game between the clubs at Lambeau Field.
Zach Wilson Bill Kostroun/New York Post“Part of the process of getting better is getting reps against as many different looks as possible. He’s been seeing our defense, he’s been seeing our system. It gets to a point where he needs to see something else so he can take another step in his process,” Saleh said. “Their system is different than ours. They’ve got different fronts. They’ve got different coverages. They’ve got different players, and how they react, a different play caller. … Like I’ve said, I think these practices are priceless.”
Saleh said Mike White and James Morganve experienced “some ups and downs with both of their performances,” and the process to decide which of them will open the season as the No. 2 quarterback “is still going.”
Asked about the decision to cut Chris Naggar this week, leaving Matt Ammendola as the lone kicker in camp, Saleh said it was “just the opportunity to let Ammendola see if he can get a stranglehold on this thing … to see if he can seize it.”
Alijah Vera-Tucker Bill Kostroun/New York PostThe Jets are hoping rookie guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (pectoral) will be able to play in the third preseason game.
“I’m really not concerned about his Week 1 status,” Saleh said, “but we’d love to get him some run in that third game.”
Defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd believes the Jets’ various styles along the defensive line “reminds me of a Marvel’s Avengers team, you know? Everyone has their own little special power that they bring to the table.”
Asked for his power, Shepherd replied “probably somewhere [like] a Hulk-smash. I’m definitely a big power guy.” He joked that Captain America is “to be determined.”
The Jets released safety Bennett Jackson, running back Austin Walter and defensive lineman Michael Dwumfour and placed offensive lineman Cameron Clark (spinal-cord contusion) on injured reserve to trim their roster to 85. Clark was injured in practice on Aug. 3.






