Mike McDaniel: Zach Wilson's been through some s—t and found his way through it

Quarterback Zach Wilson spent three tumultuous years with the Jets before he was traded to the Broncos last offseason.

Now he's back in the AFC East on a one-year deal with the Dolphins, as head coach Mike McDaniel said Wilson was “a direct, calculated target” to be Tua Tagovailoa’s backup in 2025.

In his Tuesday press conference, McDaniel complimented Wilson for the way he’s made some adjustments when it comes to the timing of his throws.

“There’s residuals to people, just in general, that have gone through things that are very beneficial at the quarterback position or just on a football team,” McDaniel said, via transcript from the team. “But as a football player, I think he’s come close to about as much scrutiny as one could have. Your top three draft pick — he was [No.] 2 — in New York City. Well, I mean, I think Joe Namath figured that out, and everybody else is like, ‘Woah, this is a lot.’ But that’s what I see, is a guy that is playing football with the empowerment of, ‘You know what? I’m strong enough to handle anything.’

“And a guy like that — that’s continually working at his craft, who has supreme arm talent — it’s cool to watch him grow, particularly in our offense, because guys with arm talent always throw it late. You have a stronger arm, [you might say], ‘I’ll just wait and see it.’ Go back to like John Elway and dudes with cannons. A guy with arm talent like that to challenge the play, the game of football, the quarterback position, the only reason I would even challenge him in that regard is because he has the power of, ‘Yeah, this game adjustment, or what coach is asking of me is minuscule, rabbit pellets, relative.’ So he’s exhibited that.”

But moreover, McDaniel sees the experiences Wilson has had in the league as a benefit for him moving forward.

“Coming in, I’m going to challenge the guy because at the quarterback position, you are supremely challenged every drive, every quarter,” McDaniel said. “He looks like a guy that has been through some shit and found his way through it, because it does not make him worse. He learns from it.

“And that’s realistically the best thing that’s gone on this offseason is I’ve seen a lot of people match those types of energies of supreme conviction in trying to be their very best, and you do that by boldly attacking stuff a lot of times that are uncomfortable.”

Wilson did not appear in a game for the Broncos last year. In 34 career appearances with 33 starts, he’s completed 57 percent of his passes for 6,293 yards with 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions.