Quarterback Zach Wilson landed with the third team of his young NFL career when the 2021 first-round draft pick signed with the Miami Dolphins to serve as a backup for starter Tua Tagovailoa. 
On Monday, Wilson spoke openly about how he has to improve following his three-year stint with the New York Jets and after he spent the 2024 season as an unused backup with the Denver Broncos.
"Processing in the NFL," Wilson said about what he'll work on with the Dolphins from springtime practices through the preseason, as shared by Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post. "Just pocket awareness, the ability to kind of progress more smoothly through my progressions and get the ball out of my hands. And just maybe my understanding of the game, I feel like has just increasingly gotten better since my first year in the league."
Former Jets head coach Robert Saleh suggested in January 2024 that he regretted playing Wilson, the No. 2 pick of the 2021 draft, as a rookie. Hall of Famer Peyton Manning later ripped the Jets for failing Wilson before and after Gang Green acquired Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers in the spring of 2023.
Saleh benched Wilson multiple times during the 2022 and 2023 campaigns for poor play, and the 25-year-old upset some teammates when he publicly lacked accountability after a defeat in the fall of 2022. On Monday, Wilson acknowledged he needs to grow as a pro quarterback in the off-the-field aspects of the job.
"Denver was a good opportunity for me to kind of allay the stresses of being an NFL quarterback and just trying to be perfect every day to, to spending more time with the guys in the locker room and growing that bond," Wilson explained. "I think (that) is always important. And just enjoying every single day of being there. So I think, I think that's always an important aspect. And then it carries onto the field of you just being more comfortable."
Sam Darnold, Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield are recent examples of quarterbacks previously discarded by multiple teams but eventually found success en route to signing big-money contracts. While Wilson insisted on Monday that he thinks "there's nothing wrong with being a journeyman" signal-caller, he said he'd like to shake that label with the Dolphins or a different team.
"I still believe I can be a starter in this league whenever the opportunity comes," added Wilson. "And so, just trying to put myself in the best situation with the best team and coaches and do the absolute best that I can and then you know hopefully at some point you can get that opportunity to show what you can do."
Tagovailoa has a worrisome history of concussions, so it may be only a matter of time before Wilson is called into action after the regular season begins in September.
