Focusing on team and self, Zach Wilson won the offseason.
When he wasn't throwing to his receivers on his "Zach Across America Tour," the second-year quarterback was working on his body. Listed at 6-foot-2, 214 pounds, Wilson never will be confused with Josh Allen (6-foot-5) or Justin Herbert (6-foot-6), which is why his goal was to add weight -- shock absorber for the weekly pounding.
Mission accomplished.
"He looks beefy -- in a good way," coach Robert Saleh said.
Wilson said he wanted to do it the "right way," focusing on a healthy diet. Those close to him say he has become meticulous about what he eats. He tried to gain weight in the past, getting as high as 218, but didn't feel comfortable from an athletic standpoint. This time, he took it slow and steady in order to maintain his quickness and loose throwing motion. He didn't divulge his current weight, but the change is apparent to everyone around him.
"It looks like he's put on some weight," linebacker C.J. Mosley said, smiling. "He's been in the weight room. Maybe he went down to Miami and the [players who train there] got him right. I don't know if they were lifting weights like that at BYU. But that's the difference between Year 1 and Year 2. Your body starts to change, you get a little older and you figure out the dos and the don'ts. That's part of being a pro and growing up."
Wilson is showing he wants to improve after an underwhelming rookie season. He's doing and saying the right things, receiving praise for his mature approach, but that takes a player only so far. It's a production business, and he has to produce a lot better than last year.
An upgraded supporting cast will help, but eventually it falls on Wilson. He can start with the little things -- literally. On pass attempts between 1 to 10 yards, he completed a league-low 62% -- 10% below the NFL average, per ESPN Stats & Information research. If he can get to average, which computes to about two more completions per game, the offense will be in a better place.
When he wasn't throwing to his receivers on his "Zach Across America Tour," the second-year quarterback was working on his body. Listed at 6-foot-2, 214 pounds, Wilson never will be confused with Josh Allen (6-foot-5) or Justin Herbert (6-foot-6), which is why his goal was to add weight -- shock absorber for the weekly pounding.
Mission accomplished.
"He looks beefy -- in a good way," coach Robert Saleh said.
Wilson said he wanted to do it the "right way," focusing on a healthy diet. Those close to him say he has become meticulous about what he eats. He tried to gain weight in the past, getting as high as 218, but didn't feel comfortable from an athletic standpoint. This time, he took it slow and steady in order to maintain his quickness and loose throwing motion. He didn't divulge his current weight, but the change is apparent to everyone around him.
"It looks like he's put on some weight," linebacker C.J. Mosley said, smiling. "He's been in the weight room. Maybe he went down to Miami and the [players who train there] got him right. I don't know if they were lifting weights like that at BYU. But that's the difference between Year 1 and Year 2. Your body starts to change, you get a little older and you figure out the dos and the don'ts. That's part of being a pro and growing up."
Wilson is showing he wants to improve after an underwhelming rookie season. He's doing and saying the right things, receiving praise for his mature approach, but that takes a player only so far. It's a production business, and he has to produce a lot better than last year.
An upgraded supporting cast will help, but eventually it falls on Wilson. He can start with the little things -- literally. On pass attempts between 1 to 10 yards, he completed a league-low 62% -- 10% below the NFL average, per ESPN Stats & Information research. If he can get to average, which computes to about two more completions per game, the offense will be in a better place.
