Zach Wilson’s highs have reached a new low, and it’s all thanks to Bo Nix

Zach Wilson went from the presumed face of the New York Jets franchise to Bo Nix insurance policy in Denver in quick succession. Wilson has reportedly embraced his new role with class. He doesn’t seem to mind being a backup, even if it means playing second fiddle to Nix, or third fiddle to Nix and Jarrett Stidham, of all the players.

This comes after Stidham publicly complained about his role after Nix was named the starter. However, Sean Payton still sees Stidham as the better backup option compared to Wilson.

Wilson was listed as inactive for Week 3, which isn’t a huge surprise considering he’s the third quarterback on the depth chart. Again, this isn’t exactly new news. Wilson is a developmental project on a team that already has one of its own as its primary starter. The league has moved on from Wilson in terms of a player that some teams might consider as a starting quarterback. In that sense, he’s behind players from his own draft class, like Trey Lance and Justin Fields, neither of whom are top prospects in their own right.

Before the Broncos Week 3 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Wilson was spotted catching passes in warmups and doing the griddy, making headlines for all the wrong reasons on social media.

Wilson’s future in Denver is about as uncertain as it gets. If a quarterback-needy team called the Broncos about Wilson around the NFL trade deadline, he might be sidelined. But why would any team be interested? When Wilson got his chance last season—thanks to a season-ending injury to Aaron Rodgers in Week 1—he didn’t take full advantage.

The Jets offense was terrible and Wilson was to blame. Now, with a healthy but limited Rodgers running games, New York looks much better.

I don’t want to knock Wilson at all. He’s had a rough ride in New York and now Denver, but his best chance to fulfill his potential as a starting quarterback isn’t with the Broncos. Maybe he can start next season as a backup for a team with a proven starting quarterback and a head coach who can develop young signal-callers. It’s also worth noting, though, that there aren’t many of those jobs available.