The Jets coaches don’t mince words when it comes to the struggles of first-round pick, cornerback Kyle Wilson.
“His role is shrinking” Jets coach Rex Ryan said Thursday. “When you do get your opportunities in the game you have to step up.”
According to the Newark Star-Ledger, Wilson didn’t play a defensive snap against the Broncos before the Jets had their bye week. It’s not like the Jets’ 14th-ranked pass defense couldn’t use the help or has stars replacing Wilson. Drew Coleman and Dwight Lowery are ahead of him.
“I think a big part of it is his confidence,” defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said. “He got called for a couple penalties, he got beat on a couple plays...the mental is just as important as the physical given the lonesome world those guys are in.”
It’s been a steep fall for a guy they had lined up as a starter when Darrelle Revis was holding out of training camp. Give Ryan some credit for not giving Wilson a “scholarship.”
“I love Kyle and he’s a first-round pick,” Ryan said Thursday in comments distributed by the team. “It would look great for the organization that he starts. [But] we’ve said all the time, we’re in the win business.”