Garrett Wilson did not delve into the trodden ground of clichés when asked about sitting on the bench for just over half of the Jets’ offensive snaps on Sunday.
The rookie wide receiver is used to being on the field. The 41 snaps he played in the Jets’ 24-9 loss to Baltimore are his fewest on offense since Week 4 of last season with Ohio State, a 59-7 blowout of Akron in which the reserves played mop-up duty. This business of playing one drive, sitting out the next is new to him.
“It’s hard on yourself. It’s hard on someone like me,” Wilson told The Post. “‘Cause I’ve never been in that position, and at the end of the day, I feel like I can really help the team and I can bring something to the table. I want to do that, but I feel like I’ve gotta trust their plan for me and let everything happen.”
Despite some consternation over Wilson’s usage (as well as that of tight end CJ Uzomah, who played just 27 percent of the team’s offensive snaps), the long-term plan surely includes more playing time for a receiver who the Jets spent the 10th pick in the draft to acquire. And the early outlook remains optimistic — don’t overlook that he had four catches for 52 yards against Baltimore, earning praise from offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur on Thursday.
But Wilson is still young, still learning.
“We can see how dynamic he is in the pass game,” LaFleur said. “He’s an awesome guy to coach, it’s just gonna be — he’s not gonna be just that one position. He’s gotta be at our F position, he’s gotta be at our Z and just be able to operate every single play.
“Not just the pass plays where he knows he’s getting the ball, but also when we’re running the ball, when he’s running the fake jet sweeps and stuff like that. That operation needs to get to 100 percent, and he knows that.”
Wilson felt like he was just fine without the ball but acknowledged that learning different positions is still something he’s working towards.
“I’d say that’s the one thing,” he said. “Besides that, man, it’s just learning the scheme and getting better with my team.”
There was no designated plan as to how much time Wilson would get on the field Sunday before the game, he said, and sitting on the bench for periods was as big an adjustment as anything else he experienced in his NFL debut.
“It’s a lot to put your body through, man,” Wilson said. “It’s a lot to ask your body to cool down and then go perform at the highest level and then cool down again. It’s a lot. I’m just trying to stay locked in and doing the best I can to keep my body ready to go. But it’s definitely a lot. It’s hard.”
As far as when he actually was on the field, Wilson had a solid day.
“It was awesome, bro,” he said. “Getting out there and being able to get a taste of the NFL speed and finally accomplish my dream. We didn’t finish the way we wanted to, we didn’t get the result we wanted to, so that’s the focus now.”
Indeed, when given the chance, he flashed his skill. And he finished with eight targets, a perfectly involved number — albeit on a day where the Jets threw the ball an obscene 59 times.
“I felt ready for it,” Wilson said. “I didn’t feel like it was nothing crazy.”
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