In a season of second chances, Zach Wilson hasn’t gotten his

This has been the season for second chances for NFL quarterbacks. Daniel Jones, a giant bust for the New York Giants, experienced a rebirth with the Indianapolis Colts before a late-season injury.

Sam Darnold, a failed QB with the New York Jets (is there any other kind?), revived his career, first with the Minnesota Vikings but especially this season with the Seattle Seahawks.

Mac Jones, who flopped with the New England Patriots, played so well as an eight-game replacement for injured starter Brock Purdy in San Francisco that some wondered if he shouldn’t keep the 49ers job permanently.

All of them have been given another chance by teams other than the teams that made them one of the top 15 players selected in the draft. There have been similar quarterback rebirths in recent seasons, notably including Baker Mayfield, cut loose by three teams, who’s found success with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It looked like Zach Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2021 draft, via BYU and Corner Canyon High, would also have a chance to revive his fading career when Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel announced last week that there would be changes at quarterback.

Wilson figured to be next in line, given his experience (37 games, 33 as the starter) and his inclusion on the active roster for every game this season.

He wasn’t. After benching Tua Tagovailoa, McDaniel promoted Quinn Ewers to replace him as the starter. Ewers was drafted in the seventh (last) round of this year’s draft, the 231st player overall. He had thrown eight passes all season. He wasn’t even included on the active roster for the first six weeks of the season.

The headlines told the story:

“What’s Next for Zach Wilson After Dolphins Leapfrog Him for Unproven Rookie?” — from The New York Post.

“Former Jets QB Zach Wilson Takes Another bump in Spiraling Career” — from the Jets X-Factor.

Wilson’s career is hanging in the balance. Will he ever get another chance?

Ewers wound up playing the entire game, completing 20 of 30 passes for 260 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. The Dolphins lost 45-21 to the Cincinnati Bengals, and still Wilson never left the sideline.

Wilson’s career has been rocky from the start. The Jets made him the second overall pick of the 2021 draft, so right from the start he was bucking the odds. The Jets are a QB graveyard. Wilson’s selection marked the 13th time in 21 years that the team had drafted a quarterback, including three in the first round and three in the second round.

Predictably, it didn’t go well for Wilson, and after three seasons he was cut loose at the end of the 2023 season. Maybe he would succeed for another team like Jets castoffs before him — Darnold and Geno Smith, who found success in Seattle before leaving this season for the Las Vegas Raiders.

Wilson found a new employer: the Denver Broncos. He was No. 3 on the depth chart for the 2024 season and didn’t see any game action. In the offseason he signed with the Dolphins, who seemed to offer a better opportunity to see action. He’s thrown nine passes this season.

In Week 7, NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport reported that the Dolphins were moving Ewers ahead of Wilson as backup to Tagovailoa.

“Former Jets QB Zach Wilson Takes Sad Step Close to Being All-Time Draft Bust ….” — from Sportsnaut.

The backup role was still uncertain as the season progressed — Wilson saw spot duty in three games and threw nine passes; Ewers played briefly in one game and threw eight passes. Perhaps Ewers’ poor performance on Sunday will open the door for Wilson.

Meanwhile, Wilson is being included on lists of all-time draft busts at the quarterback position, a list that includes names like JaMarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf, Josh Rosen, Tim Couch and Akili Smith.

Wilson’s career passing stats: 6,325 yards, 23 touchdowns, 25 interceptions, 57% completion rate, a 73.2 rating. His won-lost record is 12-21.

The quarterback draft class of 2021 has mostly been a disappointment. Trevor Lawrence, Wilson and Trey Lance were the first three picks of the draft, followed by Justin Fields at 11 and Jones at 15. All of them except Lawrence are playing for their third team.

Lawrence is one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL and has put the Jaguars in first place in the AFC South division.

Fields has played in 59 games (starting 53 of them), the latest being, who else, the Jets. They benched him after 10 games. The Jets are now playing their third quarterback — Brady Cook, an undrafted rookie — even though veterans Tyrod Taylor and Fields were both ready to play last weekend.

Lance has played in only 12 games in four seasons. He is the Chargers’ No. 2 quarterback.

Jones, thanks to his strong showing this season, will undoubtedly be pursued by other teams in the offseason.

The odds are stacked against quarterbacks taken in the first round.

Earlier this year, Fox Sports reported that from 2002 through 2023, 39 of 61 quarterbacks picked in the first round (63.9%) were considered “more of a ‘miss’ than a ‘hit.’” This includes “misses” on more than half of the quarterbacks picked in the top 10 (21 of 37, 56.8%).

Then there is Purdy, the last player picked in the 2022 NFL draft; he took the 49ers to the Super Bowl.

There’s always a market for a solid, if unspectacular backup in the NFL. Apparently, after five years and 33 starts in the league, Wilson hasn’t convinced anyone yet that he can fill that role.