The Dolphins signed former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson to a one-year deal last month to be Tua Tagovailoa’s backup in 2025.
At the annual league meeting in Palm Beach this week, head coach Mike McDaniel called Wilson “a direct, calculated target.”
“To be quite frank, it’s an inexact science, but we thought he was the best option for us,” McDaniel said, via transcript from the team. “We thought that was a way that the Miami Dolphins could get better and are excited to see how he seizes that opportunity.”
Wilson, 25, spent last season with the Broncos after appearing in 34 games with 33 starts over his first three seasons with the Jets. Wilson hasn’t seen much success in the league yet, but McDaniel noted he’s seen the potential with Wilson since studying him when the quarterback was entering the league.
“I watched every snap of his collegiate play, and he was a phenomenal talent that in my opinion didn’t have reps in an NFL pocket yet,” McDaniel said. “Like at BYU he was launching it from about 10 and 11 yards deep and you’re not in the phone booth, and so my estimation, there was going to be some nuanced growth to his game that I think it is close to impossible to excel that early in that new form of football that he was playing.”
McDaniel also praised Wilson’s resolve after beginning his career the way he did in such a high-profile place like New York.
“What I see in Zach is the experience of being the second pick in the draft, being the starter Week 1, and then not fulfilling the rookie contract — that is behind him,” McDaniel said. “So to me, that’s an exciting prospect because you can’t put a measurement on that human ability that is huge at the quarterback position.
“Not comparing the players at all — on the record, not comparing the players — Tua [Tagovailoa] found that this environment helped him through that process. As coaches, we want to offer literally everything to his game and I’m excited about where he’s at based upon him.”
Wilson did not appear in a game for the Broncos in 2024. He’s completed 57 percent of his career passes for 6,293 yards with 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions.
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