One month after signing with the Miami Dolphins, Zach Wilson has already received praise from his new head coach — and now, his new general manager is weighing in.
Dolphins general manager Chris Grier spoke to reporters on Tuesday about his backup quarterback, according to Pro Football Talk.
“I think as we were all going through it and we spent a lot of time on that with Mike (McDaniel) and the offensive coaches and the scouts, and we just felt like Zach had a lot of potential and a lot of talent, and I know you could go the veteran route with someone more proven,” he said.
Grier believes Wilson “was the right fit and right choice” for the Dolphins to back up starter Tua Tagovailoa.
“Zach has won a few games. I know everyone is going to say his record and stuff, but I think for us in dealing with it and getting to know him, talking once he signed and getting to know him and going through it and going back to the relationships people had with him prior to the draft when he came out — we just felt that in talking to him and some veterans, that he was the right fit and right choice for us because we do think that his skill set really fits what our offense does,” he said.
Mike McDaniel on Zach Wilson
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel shared a similar sentiment when speaking about Wilson joining his team.
On March 31, at the NFL’s owner meetings, McDaniel told reporters that Wilson was a “direct, calculated target” for the Dolphins in free agency, as the Deseret News previously reported.
“There’s very few people that know what it’s like to be drafted high in New York City,” McDaniel said. “And so then to see his resolve, to see where he’s digested the whole situation. It’s like anything for all of us. OK, if you have adversity in your life, that can be a source of strength and growth or it could be a source of, all right, that’s what defines you and you can’t get over that.”
McDaniel also called Wilson an “exciting prospect” to work with.
“What I see in Zach is the experience of being the second pick in the draft, being the starter week one, and then not fulfilling the rookie contract, that is behind him. So that, 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,” he said.