New York Jets QB Zach Wilson, now at 221 pounds, says he feels like 'better athlete with more weight on'

The New York Jets expect to see a bigger and better Zach Wilson in 2022. He already has checked the «bigger» box.

After finishing last season at 208 pounds, the second-year quarterback reported to OTA practices this week at 221 — a designed weight gain that occurred with the help of a nutritionist and a chef. And some serious will power.

«I do have a sweet tooth pretty bad, so that's been a challenge,» Wilson told reporters Tuesday after the Jets' first open practice.

Listed at 6-foot-2, Wilson has eliminated cookies, cakes and other sugary temptations from his carefully scripted diet. He said the keys are proportion management and eating at the right time, resulting in what he called «good weight.»

«I feel better for sure,» he said. «The energy, the ability to have that stamina throughout the whole practice, is better. In the long run, once we get into a game when we actually get a hit and tackled, having more size on me will help.»

One of Wilson's best attributes is his quickness in the pocket. He doesn't believe the 13-pound weight gain will compromise his ability to elude pass rushers. By the start of the season, he wants his playing weight to be 218.

«I just feel like I'm a better athlete with more weight on, for some reason,» he said.

Coach Robert Saleh, describing Wilson's physique, used the word «thick.» No doubt, the extra bulk will help the young quarterback withstand the weekly punishment. The Jets, who drafted him second overall in 2021, also expect him to grow mentally in Year 2.

«He looks good, he's confident, he's smiling, he's vocal,» Saleh said. «I've said it before that you can always tell the confidence level and their understanding of what they're being asked to do by the volume of their voice, and