Tag: Marco Wilson

Bengals claim CB on waivers amid wave of injuries

The Bengals add to the roster via the waiver wire.

With two of their two cornerbacks now lost for the year, the Cincinnati Bengals looked to the waiver wire for help ahead of Week 12.

There, the Bengals claimed Marco Wilson after his release by the New England Patriots, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Wilson, a fourth-round pick in 2021 by the Arizona Cardinals, joined the Patriots on waivers in December of 2023. He’s played in 54 career games with three interceptions.

The Bengals are desperate for help at corner after finding out DJ Turner suffered a season-ending injury in Week 12. Dax Hill suffered a season-ending injury earlier this season and the last remaining starter, Cam Taylor-Britt, has been massively struggling.

With the Bengals on bye, Wilson has a week to get into the system and provide some important depth.

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Patriots announce two roster moves after loss to Rams

The Patriots make a couple of roster moves following Sunday’s loss to the Rams

The New England Patriots announced a couple of roster moves, following Sunday’s 28-22 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

It was basically a switch at the cornerback position with the team announcing the release of veteran defensive back Marco Wilson, along with the roster activation of second-year cornerback Alex Austin.

Wilson was claimed off waivers by the Patriots in December 2023, and he has mostly served as a rotational option behind Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones.

He has struggled during his limited snaps with the team, and it was always likely he wouldn’t stick once Austin returned from his ankle injury. The 2023 seventh-round draft pick out of Oregon State has been sidelined for eight games.

So he should be eager to get back in the mix on defense.

He flashed some strong upside when arriving in New England late last season with nine tackles, two pass deflections and one interception in only five games played for the team.

The Patriots are hopeful that version of Austin shows up again as more firepower for the struggling defense.

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Report: Patriots release veteran CB after dropping eighth loss

Veteran CB Marco Wilson has reportedly been waived by the Patriots

The New England Patriots released veteran cornerback Marco Wilson on Monday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Wilson recorded 15 total tackles in 10 games along with a defended pass. He was originally acquired by the Patriots in December 2023 after being claimed off waivers. He played in 11 games for the team, recording 16 total tackles and a pass deflection.

The move came after the Patriots’ secondary struggled against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. They allowed 295 passing yards on the day, mostly to Rams star receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.

The move might have been done to create room for Alex Austin to get back into the mix. The second-year cornerback could be activated from injured reserve soon.

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Two Patriots defenders reportedly generating trade interest

The Patriots have reportedly received calls on multiple players, including two veteran defenders

The New England Patriots have reportedly been fielding interest for multiple players ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline. Not everyone is for sale on the Patriots’ roster, but there are two defensive players in particular generating interest, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

According to Breer, cornerbacks Jonathan Jones and Marco Wilson have both generated interest from NFL teams.

Jones has been a key veteran player in the Patriots’ secondary since Tom Brady was still playing football in New England. He has 31 tackles and a forced fumble on the season.

Wilson was claimed off waivers by the Patriots last December. He has 10 tackles and a pass deflection on the year.

Breer wrote:

Meanwhile, at corner, there’s been interest in Jonathan Jones, but they aren’t keen on moving him, based on his role as a team leader. Marco Wilson would be a more realistic trade target for other teams at that position.

The Patriots have been receiving calls about players on both sides of the football. The receiving unit has generated interest as well, particularly with Tyquan Thornton and K.J. Osborn.

It will be interesting to see which players, if any, get moved ahead of the deadline. The Patriots are in the process of rebuilding, and that could make several players expendable.

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20 days till the Cardinals’ season opener against the Bills

DeeJay Dallas is the Cardinals’ current No. 20. CB Marco Wilson was a solid No. 20 until he wasn’t last season.

We begin the final week of the preseason six days from the Arizona Cardinals’ final preseason game, on the road against the Denver Broncos.

With that, we are also only 20 days away from the Cardinals’ season opener. they will take the field on September 8 at Highmark Stadium facing the Buffalo Bills on the road.

No. 20 currently belongs to new running back DeeJay Dallas, signed in the offseason to a three-year contract in free agency. He is expected to be the team’s top returner.

He hasn’t yet made an impact in the regular season, although he is expected to do so.

The last player to wear No. 20 and make an impact was cornerback Marco Wilson. He was a fourth-round pick out of Florida in 2021 and showed some promise. He started 37 games in three seasons and had a solid 2022 when he picked off three passes and broke up 10.

But last season, when he was supposed to be the team’s No. 1 corner, he was bad. He was benched after 11 games and then cut. He is now with the New England Patriots in a battle to make the team.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

PFF details Marco Wilson’s struggles before Cardinals released him in 2023

Wilson was one of the league’s most-targeted cornerbacks and allowed a lot of catches.

The Arizona Cardinals gave cornerback Marco Wilson a long rope in 2023. He started 11 games and played almost every snap for most of those games. But Cardinals fans will remember his struggles in coverage.

After those 11 games, he was benched and didn’t play on defense again, eventually getting released.

How bad was his 2023 season?

Pro Football Focus described it, analyzing some of the most targeted cornerbacks last season.

The former Cardinals cornerback couldn’t find his footing in Jonathan Gannon’s scheme, resulting in the third-worst coverage grade (39.2) among outside cornerbacks. He was attacked relentlessly, surrendering massive yardage. Wilson allowed 2.07 yards per coverage snap, the most by any outside cornerback, in addition to giving up a hearty 11 yards per coverage target, a bottom-three figure at the position.

In 345 cover snaps in 2023, he was targeted 65 times (18.84% of the time) and allowed 50 catches (76.92% of the time).

Only four other players were targeted more. His target rate was the 10th-highest in the league on the outside.

The problem was he was in his third season, not his first.

He went from being the guy the Cardinals hoped would be their No. 1 corner to being the least reliable and eventually cut.

He wasn’t the only one to be targeted a lot and struggle. Starling Thomas made the list as well, but that is for another post.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

2023 Cardinals’ biggest disappointment: CB Marco Wilson

Of all the disappointments, Wilson’s play was the greatest in 2023 for the Cardinals.

The Arizona Cardinals had a lot of things go wrong in 2023 en route to a 4-13 record. With being award season, we have named several players for honors for their 2023 season with the Cardinals.

We have one award that is not so much an award as it is a problem — who was the most disappointing player this season?

That would have to be cornerback Marco Wilson.

Wilson entered the season as the team’s No. 1 cornerback. It was te perfect opportunity to grow into a greater role like Byron Murphy did in 2021.

However, Wilson struggled. After three interceptions and 10 pass breakups in 2022, he had none with four pass breakups in 11 games before he was benched and later released.

According to Pro Football Reference, he allowed 727 receiving yards when targeted and five touchdown passes.

After 11 games, he was completely benched and didn’t play a defensive snap again for the Cardinals before he was released and subsequently claimed off waivers by the New England Patriots.

It was unfortunate, but he was the most disappointing player on the roster this past season.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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James White approves of Patriots signing CB Marco Wilson

James White likes the Patriots’ newest addition

Former New England Patriots running back James White is liking the team’s newest addition to the secondary. White approved of the team’s signing of cornerback Marco Wilson, when commenting on social media.

The Patriots’ secondary has been oft-injured this season. The first major injury came when rookie first-round draft pick Christian Gonzalez suffered a torn labrum on October 1 against the Dallas Cowboys.

Since then, the secondary position has been dealing with issues. The team lost Marcus Jones for the season, and J.C. Jackson was recently placed on the reserve/non-football illness list.

There’s hope Wilson can provide quality depth for the team in the final two games of the season, and White seems to think highly of the move.

Wilson will certainly be tested, as New England takes on Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. The Bills rank ninth in the NFL with 243.7 passing yards per game. The Patriots took the last meeting between the two teams on October 22, and they’ll attempt to do so again on Sunday.

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New Patriots CB celebrates being signed by team on Instagram

Marco Wilson on being signed by the Patriots: “God is great”

The New England Patriots put in a successful waiver claim for Marco Wilson on Wednesday, and the cornerback took to Instagram to celebrate the move.

Wilson has been a productive player for the Arizona Cardinals this season, appearing in 15 games for the organization. He has recorded 52 total tackles on the year, including a season-high 11 tackles against the Cincinnati Bengals on October 8.

Wilson will be able to provide secondary depth to a positional unit that has really struggled with injuries this season. Alex Austin was the only healthy corner on the organization’s roster at the time of the waiver claim.

After the signing, Wilson was extremely thankful for the opportunity, sharing his excitement on his Instagram story.

The Patriots could look to Wilson to contribute right away with the team slated to travel to Orchard Park for a showdown with the red-hot Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

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Titans put in unsuccessful waiver claim on CB Marco Wilson

The Titans were one of three teams to put in a bid for CB Marco Wilson.

The Tennessee Titans made an attempt to add to their injured secondary on Wednesday, with the team putting in a waiver claim on former Arizona Cardinals cornerback, Marco Wilson.

A former fourth-round pick in 2021, Wilson became available after being waived by the Cardinals a few days back. The 26-year-old had three teams interested, with the Titans being one of them.

It was an unsuccessful bid, though, as the New England Patriots nabbed him with the higher waiver priority. Also interested were the Denver Broncos, who sat behind Tennessee in the waiver order.

After a solid sophomore campaign, Wilson has regressed mightily in 2023, giving up a completion on 73.4 percent of the passes thrown his way for 727 yards and five touchdowns (136.7 passer rating).

Even still, Wilson would’ve been a helpful addition considering how short-handed Tennessee is in the cornerbacks room, with Sean Murphy-Bunting dealing with an injury and Kristian Fulton out for the season.

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