Arizona Cardinals: Marco Wilson solidified status as a solid corner

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Marco Wilson won NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance last Thursday night against the Saints. 

Marco Wilson is having an impressive campaign. While his numbers won’t put him into the Pro Bowl Games any time soon, his first career Defensive Player of the Week award shows that he is slowly evolving into one of the game’s better cornerbacks.

On Thursday, Wilson had a 38-yard pick six to go with two passes defensed and three tackles in the contest. Want more fun? No other defensive player in the NFC managed to score a go-ahead touchdown last week, making Wilson’s award all the more deserving.

Wilson, who looked like yet another draft bust in training camp, has put together a sensational sophomore season in the NFL, with five total passes defensed in seven games this season. Last year was one to forget for Wilson, and other than tackles and forced fumbles, he has already put up better numbers than he did in 2021.

Marco Wilson’s NFC DPOW award huge for the Arizona Cardinals

This is a player who allowed opponents catch 70% of all targets thrown his way in 14 games in 2021. That number is down to a meager 56%, further showing just how far he has come in such little time.

Overall, opposing quarterbacks have a low 77.4 passer rating against Wilson this year, down 43 points from last season when they enjoyed a 120.8 rating on the then-rookie. Like last season, opposing quarterbacks have picked on Wilson thanks to Byron Murphy’s presence on the other side, targeting the second-year corner 48 times in seven games.

Look for that to change, given Wilson’s recent success in 2022, and continue to look for his game to grow as we reach the season’s midpoint. A first-time winner of the Defensive Player of the Week Award, Wilson is the fourth former Florida Gator defensive back to snag the honor, following Joe Haden, Lito Sheppard, and Janoris Jenkins.

(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)