His numbers don’t leap off the stat page, but Arizona Cardinals inside linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. consistently shows why he was signed as an unrestricted free agent this year after playing three seasons in Cleveland and two in New England.
He started 14 games as a rookie in 2019 after being selected in the fifth round by the Browns, but then only 18 in his next four seasons, including one with the Patriots in 2023.
His defensive snaps were 88 percent in 2019, followed by 43, 21, 21 and 27 prior to this season. In eight games (all starts) with the Cardinals, Wilson has been on the field for 80 percent of the snaps.
That has resulted in a sold line of 47 tackles (fourth on the team) with 28 solo, two for loss, one sack, three passes defensed, and one interception, one fumble recovery and one quarterback hit.
Most notable is his versatility, which has included snaps as an edge rusher, something the Cardinals need.
“He’s been good,” defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said this week of his time on the outside. “There are things that we need to continue to improve on still, but that’s been a huge bonus to have his versatility both on first, second down and on third down. He’s doing a really good job.
“It’s probably the most he’s played on the edge in his career, and we’re going to ask for him to be able to continue to do both, play stack, play on the edge, rush and all that. He’s constantly wanted to get more work at it because he knows he wants to continue to improve and provide that versatility to the defense.”
Wilson has been working at both since training camp and Rallis explained the adjustment that’s necessary on a continuous basis.
“Going in and out of that position within a practice, within a game, a drive, it’s not an easy thing to do,” Rallis said. “Because one position is a little bit more broad-focused whereas the other one can be a little bit more. You want them to narrow their focus at times. And so that’s probably the biggest thing.
“Their eyes, their keys, where they have to be able to put their attention on not just the assignments and the different techniques they have to use. I think that focus window of zooming in versus zooming out; those positions require drastically different things.”
Rallis showed his high hopes for Wilson’s growth when he was asked if his expectation for him on the edge is changed because it’s not his regular position.
Rallis said, “No, I want him to play it a high level, no matter what, and we wouldn’t put him in those positions if we didn’t think he could.”
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