Last year, Wilson missed time with what turned out to be a neck injury. When he returned late in the season he went two games without a catch on seven targets, his chemistry with Murray lacking. That was driven home the next game in Philadelphia, where he made a route mistake that led to Murray throwing a Pick-6.
Wilson was crushed, admittedly the most upset he had been all season. “As a veteran quarterback who signed a big deal and had multiple Pro Bowls, (Kyler) could have been like, ‘Man, I don’t want this rookie playing anymore with me.’ But he trusted me.”
Murray later threw a key TD pass as well as a two-point conversion to Wilson in an upset over the Eagles. In the finale against Seattle, Wilson had six catches for 95 yards, and the QB and receiver then spent the offseason building chemistry that both have talked about often.
“Mike is going to be playing for a long time,” Murray said. “I believe that. I fully expect that Mike is going to go off this year.”
Even with the injuries and the Murray disconnect early on, Wilson still had a team-best 14.9 yards per catch last season, with 565 yards on 38 receptions. His size (6-foot-2, 213 pounds) makes him an ideal target, he said he’s working on cutting down on body catches to improve his yards after catch, and coaches fell in love with his blocking – a key on a team that was top five in the league in rushing.
The Cardinals did sign veteran Zay Jones, but there is little question who WR2 will be behind Harrison.
“He’s smart. He does everything the right way,” cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting said. “I love competing against him every day.”
Wilson smiles at the notion that he could lose out on opportunity with Harrison’s arrival and McBride’s development. All that means, Wilson said, is that the Cardinals have a better chance to win.
“Whether we have Trey, we have Marvin, or if we don’t have them, my job description doesn’t change,” he said.
Perhaps the job description doesn’t change. But Wilson hopes his stature does. He’s in control of that, after all.
“If you’re not in this business to be the best, you’re in it for the wrong reason,” Wilson said. “I haven’t arrived yet. I’m still far away from maximizing from arriving at my potential, but I think as every day, as long as I keep taking a step in the right direction, then I’m going to find myself in a good place.”
