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Jacoby Brissett must have peered into a crystal ball before his first press conference as the Arizona Cardinals’ official starting quarterback. Midway through that session, last week, Brissett was asked about Michael Wilson, the wide receiver whom he had unlocked in his first three starts.
“(Wilson) still has a skill set, if need be, he can be the number one target,” Brissett said then.
Eleven days after that press conference, Brissett’s promise will be put to the test.
After undergoing emergency appendix surgery earlier this week, Marvin Harrison Jr. will miss the Cardinals’ Week 11 game against the 49ers — the first time he has missed a game in his NFL career.
The Cardinals are also heavily depleted further down their wide receiver depth chart. Zay Jones, their number three receiver, suffered a season-ending torn Achilles on Nov. 9. Simi Fehoko, who would have been next in line, headed to injured reserve with a broken arm.
So now, the Cardinals are here. Trey McBride, their superstar tight end, will lead the way, as he always does. Elijah Higgins is a useful complementary tight end who has impressed this season with his ability after the catch.
But out wide, it’s Wilson and not much else.
Greg Dortch is mostly used in a niche slot role, with 12 of his 16 targets coming behind the line of scrimmage, per Fantasy Points Data. Xavier Weaver, who will likely start across from Wilson, has run 53 career routes, seen three targets and hauled in zero catches. Andre Baccellia was promoted from the practice squad as an additional body but has not seen a regular-season target since the Kliff Kingsbury era.
Meanwhile, Harrison and Jones are vacating a combined 26.3% target share. It is, simply, the opportunity of a career for Wilson.
“I’m definitely excited,” Wilson said. “Obviously, I’m heartbroken for Marvin. Unfortunate situation and just sucks for the timing. But next man up, and it kinda is my first time in my career. So this is what I train for throughout the offseason, all the reps in camp. So I feel like I’m beyond prepared.”
It’s a remarkable turnaround from where Wilson’s season stood just a month ago.
In Kyler Murray’s five starts, Wilson caught eight total balls on 18 targets for 52 yards. Through his first two NFL seasons, he had avoided riding the emotional waves that can come with inconsistent production. He pointed to his tape, not his numbers, as a reason for confidence. But in September, Wilson took a different tone, acknowledging his own anguish.
“That definitely hurts my soul,” Wilson said at the time. “It kinda keeps me awake at night, not feeling like I’m able to produce at a high enough level to help our team win games.”
Since Brissett took over, it’s been a different story. In those four games, Wilson is averaging 3.5 catches on five targets for 44.8 yards. Over a full season, those marks would all be career highs.
In his least productive game with Brissett, Wilson finished with twice as many yards (34) as he did in any of Murray’s five starts (16).
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“It’s just him being comfortable making second- and third-level throws,” Wilson said last week. “… It’s no secret that our passing game runs through Marv and Trey. So they’re the first and second read on probably 80% of the concepts we have. And I think Jacoby does a good job of going through his progressions. A lot of times, I’m on third-level routes.”
But now, the equation is different. Far more plays than ever before will be designed for Wilson, as one of the top two targets in the offense alongside McBride.
It’s not a role he’s ever really occupied. As a rookie, he was behind Marquise “Hollywood” Brown on the depth chart. Since then, it’s been Harrison. Even at Stanford, the limelight was shared in a room full of future NFL players.
“There’s a little bit more anticipation of getting the rock a little bit more and knowing the ball is going to be coming my way,” Wilson said. “Just because I am gonna be the first read in a lot of plays. But in terms of the way I play the game, I don’t think it changes. My job description is still the same.”
For Wilson, it’s an opportunity that could alter his career. As a 2023 third-round pick, he’s up for a contract extension this offseason. He’s likely increased his own price tag by millions of dollars over the past month. Now, he can supercharge that raise.
For the Cardinals, it’s an opportunity they need Wilson to maximize. At 3-6, most outside observers have written the story on Arizona’s season. Internally, they still believe in a turnaround — but acknowledge that it has to begin now.
And in the long term, Wilson can entrench himself as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver. Part of that role is being a serviceable No. 1 when called upon, a lesson that Washington and Kansas City have learned the hard way this season.
There are reasons to believe in both outcomes.
Among 70 receivers with at least 30 targets this season, Wilson ranks dead last in yards per route run (0.73). He has not topped 65 receiving yards in more than a calendar year.
But since Brissett took over, Wilson is up to 1.17 yards per route run, a more respectable 54th in that sample. He’s been excellent at the catch point, bringing in three of five contested targets. And he seems to step up whenever the Cardinals need him, with 11 catches this season on third and fourth down — more than Harrison.
Now, the Cardinals need him more than ever before.
