Patriots Reportedly Beat Out These Two Teams To Claim Cornerback

The Patriots reportedly weren’t the only team interested in adding Marco Wilson after the Cardinals released the third-year cornerback.

New England, which officially added Wilson on Thursday, beat out the Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans in claiming the 24-year-old, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. The Patriots were higher than both teams in the NFL waiver order due to having a worse record.

Wilson is an intriguing late-season flier for the Patriots, who’ve been decimated by injuries and off-field issues at cornerback. At the time of Wilson’s addition, rookie Alex Austin was the only fully healthy cornerback on New England’s roster.

Arizona selected Wilson in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The Florida product started 37 games over two-plus campaigns with the Cardinals, including 11 this season before release Tuesday. He posted impressive traditional stats in 2022 when he racked up three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), 10 pass breakups, one forced fumble and 58 tackles.

However, the underlying metrics paint a picture of a player who’s struggled in coverage since arriving in the NFL. In fact, Wilson never has ranked higher than 100th in Pro Football Focus cornerback gradings and currently ranks 121st.

Nevertheless, Wilson will get a fresh start with the Patriots and an opportunity to prove he’s worth working with next summer. Whether he’ll be active for Sunday’s road game against the Buffalo Bills remains to be seen.