Damien

Wilson

Wilson was on the active roster at the end of last season but didn’t play a snap for the Cowboys in 2023. He was suspended last October for violating the league’s personal conduct policy regarding an arrest in August 2022 but is now back and ready to play. He totaled 38 tackles and two sacks in 2022 with the Panthers and has a 106 tackle season on his resumé from the 2021 season. With Leighton Vander Esch now retired, the Cowboys could benefit from added depth at the linebacker position. Wilson provides that depth, and has enough starting experience to potentially earn him a significant role in 2024.

Wilson is on the wrong side of 30 and was a salary cap casualty for the Panthers earlier this offseason. The veteran linebacker remained unsigned throughout training camp and was arrested in August 2022 for threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend. Wilson also had a road rage incident on his record dating back to 2017, when he backed his truck into a woman. Wilson has almost certainly played his last NFL snap.

The move creates $3.6 million in cap space for Carolina. With the Panthers tight on cap space this offseason, Wilson’s release was almost inevitable. He totaled two sacks and 38 tackles across 17 games, five of which were starts, for the Panthers in 2022. Wilson should be able to find a home as a backup sometime after the first wave of free agency.

Wilson faces a charge of assault with bodily injury of a family member. Wilson’s ex-girlfriend, Ryan Sokolosky, alleges Wilson showed up to her residence after she broke up with Wilson, and he was drunk and enraged, damaged her property, and threatened to kill her with a tire iron. She also states Wilson tried to run her over with his vehicle on the way out. Wilson has a previous road rage incident on his record from 2017 when he backed his truck into a woman. Wilson, 29 next month, just signed a two-year deal with Carolina this offseason after spending last season with the Jaguars.

The ex-Chief was a 17-game starter for the Jags’ awful 2021 defense, stacking up tackles and managing a handful of sacks. Never particularly good, it is probably time for Wilson to become more of a role player than starter. He turns 29 in May.

Wilson, 27, spent the past two seasons with Kansas City, notching a career-high 83 tackles during the team’s 2019 Super Bowl run and 73 last year. He’ll likely be utilized as a rotational player, sharing veteran knowledge across a linebacking corps that includes Joe Schobert and Myles Jack.

Wilson was a part-time player in Dallas, but the Chiefs will take a chance on him since he’s only 25 years old. Across four seasons, Wilson has made 103 combined tackles and 2.5 sacks. If he doesn’t improve, the former fourth-rounder still provides experience on special teams, but he is expected to receive opportunities to make a name for himself as a linebacker.

Wilson intentionally backed his truck into a woman and flashed a rifle at a man outside Toyota Stadium. A 2015 fourth-round pick, Wilson has appeared in all 32 games for Dallas the past two seasons, mainly contributing on special teams. This could affect his roster spot.

Wilson backed a truck into a woman and was arrested on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He kept his job through all of it and has been in on 93 defensive snaps while playing special teams.

Wilson has the physical tools to find success in the NFL, but needs to refine his technique. He was frequently brutalized for long runs in the Big 10. He’ll try to make his rookie mark on special teams.