Dolphins coaches ‘challenged’ Albert Wilson and he ‘came through’ vs. the Ravens
In an upset victory for the Dolphins, beating the Baltimore Ravens 22-10 at home on Thursday night, maybe no player had more of a breakthrough than wide receiver Albert Wilson.
Wilson entered Week 10 with 56 receiving yards on eight catches but nearly doubled that output against Baltimore, recording 106 total yards, including a 64-yard catch-and-run late in the fourth quarter to set up the final touchdown that iced the game.
“It felt great,” Wilson said after the game. “It felt great to get back out there and pretty much be involved and bring what I can bring to the offense tonight so it was good. It’s a blessing to be back out there for sure.”
Wilson, 29, signed a three-year deal with Miami in 2018 after four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. He averaged 10.8 yards per reception in the 2018 and 2019 seasons but was limited to 20 games because of injuries. Wilson opted out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19 concerns but returned to the team for the 2021 season and dazzled in the opening days of training camp, adding early optimism to a revamped receiving corps with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Then, Wilson sustained an undisclosed injury that kept him sidelined for the majority of training camp, which would be a recurring theme for the Dolphins’ pass catchers during the summer and into the regular season. He was inactive for the team’s Week 3 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders and even as injuries sidelined Will Fuller and DeVante Parker for lengthy periods, Wilson kept ceding playing time to the offense’s tight ends and players such as Mack Hollins and Isaiah Ford. In Week 7 and 8, Wilson played a combined five offensive snaps.
Then, Thursday night happened and the Dolphins seemingly found a way to get the ball to Wilson in every way possible. He played 38 snaps, his greatest workload since Week 2, and picked up 19 yards on a pair of jet sweeps. Miami attempted a wide receiver pass with Wilson, a former star quarterback at Port St. Lucie High School. And the Dolphins frequently placed Wilson in motion to stress the Ravens’ defense. It finally broke Baltimore in the fourth quarter, as Wilson went up the Ravens sideline unaccounted for en route to the 64-yard completion, the Dolphins’ longest play of the season.
“We talked as a staff about beating a team like that. You’ve got to get a lot of guys involved,” coach Brian Flores said Friday. “We challenged Albert in practice that he was going to have some opportunities and he came through. I think that was the case for him and [wide receiver] Isaiah Ford and [tight end] [Adam] Shaheen. When you need a team effort every week and we got contributions from a lot of players on the team — offense, defense and special teams — that’s what you need in this league. We need as many contributions from as many guys as we can. Albert is part of that and is always part of those conversations. We’ve got to do a better job of trying to get him the ball and get the ball in his hands. And he’s got to come through.”
After the Dolphins went several weeks unable to move the ball downfield in the passing game, they generated their biggest plays against Baltimore, Wilson’s reception and a 52-yard catch-and-run by Ford in the second quarter. If anything, Thursday night’s game showed that Miami can make its share of explosive plays with Wilson at the core of it. And with Flores saying Fuller could return to practice soon and possibly play in next Sunday’s road game against the New York Jets, an offense finally tapping into its explosive side could get even more dangerous.
“I think I’ve been practicing great for the past – since I’ve been out there. It’s just got to get things going. Sometimes things don’t fall in place like they should and tonight was one of those days it fell in place.”
