While I don't like trusting "sources", apparently Al Wilson will be released by the Denver Broncos very soon. (I don't want to trust ESPN's source, that is-mine was Pugs.)
The Broncos tried trading Wilson to the Giants a few weeks back. I didn't want to say anything about it until the trade was official. By the time I learned it was, it wasn't-Wilson had already failed his physical. I guess the Broncos just decided to cut the middleman and Wilson in one fell swoop.
I don't get it. Wilson suffered a scary injury against Seattle in week 13 last season, but returned for the next three games. (He missed the last game against San Francisco with a sore back.) Like everyone, he's getting older. But even if he's not a superstar now, he's worth having on the roster-especially this roster, which doesn't have any worthy replacements on it. (Wilson outlasted his one-time successor, Terry Pierce, by a year.)
More to the point, Wilson's been an absolute rock in the middle of the defense for years. It was 1999 when Wilson was drafted and started stealing local headlines with his play in goal-line drills. Crazy how things turned out. I thought the Broncos were reloading with picks like Wilson following back-to-back Super Bowl wins. Instead, they were hit and miss over the next few years. Wilson indeed became a worthy member of the franchise's proud linebacker history, but the team only won one playoff game in his years here. Instead, he made play after gutsy play for a series of borderline playoff teams. It's also worth noting that Wilson missed only three games in eight seasons.
(I also remember one reader telling me after the draft that Wilson was too short to succeed-just want you to know that I remembered.)
Recently, his rough-and-tumble game has been the perfect complement to the outside speed of Ian Gold and D.J. Williams. Oh, and he takes the entire defense out to dinner every week. I wish I knew the real reason why the team is so anxious to get rid of him. John Clayton suggests it's a salary cap move:
With a $5.2 million salary and a $600,000 roster bonus, Wilson didn't fit into the Broncos salary cap after a busy offseason. His release will save the Broncos $1.63 million.
That's ridiculous. I don't even know how the Broncos are that close to the spending limit, considering how much the cap increased this offseason. Maybe it's because they gave a backup tight end $30 million? I like Daniel Graham, and I hope he lives up to his potential, but come on-Wilson already has.
One last thought: two years before taking Wilson at the bottom of the first round, the Broncos took Trevor Pryce with their No. 1 selection. Pryce was cut before last season. The Broncos blamed the cap, which made about as much sense then as it does now. Pryce joined the Baltimore Ravens and racked up 13 sacks last year. Dr. Z of Sports Illustrated even named Pryce to his All-Pro team. Does the same fate await Wilson? As long as he doesn't join the Raiders, I can only hope it does.
5 comments:
The Raider picked up Romo when we were finished with him, why not Wilson, this would be a good time to start building a team with Jamarcus and Wilson still has a lot of talent
A sad day for the Broncos . . . Wilson has been a stalwart member of the team, and I can't believe we are cutting him so we could outbid the Seahawks for Daniel Graham's services. Now our defense is really screwed.
character matters.
when will they realize that.
he was a real leader, you can't put a price on that.
however, it is curious to note that he couldn't pass a physical. makes me wonder if he really is damaged goods.
still, he deserves a shot here before being forced to move on.
Amen, Pugs, especially if all we save by cutting him is $1.63 mill . . . chump change by today's NFL standards.
That $1.63 will get us a sweet special teamer or 4th or 5th round rookie--what do we need the pride of our Defense for?
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