Damien Wilson

Damien Wilson (born May 28, 1993) is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft. He has also played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Carolina Panthers.

Early life Wilson attended Amite County High School in Liberty, Mississippi, where he was a teammate of Gabe Jackson. He accepted a scholarship from Alcorn State University, but transferred to Jones County Junior College after his freshman season.

College career As a sophomore safety, Wilson was named the Region 23 Defensive MVP, after ranking fourth in the nation with 122 tackles (six for loss), two sacks and two passes defensed. As a sophomore, he registered 119 tackles (10.5 for loss). At the end of the year, he transferred to the University of Minnesota.

As a junior, he was converted to linebacker, finishing with 12 starts, 78 tackles (second on the team), one sack and 5.5 tackles-for-loss. In his last year he registered 12 starts, 119 tackles (led team), four sacks (tied for team lead), 10.5 tackles-for-loss (led the team), one interception, three passes defensed, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys (first stint) The Dallas Cowboys selected Wilson in the fourth round with the 127th overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. He was the 13th linebacker selected in 2015. On May 28, 2015, the Cowboys signed Wilson to a four-year, $2.74 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $466,315.

As Anthony Hitchens did before him, the coaches decided to make Wilson learn all three linebacker positions in training camp. On special teams he tied for the team lead in tackles (9) with Kyle Wilber and Jeff Heath. As a rookie he registered a total of 16 tackles. Against the New Orleans Saints, he saw extensive play and performed well replacing an injured Andrew Gachkar. He played the season mostly on special teams.

In 2016, he suffered a serious offseason injury on his right eye while playing paintball, missing the first two weeks of training camp after being placed on the non-football injury list. In week 6 of the season, he passed Kyle Wilber on the depth chart and went on to start 5 games at strongside linebacker. He posted 35 tackles (4 for loss).

In 2017, he began the season as the backup at strongside linebacker, before passing Wilber on the depth chart in the seventh game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He tallied 39 tackles (eleventh on the team), five quarterback hurries, one sack and seven special teams tackles (sixth on the team).

Kansas City Chiefs

On March 14, 2019, Wilson signed a two-year, $5.75 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. He started all 16 games at middle linebacker, posting 81 tackles (3 for loss), 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble. He had 12 tackles against the Indianapolis Colts. He started all 3 playoff games while helping the Chiefs win their first Super Bowl in 50 years. The Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31–20 in Super Bowl LIV.

In 2020, he started 13 games at middle linebacker, totaling 70 tackles (3 for loss), one forced fumble and 3 special teams tackles. He missed 3 games with a knee injury (the only games he has missed to injury in his career). He had 11 tackles (one for loss) against the Los Angeles Chargers. Contributing to the team making their second consecutive Super Bowl appearance (Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), where led the team with 10 tackles and also had one tackle for loss.

Jacksonville Jaguars Wilson signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars on April 2, 2021. He had a career year, starting all 17 games at left inside linebacker, finishing second on the team with 104 tackles (5 for loss), 3 sacks, 5 passes defensed, one interception, one forced fumble and 2 special teams tackles. He had 7 tackles against the Houston Texans. He made 12 tackles against the Miami Dolphins. He had 10 tackles against the Tennessee Titans. He made 5 tackles one sack, one interception and one forced fumble in the season finale against the Indianapolis Colts. He was not re-signed after the season.

Carolina Panthers On March 17, 2022, Wilson signed a two-year, $6.9 million contract with the Carolina Panthers. He played in 17 games with five starts at middle linebacker, recording 32 tackles (4 for loss), 2 sacks and 6 special teams tackles. He had 4 tackles and one sack in the season-opener against the Cleveland Browns. He made 9 tackles and one sack against the San Francisco 49ers.

In 2023, the team switched to a 3-4 defense and Wilson was not seen as a fit. On March 10, 2023, he was released by the Panthers.

Dallas Cowboys (second stint) Wilson signed with the Cowboys' practice squad on January 3, 2024. He was not signed to a reserve/future contract after the season and thus became a free agent when his practice squad contract expired.

Wilson was re-signed by the Cowboys on April 29, 2024. He was waived on August 26.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD 2015 DAL 16 0 15 10 5 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2016 DAL 16 6 34 27 7 0.5 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2017 DAL 16 9 35 21 14 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2018 DAL 16 7 37 28 9 1.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2019 KAN 16 16 81 52 29 1.5 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2020 KAN 13 13 73 46 27 0.0 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2021 JAX 17 17 106 59 47 3.0 5 1 1 0 1 5 1 0 0 0 2022 CAR 17 5 38 23 15 2.0 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Total 127 73 419 266 153 9.0 24 1 1 0 1 9 5 0 0 0

Playoffs Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD 2016 DAL 1 0 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2018 DAL 2 0 2 0 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2019 KAN 3 3 19 13 6 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2020 KAN 3 3 14 9 5 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Total 9 6 36 23 13 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

Personal life On July 4, 2017, Wilson was arrested at Toyota Stadium on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon during an Independence Day celebration. He was then released on a $10,000 bond for each count.

On April 19, 2022, Wilson was arrested in Frisco, Texas for allegedly threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend. He was released on a $5,000 bond.