Former Chiefs receiver Albert Wilson expected to be ready for Week 1
By Matt Conner
The Miami Dolphins are expecting wide receiver Albert Wilson to recover quick enough from a hip injury that he will be ready in time to open the season in Week 1.
Former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Albert Wilson was on target to make a big splash last season with the Miami Dolphins in a breakout year—much in the same way he cashed in big time in the preceding offseason after playing out his rookie deal and restricted FA tender in K.C. Unfortunately, a hip injury suffered at midseason brought his productivity to a halt and called his future into question.
After going through the hard work of rehabilitation and following medical orders, Wilson is reportedly on track to open the season for the Dolphins despite not being able to work out in full in training camp.
A source has told Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald that Wilson will be ready for Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens, but it’s also possible he gets his first bit of preseason action against the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 22. For now he’s working himself back into game shape in team drills and the like.
Wilson entered the NFL with the Chiefs as a rookie free agent signed by John Dorsey who ascended the depth chart enough to become a nice offensive option for Alex Smith beside Chris Conley and behind the team’s top receivers (Jeremy Maclin, then Tyreek Hill). He played 55 games for the Chiefs, including 26 starts, and caught 124 passes for 1,544 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns.
Wilson signed a three-year $24 million deal in free agency in 2018 with the Dolphins who envisioned much bigger things for Wilson than what he showed buried a bit in Andy Reid‘s offense. Their faith was rewarded early on with 26 catches on 35 targets—good for a career best catch rate of 74.3%—for 391 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns (also a career best) in 7 games. Only three of those games were starts.
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Given how solid the metrics looked for Wilson in such a short stint with the team in his first year, the Dolphins would be fine to expect big things once again from Wilson, who will be hungry to show what he can really do given the money he’s making and the frustrations with the hip injury..