C. J. Wilson (defensive end)

Clifford James Wilson (born March 30, 1987) is an American football defensive end[1] who is currently a free agent. He played college football at East Carolina. Wilson was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft and would win Super Bowl XLV with the team over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has also played for the Oakland Raiders, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, and Chicago Bears.

For other people with the same name, see C. J. Wilson (disambiguation).
C. J. Wilson
Wilson with the Packers in 2011
Free agent
Position:Defensive End
Personal information
Born: (1987-03-30) March 30, 1987
Belhaven, North Carolina
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:290 lb (132 kg)
Career information
High school:Pinetown (NC) Northside
College:East Carolina
NFL Draft:2010 / Round: 7 / Pick: 230
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • Super Bowl champion (XLV)
  • Conference-USA Defensive Player of the Year
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:123
Sacks:7.5
Forced fumbles:0
Fumble recoveries:1
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Wilson was born in Belhaven, North Carolina and attended Northside High School in Pinetown, North Carolina.[2] He played numerous positions during his early career including linebacker, cornerback, safety, running back, tackle, and fullback.[3] He played a major role in the Northside Panthers 13–3 record and advancement into the Eastern Championship.[2] Additionally, he earned all-conference honors during his senior year and was also a team captain.[2] He also lettered in basketball and track.[2]

Wilson was ranked as a two star by Scout.com and was measured at six foot four inches and he weighed 218 pounds. He received only one scholarship offer from East Carolina University.[4]

College career

Wilson chose to play for East Carolina, but after completing his eligibility requirements he was forced to join in the spring of 2005.[2] As a true freshman in 2006, Wilson recorded at least one sack in five of eight games.[3] The first sack of his college career came against Tulsa on October 14.[5] Additionally, he recorded a season high seven tackles in the same game.[3] At the end of the season, Wilson lead the team with four quarterback sacks.[6]

In 2007, Wilson was projected to be a reserve defensive linemen who was still going to find a way be on the field.[6] This proved to be the case, as Wilson took the starting job from Marcus Hand's after four games and played in the remainder of the games that season.[2] He had the statistically best game of his career at ECU against the Houston Cougars with nine stops, two and a half sacks, and 2.5 tackles for a loss. Additionally, he also blocked a kick.[7] At the end of the season, Wilson earned all-Conference USA (second-team) honors as a selection by the league coaches.[8]

During his junior year, Wilson started all 14 games and extended his streak of starts to 23.[2] He had at least one sack in nine games of fifteen.[2] During a game against Tulane, he had a season high eight tackles.[2] Wilson finished the season ranked 27th in the nation and second in the Conference-USA in sacks.[2] Additionally, Wilson also ranked first in the Conference-USA for tackles for a loss. He was named defensive conference player of the year by ESPN and Sporting news, and also earned a first team Conference-USA spot on Phil Steele's All Americans.[9]

In his final year as a Pirate, Wilson again started all 14 games of the season and finished up his career with 37 straight starts.[10] He finished the season with 57 tackles (23 solo), 10​1⁄2 for a loss, and 5​1⁄2 sacks.[10] His performance again earned him Conference-USA defensive player of the year.[10] He was also named to the Ted Hendricks, 40th Annual Rotary Lombardi, and Bronko Nagurski award watch lists.[10] Wilson graduated from college in 2010 with a degree in Communication.

Professional career
C. J. Wilson, Charles Woodson and Clay Matthews on December 25, 2011.

Wilson had 32 reps during the bench press drills during the combine.[11] Scouts raved that he was an "instinctive" players who had good rushing skills and speed when rushing the passer.[11] Scouts also expressed concerns with his average lateral agility.[11] and noted that he didn't appear comfortable playing in space.[11] He was believed to be a good match to add depth as a 3–4 defensive end.[11]

Green Bay Packers

Wilson was drafted in the seventh round (230th overall) by the Green Bay Packers.[12] He became the first player ever drafted out of East Carolina University by the Green Bay Packers.[3] On June 23, 2010, he signed a contract with the Packers.[13]

At the end of the 2010 season, Wilson and the Packers appeared in Super Bowl XLV. He was a starter in the 31–25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.[14]

Oakland Raiders

On March 28, 2014, Wilson signed a one-year, $795,000 contract with the Oakland Raiders.[15] On March 25, 2015, Wilson signed a new contract with the Raiders.[16] The Raiders did not officially announce the signing until Wilson's birthday on March 30, 2015.[17] On November 7, 2015, he was waived by the Raiders.[18]

Detroit Lions

After going unclaimed on waivers, on November 9, 2015, Wilson signed a one-year, $745,000 contract with the Detroit Lions.[19] During the 2015 season, Wilson played in the last eight games of the season and recorded eight tackles and a sack. He was released by the Lions on February 19, 2016.[20]

New Orleans Saints

On June 24, 2016, Wilson signed with the New Orleans Saints.[21] On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Saints.[22]

Chicago Bears

On September 27, 2016, Wilson signed with the Chicago Bears.[23] He was released on October 1, 2016.[24] He was re-signed on October 3, 2016 and was released again on October 8.[25] He was re-signed again on November 15, 2016.[26]

On March 20, 2017, Wilson re-signed with the Bears.[27] He was released on September 2, 2017.[28]

References
  1. "CJ Wilson NFL Profile".
  2. "Player Bio: C.J. Wilson". Easy Carolina University. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  3. "Green Bay Packers: C.J. Wilson". C.J. Wilson. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  4. "C.J. Wilson - Rivals.com". Yahoo. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  5. "Tulsa at East Carolina". Sportsreference.com. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  6. Cirminiello, Richard (June 13, 2007). "2007 East Carolina Preview-Defense". Collegefootballnews.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  7. "East Carolina 37, Houston 35". Associated Press. Houston. September 29, 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  8. "SMU football's Morstead named first-team All-Conference USA". Pegasus News. December 5, 2007. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  9. "Holtz named C-USA coach of the year". Sporting News. Greenville. December 15, 2008. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  10. "Green Bay Packers: C.J. Wilson". Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  11. "NFL Events: C.J. Wilson". National Football League. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  12. "Wilson Drafted In Seventh Round By Packers". East Carolina University. April 24, 2010. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  13. "Packers sign three draft picks". Packers.com. June 23, 2010. Archived from the original on July 9, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  14. "Super Bowl XLV - Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers - February 6th, 2011". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  15. "Raiders Sign C.J. Wilson". Oakland Raiders. May 28, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  16. Damien, Levi (March 26, 2015). "Raiders bring back defensive end CJ Wilson". Silver And Black Pride. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  17. Damien, Levi (March 31, 2015). "Raiders wait until CJ Wilson's birthday to make re-signing official". Silver And Black Pride. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  18. "Raiders Sign Tevin McDonald to Active Roster". Oakland Raiders. November 7, 2015. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  19. Twentyman, Tim (November 9, 2015). "Lions place Fluellen on IR, claim a DE". Detroit Lions. Archived from the original on July 25, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  20. Twentyman, Tim (February 19, 2016). "Lions release DT C.J. Wilson". Detroit Lions. Archived from the original on February 21, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  21. "Saints Announce Roster Moves". New Orleans Saints. June 24, 2016. Archived from the original on June 27, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  22. Gantt, Darin. "Saints cut Khalif Barnes, Travaris Cadet in getting roster to 53". NBCSports.com.
  23. Mayer, Larry. "Bears ink Joique Bell, put Fuller on IR". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  24. "Bears Release Veteran DL C.J. Wilson".
  25. Mayer, Larry (October 8, 2016). "Bears add Hurst to roster, cut Wilson". ChicagoBears.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2016.
  26. Mayer, Larry (November 15, 2016). "Bears put Long on IR, activate Wilson". ChicagoBears.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017.
  27. Sunderbruch, Josh (March 20, 2017). "Bears Re-Sign a Few of Their Own". WindyCityGridiron.com.
  28. Mayer, Larry (September 2, 2017). "Bears reach NFL's 53-man roster limit". ChicagoBears.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2018.
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