In 11 days, the New Orleans Saints will kick off their regular season by hosting the Arizona Cardinals. Wearing No. 11 for the Saints, at least for now, is wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. Heading into his seventh NFL season, Wilson was with New Orleans last year and made the initial roster cut down to 53 players on Tuesday. This is a closer look at Wilson, our Saints Player of the Day.

Name (age): Cedrick Wilson Jr. (29)

Height, weight: 6-foot-2, 197 pounds

Relative Athletic Score: 6.88

Drafted: Round 6, 208 overall in 2018 (Dallas Cowboys)

2025 salary cap hit: $1,670,000

An all-state quarterback at White Station High School in Tennessee, Wilson was initially at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas for two years. Over that span as a receiver, he accounted for 1,674 yards and 27 touchdowns. He transferred to Boise State in 2016, where he led the Broncos with 11 touchdowns and caught 56 passes for 1,129 yards while also completing 2 passes for 84 yards and a score and added another 409 yards on punt and kickoff returns. In 2017, Wilson led Boise State with 83 receptions and a conference-best 1,511 yards while scoring 7 times. Those numbers earned him 1st Team All-Mountain West Conference accolades.

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With a late Round 6 choice in the 2018 NFL draft, Wilson was selected by the Dallas Cowboys. Early in training camp, Wilson suffered a torn labrum that would cause him to go on season-ending injured reserve. Over the next three seasons, he’d see an increased role each year in a Dallas offense headed up by offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. He wouldn’t see a lot of action in 2019 and 2020, but in 2021 had 45 receptions for 602 yards and 6 touchdowns. They would turn out to be the best numbers of his career in all three categories.

Wilson signed with the Miami Dolphins during the 2022 offseason as a free agent. His speed was expected to be a big part of the Miami attack. It wouldn’t turn out that way. Wilson had only 12 catches for 136 yards in 2022, then followed that up with 22 catches for 296 yards and 3 scores in spite appearing in 15 contests each season. He hit free agency again in 2024, landing with the New Orleans Saints. The New Orleans receiving corps was decimated with injuries last season, giving Wilson plenty of opportunity to play a critical role in the offense. He responded with only 20 receptions for 211 yards and a score despite 15 games of action, though he did throw a 21-yard scoring pass.

Wilson was reunited with Moore in New Orleans this offseason, his offensive coordinator in Dallas. Also on that Cowboys staff was current Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier. Despite the connections, Wilson somehow had less of an impact in training camp and preseason than he did with the Saints in 2024. Through three preseason games, Wilson had 6 catches for 53 yards, with one of those coming on a 21-yard broken coverage. When New Orleans finalized their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, Wilson was among the five wideouts kept. Perhaps it was because of the connections and familiarity with Moore and Nussmeier, but if he stays on the roster he must provide much more than the non-factor he was with New Orleans in his first year.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Countdown to Kickoff: Cedrick Wilson is the Saints Player of Day 11