A sixth-round pick of the Bengals in 2017, Wilson burst onto the scene in '19 as one of the NFL's top young kickoff returners ... Finished with an NFL-best 31.3-yard average on kickoff returns (minimum 20 attempts); taken to the thousandth decimal place however, his season average (31.250) fell just shy of Adam Jones' Bengals record (31.259) from 2014 ... Served as Bengals' No. 1 KOR for just eight games — spent first four games as a reserve KOR, and then spent final four games on Reserve/Injured (right hand) ... During his 92-yard KOR for a TD in Game 6 at Baltimore, was clocked by NFL's Next Gen Stats at 22.03 MPH, the third-fastest ball carrier in the NFL in 2019 and the fastest by a Bengal since NGS' launch in 2016 ... Saw time on defense mainly as a rotational DB, and recorded 18 tackles and two FFs ... Also considered a key cog on Bengals' special teams coverage units throughout his career, and ranked tied for third on team in special teams tackles (six) in 2019.
Career transactions: Selected by Cincinnati in sixth round of 2017 NFL Draft (207th overall) ... Signed with Bengals on 5-15-17 ... Waived on 9-2-17 ... Signed to Bengals practice squad on 9-3-17 ... Signed to Bengals roster on 11-11-17 ... Re-signed with Bengals on 3-11-19 ... Re-signed with Bengals as restricted free agent on 4-26-20.
2019 highlights: Played in 12 games (two starts) ... Spent just eight games as Bengals' No. 1 KOR, but his 20 returns for 625 yards were good for an NFL-best 31.3-yard average (minimum 20 attempts) ... Taken to the thousandth decimal place however, his 31.250 average fell just shy of Adam Jones' Bengals-record 31.259 average from 2014 ... Tied for NFL lead with four KORs of more than 40 yards ... Played 183 snaps on defense, seeing time mainly as a rotational DB, and recorded 18 tackles and two FFs ... Also had six special teams tackles on the season, which tied for third on the team ... Spent Games 1-4 as reserve KOR behind CB Darius Phillips ... Thrust into KOR duty in Game 5 vs. Arizona after Phillips left game with an injury, and had three returns for 97 yards, including a 52-yarder on his first return to set up a Bengals FG drive ... Returned opening kickoff 92 yards for a TD in Game 6 at Baltimore, the first Bengals KOR for a TD since Bernard Scott in 2009, and the first-ever KOR for a TD by a Bengal to start a game ... The NFL's Next Gen Stats service, which tracks players' speed by using GPS, clocked his KOR at 22.03 MPH, the third-fastest by an NFL ball carrier in 2019, and the fastest by a Bengal since NGS' launch in '16 ... Totaled season-high 142 KOR yards (47.3 average) at Baltimore, and also forced a fumble by Ravens TE Mark Andrews that the Bengals recovered and turned into a FG drive ... In Game 4 at Pittsburgh, he stopped Steelers RBs for no gain on consecutive plays — a third-and-one and fourth-and-one — to give Cincinnati the ball back ... Injured his right hand while making a tackle in Game 12 vs. N.Y. Jets, and was placed on Reserve/Injured on Dec. 6.
Previous seasons: 2017—Played in eight games (no starts) ... Waived on final cuts on Sept. 2, then signed the following day to practice squad, where he spent first eight games of season ... Signed to 53-player roster prior to Game 9 ... Despite playing just half the season, finished tied for fourth on the team with five special teams tackles. 2018—Played in all 16 games ... Saw action on 54 defensive snaps, and had two tackles ... Played 62.2 percent of special teams snaps, the third-highest percentage on the team, and his nine special teams tackles were second on the team ... Recorded season-high four special teams tackles on Nov. 18 at Baltimore.
College: Played four years at Houston (2013-16), with a redshirt year in 2012 ... Considered one of the top playmakers in college football, he scored eight career TDs in six different ways (two rushing, two kickoff returns, a missed FG return, fumble return, INT return and blocked FG return) ... Saw extended time at RB, in addition to his normal duties as a CB and kickoff returner ... Totaled 81 career tackles, including 17 TFLs and four sacks, with five pass breakups and three FRs ... Also had 44 kick returns for 1121 yards and two TDs ... Career offensive totals of 41 rushes for 194 yards (4.7) and two TDs, and 11 receptions for 101 yards ... In 2016, led Houston in tackles in upset win over Oklahoma and made one of college football's signature plays of the year, when he returned a missed FG 109 yards for a TD.
Personal: Hometown is Shreveport, La. ... Attended Calvary Academy in Shreveport, where he rushed for 1800 yards and 21 TDs as a senior, and totaled another 500 yards and six more scores receiving ... Sports administration major at Houston.
