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INDIANAPOLIS – The greatest moment of Quincy Wilson’s 2019 season was him helping limit one of the NFL’s best tight ends.
After that performance in Week Five against Travis Kelce and the Chiefs, Wilson barley saw the field the rest of the season.
The 2017 second-round pick played 17 total defensive snaps in the final two months of the season (13 of those coming after injuries in the New Orleans game forced Wilson into action).
A healthy Wilson continually on the sideline to close out 2019 season has many questioning if he will be a member of the Colts come September.
Chris Ballard won’t shy away from the importance of 2020—the final of a 4-year rookie deal—for Wilson.
“He knows he’s at a make or break point,” Ballard says.
At just 23 years old, Wilson enters a contract year with hardly any positives to draw on from the final two months of this past season.
When that Kansas City game ended, Wilson played 14 snaps the next game against Houston, on October 20th.
He wouldn’t see the field again defensively until December 8th.
Ballard says the complications of finding secondary guys that could contribute on special teams, something Wilson hardy offers, contributed to the healthy inactives for the third-year corner.
“(Wilson’s) role early in the season was good, made a big play in Tennessee, played well vs. Kansas City, then we got healthy all the way through at all of the positions,” Ballard says. “We had five safeties we were dressing and four corners, and then a lot of it came down to special teams. Quincy’s not a core player on teams. Then you add (Rolan) Milligan, who plays on teams, you add (Clayton) Geathers, who plays on teams, you have George Odum, who plays on teams, you had Marvell Tell ascend, who plays on special teams.
“If you are not in that top-3 corner spot, that 4th and 5th corner have to be able to play on (special) teams. That 4th or 5th safety has to be able to play on teams. Those guys were more valuable.”
After starting 5 games in 2017 and 2018, Wilson didn’t make a single start in 2019. He played just 12 percent of the defensive snaps, after seeing 38 and 42 percent of the action in ’17 and ’18, respectively.
That defensive versatility the Colts loved about Wilson was hardly ever used in 2019.
There are concerns if the heavy zone concepts from Matt Eberflus’ defense fits the 6-2 Wilson.
Entering 2020, believing Wilson is a future answer for the Colts is a long shot.
“Down the stretch, I think (Wilson’s) confidence got him a little bit down the stretch,” Ballard said. “It’s something Quincy and I talked a long time (after the season) ‘This is it, a big year for you.’
“So it’ll be interesting to see how he comes back, and his mindset, but I think it’ll be good.”
