Pro Career: Originally entered the NFL as a first-round pick (21st overall) of the New England Patriots in the 2012 NFL Draft. Traded to Cardinals in exchange for G Jonathan Cooper and Arizona’s 2016 second-round pick (#61) on 3/15/16. Received “non-exclusive” franchise tag on 2/27/17 and signed new five-year contract with Cardinals on 3/10/17.
2016: Started all 16 games and finished second on the team with 11.0 sacks while tying for second with 18 tackles for loss … was his third double-digit sack season in five years in the NFL; along with teammate Markus Golden (12.5), gave Cardinals two players with double-digit sacks for just the third time in franchise history and first time since 1984 … tied for the team lead and equaled career high with four forced fumbles and added 57 tackles, two fumble recoveries, three passes defensed, 22 QB hits and 14 QB pressures … selected as a Pro Bowl alternate … in his Cardinals debut against his former team, had a sack and a fumble recovery vs. NE (9/11); recovered a fumble in the second quarter that led to a Cardinals TD and then sacked Jimmy Garoppolo for a five-yard loss in the fourth quarter; totaled five tackles, including one for loss … had a 10-yard sack on game’s final drive vs. TB (9/18); also had one solo tackle for loss and team highs with four QB pressures and four QB hits … registered a sack for third straight game when he brought down Tyrod Taylor for a two-yard loss in the second quarter @ Buf (9/25); totaled five tackles, including a team-leading three for loss, and added two QB pressures and two QB hits … notched four solo tackles and a sack vs. LAR (10/2); forced and recovered a fumble by Case Keenum on his third-quarter sack; fourth straight game with a sack made him the first player in team history (joined later in the same game by Markus Golden) with a sack in each of the season’s first four games … posted season-high seven tackles, including one for loss @ SF (10/6); also had one pass defensed (deflecting pass that was picked off by Calais Campbell) … sacked Russell Wilson and forced a fumble in the fourth quarter vs. Sea (10/23); also had three solo tackles and three QB hits … recorded a season-high 2.0 sacks vs. SF (11/13); marked his 11th career multi-sack game and first with Arizona; totaled four tackles, including two for loss, and had three QB hits … sacked Sam Bradford and forced a fumble that Cardinals recovered in the fourth quarter @ Min (11/20); added five tackles, including two for loss … registered four tackles and a team-high three for loss @ Mia (12/11) … recorded 1.5 sacks @ Sea (12/24); totaled five tackles, one for loss, and added three QB pressures and three QB hits … notched 1.5 sacks for the second straight week @ LAR (1/1/17); marked his third multi-sack game of the season and 13th career; also had two tackles, one for loss, a forced fumble, one pass defensed and two QB hits.
2015: Started 15 games and both postseason contests, totaling 44 tackles and setting career highs with 12.5 sacks and four forced fumbles … also had his first career INT and added one pass defensed … selected to first Pro Bowl in his career … posted a career-high three sacks in victory @ Buf (9/20); had two sacks in the second quarter and added another in the third quarter, marking his seventh career multi-sack game … recorded four tackles and 2.5 sacks of Andrew Luck @ Ind (10/18), his second multiple-sack game of the season and eighth of his career … forced a fumble on a sack of Ryan Fitzpatrick vs. NYJ (10/25) … notched his third multi-sack game in the season’s first seven games when he had two vs. Mia (10/29) … had one sack each vs. Was (11/8) and @ NYG (11/15), giving him at least one sack in five consecutive games, the longest streak of his career; also forced a fumble on the sack of Eli Manning against the Giants … collected his first career INT when he picked off Brock Osweiler in the second quarter @ Den (11/29); led to a TD on the Patriots ensuing possession; also forced a fumble later in the game … sacked and forced a fumble by Marcus Mariota that was recovered in the end zone for a Patriots TD vs. Ten (12/20); added a second sack in the third quarter for his fourth multi-sack game of the season and the 10th of his career … inactive (abdomen/toe) for regular season finale @ Mia (1/3/16) … registered four tackles, a sack of Alex Smith and forced a Knile Davis fumble in Divisional Playoff win vs. KC (1/16/16) … had one solo tackle in AFC Championship Game @ Den (1/24/16).
2014: Played in 10 games (eight starts) and finished with 43 tackles, six sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and two passes defensed … also started all three postseason games, recording eight tackles and a sack as the Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium … had season highs with eight tackles and two sacks and scored his second career TD when he blocked a 48-yard FG attempt and returned it 58 yards for a score @ Min (9/14); marked his second career blocked FG; earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career … recorded a half-sack @ KC (9/29) … had five tackles and a sack while forcing and recovering a Kyle Orton fumble @ Buf (10/12) … added a sack in second straight game vs. NYJ (10/16) … inactive (hip) the next six games … returned from injury to record seven tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble vs. Mia (12/14) … collected four tackles in Divisional Playoff vs. Bal (1/10/15) … had one tackle in AFC Championship Game vs. Ind (1/18/15) … notched three tackles and his first career postseason sack in Super Bowl XLIX victory vs. Sea (2/1/15).
2013: Started all 16 games and had a career-best 82 tackles … also totaled 11.5 sacks, one forced fumble, a fumble recovery for a TD and a blocked FG … became first Patriots player with five or more sacks in each of his first two seasons since Chris Slade (1993-94) … tied for third in the AFC and ranked seventh in the NFL in sacks … had five tackles and a season-best two sacks vs. NYJ (9/12) … recorded two half-sacks vs. TB (9/22) … posted a half-sack @ Cin (10/6) and a full sack vs. NO (10/13) … totaled a career-high 11 tackles and added two sacks and a forced fumble @ NYJ (10/20); gave him a sack in three straight games and four sacks in two meetings with the Jets … blocked a 39-yard FG attempt with 2:51 remaining to help preserve New England’s victory vs. Mia (10/27) … totaled four sacks in a three-game span: two vs. Pit (11/3) and one each @ Car (11/18) and vs. Den (11/24); earned AFC Defensive Player of the Month for November with 16 tackles and four sacks in three games … registered his final sack of the season @ Mia (12/15) … scored first career TD when he recovered a fumbled shotgun snap in the end zone @ Bal (12/22) … started Divisional Playoff vs. Ind (1/11/14) and AFC Championship Game (1/19/14) and had three total tackles.
2012: Appeared in 14 games (13 starts) as a rookie and totaled 48 tackles, six sacks, five passes defensed and three forced fumbles … started in his NFL debut @ Ten (9/9) and had six tackles and his first career sack and forced fumble in the game; forced fumble was recovered by fellow rookie Dont’a Hightower and returned for a TD … had a sack and forced fumble in his second straight game vs. Ari (9/16) … recorded six tackles and a sack @ Buf (9/30); gave him three sacks in first four career games, the most by a Patriots rookie since Chris Slade had five (1993) … named NFL Rookie of the Month for September after totaling 19 tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles in four games … set season highs with nine tackles and two sacks and added a forced fumble @ Sea (10/14); marked his first career multi-sack game … collected four tackles and a sack @ StL (10/28) … suffered ankle injury vs. Ind (11/18) and missed the next two games … returned for last four games of the season, and capped off regular season with six tackles and two passes defensed vs. Mia (12/30) … started and had two tackles in Divisional Playoff vs. Hou (1/13/13) … played in AFC Championship Game vs. Bal (1/20/13).
College: Played in 32 games (28 starts) and totaled147 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks, one INT, five forced fumbles and a fumble recovery … entered NFL draft following his junior season … earned first-team All-Big East honors as a junior in 2011 when he made seven starts and had 38 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and a career-best 4.5 sacks … also had two forced fumbles and an INT … was a second-team all-conference selection as a sophomore after starting all 13 games and recording 57 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery … received second-team National All-Freshman honors from Phil Steele in 2009 … played in all 12 games with eight starts and finished with 52 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks … member of the 2010 Spring Athletic Director’s Honor’s Roll … redshirted in 2008.
Personal: Attended Union-Endicott (NY) High School where he was rated among the top 15 prospects in the state by Scout.com and Super Prep … earned first-team All-State and all-Metro honors after totaling 75 tackles, seven sacks, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries as a senior in 2007 … also played TE and averaged a team-high 17.4 yards per catch … has two brothers: Arthur, a defensive tackle currently a free agent, and Jon, a UFC fighter … majored in Child and Family Studies.
Wilks moves toward 4-3 alignment with the first version of his Cardinals' defense
Chandler Jones set the Cardinals’ single-season sack record in 2017 and made the All-Pro team. That monster campaign left me wondering how it compared to other great individual seasons by Cardinals since the move to Arizona in 1988. Pro Football Reference has a formula that tries to do just that, computing a player’s approximate value each season.
Linebacker, special teamer voted into the best in the NFL squad
Linebacker who set franchise record for sacks named top defender in December