Michael Wilson is as tough as they come. That was known when he decided to play through two broken ribs.
On Sunday, he took it to another level when he played through a fracture in his neck, although coach Mike LaFleur said on Monday the wide receiver is done for the season because of the injury.
The fracture occurred on the fourth offensive play of the game, a 17-yard reception by Wilson. He jumped in front of Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon to make the reception and landed awkwardly. He did get up without assistance. It was after the game, once the adrenaline wore down, when the severity of the injury came into play.
"He said he kind of had a kink in his neck, but he's such a warrior," LaFleur said. "He didn't think much of it."
The wide receiver room has been dealt a nasty hand when it comes to injuries, especially in the last three weeks. In Week 7 against the Broncos, Jalen Brooks dislocated his wrist and had emergency surgery. The next week in Dallas, Kendrick Bourne reportedly fractured his tibia. Now Wilson is out.
Including the trade of Marvin Harrison Jr., the Cardinals are now without the top four receivers they opened with in Week 1 for the balance of the season.
LaFleur said the message he shared with the team will remain in-house. But he emphasized his appreciation for the players.
"I love the fight out of these guys," LaFleur said. "I'm not a doctor obviously, but similar (with cornerback Will Johnson's neck injury) in terms of the last few plays and playing through it. Jalen Brooks has a shattered arm and doesn't say anything and plays through it. You got three examples of dudes that are warriors."
LaFleur was direct when asked if he had seen a room being impacted by injuries as much as the receiver room. "No," he said, bluntly.
The Cardinals now have Simi Fehoko, Devin Duvernay, and rookies Reggie Virgil and Harrison Wallace III at wide receiver. Veteran Zay Jones is on the practice squad.
"Like I somewhat told the guys, and not to get any further than that, but a lot of opportunity for guys to go out there and show us what they got," LaFleur said. "Where there is setbacks there is setups for success. We'll go from there."
Wilson signed a three-year $75 million contract extension before the season began after finishing with his first 1,000-yard campaign last year. Through nine games, Wilson had 51 receptions for 546 yards and two touchdowns. He ranked 10th in the league with most receptions.
