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The Atlanta Falcons have some difficult decisions to make in free agency. As you know, much of last season's 53 man roster will hit the open market in March. Three of those players are cornerbacks: Josh Wilson, Robert McClain, and Javier Arenas. While free agency will present many options to fill the void, the front office should strongly consider re-signing Josh Wilson.
According to Pro Football Focus, Wilson had a decidedly average season in 2014. He rated negatively in 6 games and positively in 6 games. His ratings ranged from -2.0 to 0.8 over the course of 13 games and 458 snaps. Basically he was average, not particularly bad or good. A replacement-level player, if you will.
If you're not into advanced statistics, Wilson's play might've underwhelmed you. He defended only 7 passes and picked off only one pass. He had 13 stops, 1 sack, and 1 QB hit. Basically he didn't stand out. But in this instance, that wasn't a bad thing.
Are you familiar with yards per coverage snap (YPCS)? It's a simple but important measuring stick for cornerbacks. Read about it here. In short, it's the average yards you give up per defensive snap where you're covering an eligible receiver. Wilson was in coverage 306 times, giving up 314 receiving yards, or roughly 1.03 yards/coverage snap. That was the 15th best average in the league last season. I'll repeat that, because it bears repeating. In fact, I'll bold it too. Wilson had the NFL's 15th best YPCS last season.
To be fair, Wilson probably wasn't covering the opposing team's best receiver much of the time. But that's not what he'd be asked to do, should the Falcons re-sign him. He's the very definition of solid and the Falcons can likely sign him for the veteran minimum. He's that quality, veteran depth we're always clamoring for. In my mind, it just makes sense.
Your thoughts?