Cedrick Wilson Jr. – March 21, 2022
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Monday, March 21, 2022
WR Cedrick Wilson Jr.
(You’re a coming from a team in Dallas that was statistically one of, if not the best, offense this past season and coming to Miami, this is kind of a rebuilding offense with Head Coach Mike McDaniel. Outside of the opportunity to maybe play more, what really sold you on this opportunity to join this team and this offense?) – “Just obviously the recruiting process that all of us went through. I definitely felt the likeableness there and obviously once I made the decision, it was just one that I knew I could stick with and strive with.”
(What have been your first impressions of Head Coach Mike McDaniel and how you fit in his offense that he’s seeking to bring here?) – “The first thing that is definitely not on paper and not in the news is just how personable he is and just a guy that when you sit down and talk to him, it doesn’t feel like you’re always talking to an NFL head coach. And then just his basic philosophy of greatness, of what he wants to achieve. He definitely has some similar things in mind and just the overall competitive nature that you just get from someone from the first time sitting down with them.”
(You can also throw the ball I’ve seen and get involved in different ways in the offense. Does Head Coach Mike McDaniel excite you as a play caller in that regard?) – “I mean, yes, to the fact of obviously I can throw it so hopefully that gets used. I can’t necessarily say too much about the offense because obviously we haven’t looked over and read about it too much, but obviously knowing what he did in San Francisco and playing them and watching them, they were a heck of an offense and I’m sure he has a lot more tricks up his sleeve than he’s already shown.”
(You’ve been versatile. Obviously you’ve got to be versatile in Dallas, but do you view yourself as a slot receiver? Is that something where you feel like that’s the strength of your game?) – “Yes, I definitely like the slot. There’s a lot more room to work. But I definitely see myself as an overall football player which I can run, throw and catch. So pretty much any position I feel like I’ll be comfortable at, whether it’s inside or outside. But I definitely strive in the slot when I’m in there.”
(You spoke briefly on your recruiting process with the Dolphins. Just out of curiosity, what were your thoughts on the Miami Dolphins training facility compared to the Dallas Cowboys?) – “The new facility they just built is amazing. It’s nice, it’s new and just the overall layout of it is definitely special. We’re sitting right down in Miami Gardens right next to the stadium, so it’s not really a step down. It’s almost just a lateral move from a great facility to a great facility, and it’s just a nice place to work. Usually you just go to work to work and if you can look at a facility like that, it makes work that much more enjoyable.”
(Have you reached out to QB Tua Tagovailoa yet to try to get work on your timing with him? Have you got in contact with him yet at all?) – “Yeah, we’re good. We’re trying to get it set up to see when we can definitely get out there to throw together. I’ve got a lot of stuff to get moving on. I’ve got a family that I’ve got to get situated and what we’re about to do, so as soon as we can get together, we’re going to hit the ground running.”
(Beyond the facility and beyond the fact that Head Coach Mike McDaniel is a really engaging, smart guy, what else impressed you during the recruiting pursuit? Was it how they explained your role in the offense would be? Something General Manager Chris Grier said? A video they sent you? What else stood out in the process?) – “The first thing that I would have to say that stood out in the process would definitely be just I’d say the culture around the facility. Even though I feel like it hasn’t been built yet, with most people being new, if not all, that’s probably stuck out to me that everyone was already hand-in-hand in the facility with just getting there in a short time. And obviously the scheme, people know I can throw the ball so I’m pretty sure Coach McDaniel is definitely hopefully going to use that and if he does, then it’s just my job to go out there and make the play.”
(First of all do you prefer “Ced” or “Cedrick?”) – “Either one is cool. It’s just whatever your preference.”
(You said that Head Coach Mike McDaniel was a really personable guy, that you wouldn’t guess that you’re talking to a football coach, but I was curious what your impression of him was in terms of his knowledge of the receiver position? He played receiver in college, he was a former wide receivers coach. Did you notice that he was any more in-tune with the position than maybe any other coach that you’ve worked with in the past?) – “It’s kind of hard to decide that now, but off the first meeting, I definitely could tell that he’s a guy that’s going to want to be hands-on with everything. You like your coaches like that because you don’t want the coach to disappear and you don’t see him at practice. So I feel like he’ll be very hands-on and I feel like that’ll be good – one, for the offense, and two, for the whole team, just showing that their head coach is out there grinding with them.”
(If you’re able to share this, was your sense from talking to Head Coach Mike McDaniel that you would be used primarily in the slot?) – “No, we didn’t really get to that much detail of where. It was basically just a meet-and-greet, not football. That’s the one thing that I really like, that was just going in there to get to know people because all of us can obviously coach and play football. You just want to make sure the guys that you’re working with are in-tuned and have the same goal that you do. I feel like that’s what I got mostly from the meeting. We’ll have plenty of time to talk football.”
(And was the chance for more playing time, obviously Dallas – they’ve thinned the room a little bit with you and WR Amari Cooper gone, but there wasn’t a chance to play a ton. You played a lot but not a ton. Was that a big factor in coming here, the chance to play even more?) – “I wouldn’t say play time. I feel like just in my position in general, I’m going to have to grind and try to go play as much as I want to with any team I’m on. I solely just picked Miami just off of the fact of how I felt with the vibe and also with Wes Welker. Talking to him, and obviously talking to him a couple years ago when I was coming out as a rookie, to know that he’s actually going to be there also was definitely a warm welcome.”
