BIOGRAPHY
Damien Wilson was born on May 28th, 1993, in Gloster, Mississippi. He is a linebacker in the NFL.
Wilson attended Amite County High School in Liberty, Mississippi, where he was a teammate of Gabe Jackson. He accepted a scholarship from Alcorn State University but transferred to Jones County Junior College after his freshman season.
As a sophomore safety, he was named the Region 23 Defensive MVP, after ranking fourth in the nation with 122 tackles (6 for loss), 2 sacks and 2 passes defensed. As a sophomore, he registered 119 tackles (10.5 for loss). At the end of the year, he transferred to the University of Minnesota.
As a junior, he was converted to linebacker, finishing with 12 starts, 78 tackles (second on the team), one sack and 5.5 tackles-for-loss. In his last year, he registered 12 starts, 119 tackles (led team), 4 sacks (tied for team lead), 10.5 tackles-for-loss (led the team), one interception, 3 passes defensed, one forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries.
The Dallas Cowboys selected Wilson in the fourth round (127th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft. He was the 13th linebacker selected in 2015. On May 28, 2015, the Dallas Cowboys signed Wilson to a four-year, $2.74 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $466,315.
As Anthony Hitchens did before him, the coaches decided to make Wilson learn all three linebacker positions in training camp. On special teams, he tied for the team lead in tackles (9) with Kyle Wilber and Jeff Heath. As a rookie, he didn't have much impact on defense, registering only 16 tackles. Against the New Orleans Saints, he saw an extensive play and performed well. He played the season mostly on special teams and finished tied for the team lead with 9 tackles.
In 2016, he suffered a serious offseason injury on his right eye while playing paintball, missing the first two weeks of training camp after being placed on the non-football injury list. In week 6 of the season, he passed Kyle Wilber on the depth chart and went on to start 5 games at strong-side linebacker. He posted 35 tackles (4 for loss).
In 2017, he began the season as the backup at strongside linebacker, before passing Wilber on the depth chart in the seventh game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He tallied 39 tackles (eleventh on the team), 5 quarterback hurries, one sack and 7 special teams tackles (sixth on the team).
On March 14, 2019, Wilson signed a two-year, $5.75 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. Now he plays with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
On March 17, 2022, Wilson signed a two-year, $6.9 million contract with the Carolina Panthers.
