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Saints’ Kyle Wilson, Brian Dixon have plenty to prove against the Colts

By John Hendrix

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It’s no secret, but without the services of Keenan Lewis and Damian Swann, the New Orleans Saints secondary will be tested often on Sunday. With a depleted cornerback lineup, it means that veteran Kyle Wilson and second year player Brian Dixon will see extensive action against the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts feature a wide receiver group that is extremely talented. Andre Johnson, T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, Phillip Dorsett, and Griff Whalen all have the potential to stretch the field and cause fits for opposing defenders.

We know that Delvin Breaux has been tested thorougly this season, and has held up extremely well. We also know that Brandon Browner has had respective struggles overall, but did play a strong game against the Falcons. However, the reality is that the Saints enter tomorrow with only four cornerbacks.

As per Pro Football Focus, Wilson and Dixon haven’t exactly seen much of the field this year. Dixon has participated in 7 snaps this season (all in coverage), while Wilson has racked up 127 snaps. For perspective, Delvin Breaux leads all cornerbacks with 412 snaps.

Wilson, a Boise State product, was drafted by the New York Jets with the No. 29 overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft, just three picks before ex-Saints cornerback Patrick Robinson. Wilson was essentially ran out of New York, as he struggled heavily in coverage. Reports simply said that it was like he didn’t know what he was doing out there, and was the Jets least favorite player according to fans. Wilson didn’t have the strongest of preseasons to begin with, but rebounded and did enough to warrant a final roster spot.

Dixon, who was originally an undrafted rookie free agent out of Northwest Missouri State University, found himself in the mix for every game in the 2014 season. It wasn’t just special teams participation, as Dixon was asked to fill in as a cover corner due to injuries. Needless to say, it wasn’t that pretty, but he learned and survived. Dixon found himself pegged as the odd man out entering 2015, facing a lot of competition at cornerback. He also had to deal with an offseason arrest in March that allegedly had him resisting arrest after a traffic stop in Miami.

Both Wilson and Dixon have had to overcome odds and adversity to get to this point, and ultimately some tutelage from Dennis Allen may prove to be their best friend against Andrew Luck and company. They’ll certain need that, and a strong support system in the way of a pass rush to help the New Orleans Saints attempt to win on Sunday.

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