BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The birth of a child is a lifechanging experience.
For Browns linebacker Mack Wilson, who welcomed his son into the world earlier this week, it may have saved his career too.
Wilson admits that the 2020 season was the most challenging of his football life.
“I never felt like I was myself,” Wilson said Friday. “I was down. I wanted to quit at times, but I found a way to keep myself motivated to get through last season. This offseason I just had a lot of time to think. Finding out that I had a son on the way, it really motivated me to work extremely hard this offseason. That is what I did.”
It started in training camp last August when Wilson suffered a hyperextended knee.
The injury came a day after running back Nick Chubb suffered a concussion following a hit from Wilson in practice. He went on to miss the first two games of the regular season.
Wilson himself avoided a concussion in early December and later in the month suffered a neck injury that cost him another game. Despite returning in Week 3, the knee injury limited him throughout the year and took its toll on him mentally.
“That is how down I was,” Wilson said. “Mentally, we go through a lot as football players. When I got hurt, it was one of my worst moments in my life. Just coming back, I never felt like I was myself. I did not feel like I was producing on the field, I could not move like I wanted to. I was missing plays that I knew I should make.
“I was in a dark place. I was able to climb back because that is what true fighters do. I am happy where I am at right now, but there is still work to do.”
Wilson credits his girlfriend, parents and godfather with helping him get through the season that saw him finish with 39 tackles, one for loss and a pair of pass breakups in 13 games.
Prior to the Browns trip to Kansas City in January for a divisional playoff game, Wilson learned his girlfriend was expecting their first child.
He registered five tackles in the 22-17 loss to the Chiefs, but also unintentionally forced Patrick Mahomes from the game with a hit in the third quarter that gave Mahomes a concussion. The hit put Wilson in the spotlight and made him the target of social media wrath but he and Mahomes Tweeted at each other, showing the world there was no ill intent, or hard feelings.
“I was happy that he was able to come back and play in the next playoff game,” Wilson said.
With a son on the way, Wilson rededicated himself this offseason. He worked to reshape his body, add muscle and maintain a consistent playing weight coming into camp.
For that, he credits the newest addition to his family.
“I just worked hard,” Wilson said. “Just knowing that I have a son that’s going to be dependent on me, that’s what drove me. I was in the gym every day, sometimes twice a day and just my drive is different. My life changed after I found out.”
Earlier this week, Wilson made one of the most athletic plays we’ve seen him make when he got in front of tight end David Njoku to make an interception during an 11-on-11 series in the red zone.
“I felt like my old self,” Wilson said. “I told myself before we came back to practice, I just told myself that I’m going back to my college mindset, to where I just felt free and I just felt like every time I went on the field I was the baddest person out there. And that’s the mind space I’m at right now, where that just keeps me going. I feel like I’m in college again, and that’s how I approach it. Have fun and do whatever it takes to help us win.”