Marco Wilson went to cornerbacks coach Greg Williams in the offseason to ask for him to make a highlight tape of his rookie season.
What he wanted highlighted, however, were the plays on which he was beaten. All the better to which fix them, as he goes into his second season as a starter.
The Cardinals need him, because cornerback overall remains an area of concern.
"Getting those reps and being out there helped," Wilson said. "By going up against a lot of great receivers, now I know I can go out there and compete against the best."
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said the team could still add a cornerback. But he cautioned the Cardinals may not, and those on the roster have to perform. Byron Murphy Jr., and Wilson figure to start. Josh Jackson and Antonio Hamilton right now figure to be the top backups.
"We got who we got right now," Joseph said. "We can't count on someone to come in and save us. There's always a chance to add someone, but we got guys who we believe in and guys who work hard."
Wilson has gotten praise repeatedly from Joseph since arriving as a fourth-round pick last year. Out of the Cardinals' cornerbacks last season, Wilson had the second most snaps (762) behind only Murphy (987).
Wilson had success before tailing off during the second of the season. But Joseph loves the potential Wilson flashed and the confidence he's had throughout the start of training camp.
"The kid played good football last year and we won a lot of games with him playing," Joseph said. "Late in the year, he gave some plays up. But they were contested plays. When OBJ beat him on a fade, he was right there. When OBJ beat him on a slant, he was right there.
"Those plays were inches, but I thought he played very well last year as a fourth-round rookie, coming in fresh like that. He should get better moving forward."
Wilson said he's not worried about winning the starting job. His focus is solely on improvement. Wilson's confidence though comes from the extensive playing time as a rookie and facing star receivers like DeAndre Hopkins every day in practice.
"I wake up every day trying to figure out how I can be a better me," Wilson said.
KYLER MURRAY GETS A REST DAY
Quarterback Kyler Murray didn't practice Friday, giving him an extra day off (the Cardinals are off Sunday) before his next work.
"He's been here throwing a ton," Kingsbury said. "He reported earlier with the rookies, so we're going to rest his arm."
Center Rodney Hudson had a veterans day off, while running back James Conner was limited as Kingsbury looked to get work for the rest of the running backs. Kingsbury also said he hopes left tackle D.J. Humphries can practice next week.
KINGSBURY LOOKS FOR 'SPEED' WITH TENNESSEE PRACTICES
The Cardinals will travel to Tennessee later this month to have two joint practices with the Titans. Kingsbury said he wanted the practice for competitive reasons.
"To get that (game) speed and work during the week and not have to play the games in the game, I thought that was important," Kingsbury said.
"I talked to (Titans) coach (Mike) Vrabel, it's not going to be one of those knock down, drag 'em out situations. We want to be smart, be healthy, but we will do some situational stuff."
