Cardinals Rule Out Three Starters for Steelers Game

The Arizona Cardinals have ruled rookie wide receiver Michael Wilson and two others out of the team’s Week 13 visit to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers, head coach Jonathan Glennon announced on Friday.

Wilson, a third-round rookie out of Stanford, has developed into a quality second wide receiver, but he has been sidelined since Nov. 12 with a shoulder injury. He also did not practice at all last week, and with Arizona’s bye coming up in Week 14, the Cardinals will choose to wait a week to bring the young wide receiver back into the fold.

With Wilson out, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown will be expected to carry a large load on the outside. The former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver and cousin of Steelers alum Antonio Brown, Brown has been dealing with a heel injury that has limited him in practice for two straight weeks, but has not kept him out of a game.

He was able to play through it on Sunday, catching six passes for 88 yards in the Cardinals’ 37-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

“It’s one of those things that you just need to toughen up, and I was able to,” Brown said to AZCardinals.com. “Didn’t get the results we wanted, so it was unfortunate.”

Brown has been Arizona’s top receiving threat this season. He is first on the team in targets (98), catches (51), receiving yards (574) and receiving touchdowns (4).

Without Wilson, Rondale Moore and Greg Dortch have stepped into bigger roles, but the pair of 5-foot-7 slot receivers do not have Wilson’s size or strength.

Gannon also ruled out two starters in the defensive secondary: outside cornerbacks Antonio Hamilton Sr. (groin) and Starling Thomas V (ankle).

Kei’Trel Clark, a rookie sixth-round pick out of Louisville, and Marco Wilson, who was just demoted from the starting cornerback job last week, will start in their place.