Wreh-Wilson stepping up in prominent role

With Trufant out, cornerback dazzles in starting lineup.

FLOWERY BRANCH — When the Falcons have turned to cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson over the past four seasons, he’s delivered.

With Desmond Trufant out for the rest of this season with a broken forearm, Wreh-Wilson, who was drafted in the third round by Tennessee in 2013, stepped into the starting lineup and has performed well.

In the 29-22 upset over San Francisco on Sunday, Wreh-Wilson, who plays left cornerback in the nickel defense, had an overall grade of 87.6, according to Pro Football Focus. His grade was the second-highest on the Falcons’ defense.

He played 33 defensive snaps, was targeted six times, but gave up only one reception (for 8 yards) to go with three pass breakups. One of the breakups came in the fourth quarter in the end zone on a pass intended for 49ers tight end George Kittle.

“I thought that was one of the real plays of the game,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “Here it is in the two-minute to go and take a shot on a third-down play, be matched up and make a play on that one. I thought that was a big play for Blidi.”

The Falcons ended up holding and forcing the 49ers to take a field goal to make the score 22-17.

“He definitely delivered, and I thought he played aggressive,” Quinn said.

Wreh-Wilson, who played at Connecticut, is a big cornerback. He’s listed at 6 feet 1 and 198 pounds. He started 14 of 34 games in three seasons with the Titans but was released in August 2016 when Mike Mularkey’s staff took over. He was signed by the Falcons in November 2016.

Wreh-Wilson knew the 49ers were going to test him.

“Usually if you end up out there and you’re not on the field a lot, you get tried,” Wreh-Wilson said. “When I get the opportunity, I try to go out there and really just rely on the training that I do.”

So when the 49ers flexed Kittle out to wide receiver, Wreh-Wilson was ready for the action.

“They saw a matchup, I guess, that they liked,” Wreh-Wilson said. “He moved outside at (wide receiver). He was outside the numbers. So I protected inside then once the ball was thrown, you know that the fade is probably going to go to the middle part of the end zone.”

All Wreh-Wilson had to do then was turn and find the ball.

“He ended up actually playing DB on the play,” Wreh-Wilson said of Kittle. “I was actually in good position.”

Wreh-Wilson played a couple of snaps in a Game 14 win over San Francisco in 2016. In 2017, he played in eight regular-season games and both playoff games, and he signed one-year deals in 2018 and 2019.

“Every week you’re going to face a new outfit, and how can you make your coverages your strengths and make you stronger?” Wreh-Wilson said. “How can you make plays on the ball? The quarterbacks can throw the ball, and it’s expected to be completed to a receiver, but as you know here, we always go for the ball. That’s something that I pride myself on.”

Wreh-Wilson is thankful for the Falcons giving him an opportunity to get his NFL career back on track. He can now look back fondly on his days with the Titans.

“It was a lot,” Wreh-Wilson said. “I was a young player. There was a lot going on. Trying to figure out my role in the league. Trying to figure out what I wanted to accomplish. There was just a lot happening for me at a young age.”

Things slowed down for him with the Falcons.

“There’s a lot of comfort here,” Wreh-Wilson said. “People I’d seen at the Senior Bowl, old coaches and stuff like that, so it was a good fit for me.”

Whatever the Falcons ask, Wreh-Wilson plans to be ready.

“I’ve played a lot of positions,” Wreh-Wilson said. “My rookie year I was a dime, a nickel and cornerback. Basically, just learning the whole secondary and how teams are trying to attack the DBs is something that I pride myself on week in and week out to make sure that I’m prepared.”

Falcons defensive passing-game coordinator Jerome Henderson is a Wreh-Wilson supporter.

“With Tru going out, that was a big loss for us,” Henderson said. “But Blidi is one of those guys who doesn’t need a lot of reps to get ready to play. He is one of those guys who steps up to the challenge.”

Henderson described Wreh-Wilson as a student of the game.

“You know that he’s going to go in and function,” Henderson said. “You don’t worry about him making rookie mistakes because he’s a veteran guy. He’s a really bright guy. Intelligent guy.”

EZRA SHAW / GETTY IMAGES In Sunday’s 29-22 upset over the 49ers, the Falcons’ Blidi Wreh-Wilson (33) played 33 defensive snaps, was targeted six times, but gave up only one reception (for 8 yards) to go with three pass breakups, including this one.