"Without my toe, I can't run, I can't cut, I can't jump, I could barely walk," he said, adding that doctors had to repair the bone, muscle, ligaments and tendons in the toe. "Being in a boot and on crutches has definitely brought a different perspective to my life and what I want to do. This is something that could have ended my career. Prayerfully, it won't."
Tight ends coach Wade Harman said he has sensed an eagerness in Wilcox to get back to the field as soon as possible.
"Anytime you lose playing time to an injury and you've had some success and done some really good things on the field, I think there's motivation to get back on the field and show everybody that you're healthy," Harman said. "You want to contribute in any way that you can, and you don't feel good when you're not out there. He's a competitor."
Getting Wilcox back could be a boon for an offense still looking to find its way under new offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. Wilcox, who has caught 71 passes for 557 yards and six touchdowns in four seasons with the Ravens, can catch passes at tight end or in the slot or open holes in the running game as a fullback.
Wilcox said he is still working on making the transition from studying the playbook to carrying out the plays as scripted. "I can study, study, study, but it's nothing compared to getting out there and having to make a decision in a split second and do the right thing every time," he said. "It has to become second nature to me."
Wilcox said he would like to play in the remaining two preseason games before the regular-season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. But he said he won't press the issue until the coaching staff is fully comfortable with his progress.
"I don't feel like where I'm need to be," Wilcox said. "I've got a lot of learning to do, I've got a lot of running to do and a lot of cutting before I can declare myself to be in football shape and hitting shape. I haven't been hit since last December. So I feel like I'm miles behind everybody else. I've got a lot of catching up to do."
edward.lee@baltsun.com
