Wilson is learning what it takes to become great from his elite teammates
The Las Vegas Raiders drafted Tyree Wilson in 2023, just after his Lisfranc surgery. He was expected to be eased into the rotation and become a contributor throughout the year.
That said, Wilson got off to a slow start, getting called out by Brian Baldinger on social media. He wasn’t quick to catch on to the speed of the game and wasn’t getting pressure on the quarterback. This allowed Malcolm Koonce to emerge as the starting defensive end across from Maxx Crosby. Wilson played inside at a higher rate as the season ended and finished with 4.5 sacks.
Heading into 2024, the former Texas Teach edge rusher hopes to have a bounce-back season. The Raiders added Christian Wilkins to become a duo with Maxx Crosby. Both players have taken Wilson under their wing to help him become a better player.
“They did things at the highest level,” Wilson said, “Every time I do a rep, I try to ask Maxx, hey, did you see it? or Christian, did you see it and what I can take from them to take my game to the next level”.
It is exciting for Wilson to be open to learning from his teammates who have performed at a high level. Wilson’s role on the team won’t be what you expected from a top-ten selection. However, if he can make the most of his snaps and impact the game with his pass rush, he can start to make the decision of re-signing Koonce more difficult.
In other Raiders links:
- Observations from the first week of training camp: The Las Vegas Review-Journal has the scoop on the first week of training camp.
- Sports Illustrated training camp takeaways: Albert Breer reports on the Raiders training camp.
- Raiders defensive line coach mic’d up: Rob Leonard was mic’d up, and the Las Vegas Raiders YouTube has all the action.