Getty Tyree Wilson, Raiders edge rusher, on NFL draft night
When he takes an NFL field for the Raiders in Week 1 on Sunday against the Broncos, it will be the first time in 302 days that edge rusher Tyree Wilson plays a game that counts. Wilson injured his foot on November 12 while at Texas Tech last year, and has required two surgeries since to fix it. That not only wiped out his senior season, it also wiped out most of his training camp—and possibly cost him a few slots in last year’s draft.
The Raiders were happy to take their chance on him, though, and in the brief time that Wilson has been recovered and back on the field, he has been showing what a rare combination of power and speed he possesses.
In fact, the folks at Good Morning Football on the NFL Network foresee immediate dividends on Wilson: host Kyle Brandt picked him to be this year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year winner.
“Defensive Rookie of the Year, Tyree Wilson for the Raiders,” Brandt said. “He did not go to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3, he went o the Raiders at 7. … We saw just a little glimpse of him on the field and we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, Tryee Wilson is the strongest man of all time.’”
❗ @KyleBrandt‘s pick for Defensive Rookie of the Year has literally swept him off his feet…
Wilson Was Impressive in Brief Preseason
Indeed, one preseason play against the Cowboys drew much attention, which saw Wilson charge headlong at Cowboys lineman Josh Ball, who is 6-foot-8 and more than 300 pounds. Wilson went at Ball with such force that he pushed him well beyond Dallas quarterback Will Grier, who scooted for a 12-yard run.
Another angle of Tyree Wilson tossing Josh Ball like a 🎾
As a football play, it was a flub—Wilson never even touched Grier. As a show of force, it was a major statement, though.
“Here he was in the preseason, just showing up and pushing a 350-pounder into the 20th row,” Brandt said. “Guys, look out. He was paid, drafted and employed to chase Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Russell Wilson. I think he’s gonna do it. I think he’s going to have double-digit sacks, Tyree Wilson of the Las Vegas Raiders.”
Raiders Have Been Cautious With His Return
Wilson did finally get back on the practice field on August 18, and the Raiders have been cautious with his return to full speed since then. Coach Josh McDaniels said at the time that the team would try to take Wilson’s recovery at “the right pace.”
But Wilson has shown no signs of the foot injury slowing him down, and that is momentum he hopes to take into the regular season.
“It felt good,” Wilson said after the Cowboys game. “I just had to trust the process. I was eager to get on the field right away, but I trust the trainers, the coaches, the personnel department, to have the right plan to get me back on the field at the right time.
“I’m a competitor, so it was frustrating. They were in my ear every day, ‘Trust the process, trust the process.’ I just had to believe in the process and know that they were doing the right thing and what was best for my health.”