One of the moves the Las Vegas Raiders made this offseason was trading Tyree Wilson to the New Orleans Saints. The trade allowed for the former first-round pick to have a fresh start, as he could never find his footing with the Silver and Black.
Last season with the Raiders, Wilson recorded a 57.6 overall PFF defensive grade while playing 463 total snaps. As a result, he generated 35 total pressures, one forced fumble, four sacks, 28 hurries, and three QB hits. Meanwhile, against the run, Wilson recorded 25 solo tackles.
Wilson has now gone through OTAs and the mandatory minicamp with New Orleans and shared how the transition from the Raiders to the Saints is going as he looks to get his career back on track.
“A fresh start, but it’s another opportunity,” Wilson said in a June 21 video from WGNO’s Jon Sokoloff. “I’m not going to forget what I learned in my previous years in the NFL.
“I feel like those were all learning points, so I’m going to take those with me. Jumping in here with people who wanted me and getting coached a different way and being around different guys, hopefully I can elevate my game to where I want it to be.”
Ex-Raiders DE Tyree Wilson Making Impact in New Orleans
Meanwhile, Saints head coach Kellen Moore is content with what he’s seeing from Wilson, as it appears the former Raiders edge rusher is getting off to a good start in New Orleans.
“I thought he had an awesome offseason,” Moore said. “He’s been a sponge as far as just absorbing all the information. I mean, he’s getting to be coached by Jay Rogers, one of the best in the league, and learn all the techniques and all the fundamentals there. And then I think what’s cool is just to see him hopping in on every possible opportunity on special teams, like, ‘Hey, where can I learn something? Where can I find a potential role as we go?’ That’s awesome.”
Tyree Wilson Looks to Improve Sack Total With Saints
During his three seasons with the Raiders, Wilson had 57 solo tackles, 34 assists, 12.0 sacks and two fumble recoveries in 50 games, per StatMuse. As a result, he wants to switch up the narrative.
While not known as someone who could get to the QB during his time with the Silver and Black, Wilson wants to be that in New Orleans and be a player who can make life hard for opposing offenses.
“I see myself as a game wrecker, so it’s just coming to work and training camp, being conditioned, the most conditioned dude, and trying to be as polished as I can when I come to training camp,” Wilson added. “So when the season comes, I’m a game wrecker and dominate the NFC.”
It will be interesting to see if Wilson can make the most of his fresh start with the Saints and get to the opposing QB, because he can only have so much leeway as a former first-round pick. If he can’t be at least a depth pass rushing option for a team, his NFL career might be in trouble.
Tyree Wilson Gets Blunt on Saints Transition After Raiders Exit