Getty Las Vegas Raiders DE Tyree Wilson.
One of the biggest storylines at Las Vegas Raiders training camp has been the injury issues with defensive end Tyree Wilson. The team knew he was injured when they used the No. 7 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to sign him but the hope was that he’d be ready by the start of training camp.
Wilson’s absence from the practice field is finally coming to an end. According to an August 16 tweet from Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the defensive end has been removed from the physically unable to perform list and is cleared to practice.
Tyree Wilson, the @Raiders first-round draft pick, has been taken off PUP list and cleared to practice
This is big news for the Raiders as the foot injury Wilson suffered during last year’s college football season has kept him out of offseason workouts, including the pre-draft ones. The team will finally be able to get an up-close look at him. The team already has two accomplished defensive ends Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby so they’ll be able to take things slow. Regardless, the Raiders need him practicing to see what they have in him. The team is about to undergo joint practices with the Los Angeles Rams so how involved Wilson is will be something to watch.
Tyree Wilson Among Favorites to Win Defensive Rookie of the Year
Considering how long Tyree Wilson has been out, it’s unclear what kind of impact he’ll have early in the season. The Raiders finished with 27 sacks last season, which was the third-lowest total in the NFL. They’ll need all the help they can get when it comes to rushing the passer so Wilson could be forced into a key role early if he’s looking healthy.
If he does stay healthy, he has a chance to be in the running for Defensive Rookie of the Year, according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. He listed Wilson as having the sixth-best chance to win the award.
“The biggest concern for Wilson, as of this writing, is getting back to 100% health as he works his way back from the foot injury he suffered last season,” Zierlein wrote in a July 25 column. “He was placed on the non-football injury list last week. Wilson’s freaky length allows him to separate from tackles and hound the pocket. He has rare stalk-and-capture talent once he’s chasing runners on the perimeter. Wilson would be higher on the list if there wasn’t a question about when he would be ready to play.”
Will Tyree Wilson Supplant Chandler Jones as a Starter?
Expectations were high for Chandler Jones when the Raiders signed him last offseason but he has a rough 2022. He had just 4.5 sacks in 15 games, which is the lowest total of his career in a season where he played more than five games. He also ended the season on the Injured Reserve. If Jones can’t return to form in 2023, there’s a shot that Tyree Wilson will take over for him as the starting defensive end opposite Maxx Crosby.
Jones has been one of the best pass rushers in the NFL over his career and could be in the Hall of Fame one day. However, Wilson is the player that the Raiders want to pair with Crosby for the next several years. If he proves that he can be an impact player on defense, there’s no reason to not have him take over for Jones.