Raiders Could Already Be Considering Trading Former 1st-Round Pick: Analyst

Getty Las Vegas Raiders GM Tom Telesco.

Tyree Wilson’s lackluster first season with the Las Vegas Raiders was chalked up to him being injured for last year’s training camp and the fact that he was thrust into a bigger role than expected after Chandler Jones was cut.

However, he’s been completely healthy this offseason and isn’t showing many signs of improvement. The Raiders already have an All-Pro defensive end in Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce is emerging as a very good player. If Las Vegas doesn’t see Wilson becoming an impact player for the defense, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes they should consider trading him before the deadline.

“Wilson was a prospect rapidly rising up draft boards last April, but he showed little of what seemed to excite teams when he was on the field as a rookie,” Barnwell wrote in an August 26 column. “He had 3.5 sacks and eight knockdowns in a rotational role, but the Raiders were a much better defense with Malcolm Koonce on the field. Koonce’s pass rush win rate of 17.4% tripled Wilson’s (5.8%). Koonce ranked 34th among edge defenders by that metric, while Wilson ranked 112th out of 119 qualifiers.

“Like Johnston, Wilson just finished a dismal rookie season for a team that fired the head coach and general manager who drafted him. And like Johnston, Wilson has significant guarantees remaining on his deal, with more than $8 million coming due over the next three seasons. That’s nothing if the Raiders still believe Wilson is going to emerge as a useful edge rusher, but if new general manager Tom Telesco and coach Antonio Pierce think Wilson is strictly backup material, they might want to try to talk to some of those teams that were interested in pushing Wilson up into the top 10 a year ago.”

Is It Too Early to Trade Tyree Wilson?

It’s difficult to know what kind of value the Raiders could still get for Wilson. It’s hard to imagine a team giving up much more than a third-round pick considering how underwhelming his play was in 2023.

Giving up a player who is a year removed from being the seventh pick in the draft just for a third-round pick wouldn’t make a lot of sense. It’d make more sense to hold onto him and see if he can develop. The aforementioned Koonce had 2.0 sacks combined in his first two seasons before notching 8.0 sacks in his third year.

Now, if a team is willing to trade more than a third-round pick, it could be something for the Raiders to consider. With the team likely looking to draft a quarterback next year, loading up on draft capital for a potential trade-up may be a wise move.

What Will Tyree Wilson’s Role Be in 2024?

Koonce and Crosby are entrenched as the starting defensive ends for the Raiders so there’s not a ton of pressure for Wilson to perform early on. In fact, he’ll likely move inside quite a bit this season and play some defensive tackle.

All the Raiders need from Wilson is to be a solid rotational pass rusher. He won’t be getting a ton of snaps unless there are injuries. Crosby will almost always be on the field soaking up a lot of attention as well as defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. There will be plenty of opportunities for Wilson to see one-on-ones and he needs to take advantage of that. If he can’t at least get to 5.0 sacks this season, the Raiders could give up on him entirely.