The Las Vegas Raiders drafting defensive end Tyree Wilson in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft was a bet on his raw physical tools and potential. Wilson has all the makings to be a top-tier defender in the league, and the Raiders believe they can bring that out of him.
But Wilson was also coming off a foot injury that ended his final season at Texas Tech and prevented him from practicing for much of the offseason. But Wilson was recently activated and began practicing and on Saturday night he made his first appearance in a Raiders uniform in the team’s preseason finale against the Dallas Cowboys.
Wilson made a single tackle in his first game action, but far more important than the numbers was simply him being out on the field after a long recovery. Afterward Wilson spoke about the Raiders coaches and staff continually telling him to trust the process, so he did just that via the Raider Ramble:
“I’m a competitor so it was frustrating. But they were in my ear every day saying ‘trust the process, trust the process.’ And I just had to believe in the process and know that they were doing the right thing and what was best for my health.”
Often times players can try to rush back from injury which can lead to re-aggravation and more time on the sideline. Wilson was obviously anxious to get back on the field, but the Raiders were patient with his recovery and had to push that point home to him as well.
The Raiders obviously hope Wilson will be able to make a big impact this season and they need him to. Despite the best efforts of Maxx Crosby, the Raiders still finished 30th in the NFL in sacks last season and have struggled to put pressure on the quarterback regularly. The addition of Wilson and a bounceback year from Chandler Jones would go a long way toward climbing up the ranks.
But Wilson is a long-term investment, and the Raiders do not want to sacrifice his long-term health, so they took their time and ensured he would be 100% ready to go before getting him on the field. Wilson certainly had a couple of flashes in his first action, and it is easy to see why the Raiders made him their selection. Now they will continue to build from here with hopes that eventually Wilson will reach his vast potential.
