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Las Vegas Raiders DE Tyree Wilson.
When the Las Vegas Raiders used the No. 7 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on defensive end Tyree Wilson, the hope was that he’d be the perfect running mate for Maxx Crosby. Unfortunately, he got off to a very slow start to his rookie season and hasn’t made the type of progress the team hoped he would.
On paper, he’s the ideal defensive end. He’s 6-foot-6 with a ridiculously long reach. He’s also very strong. His problem has been that he has trouble getting off the line of scrimmage quickly enough, and he’s not great at using his hands.
Wilson hasn’t been able to carve out a big role, but he’s been somewhat productive, notching 12 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in three seasons. This offseason, the Raiders have to decide whether or not they’re going to exercise the fifth-year option on his contract.
It seems unlikely that they’ll guarantee him a fifth season, as the Raiders would have to pay him $14.475 million. CBS Sports’ Joel Corry predicts that the team will decline his option.
“Don’t expect the Raiders to pick up Wilson’s option,” Corry wrote. “He hasn’t done much to live up to his draft position. Wilson has only started seven of the 50 games he has played in his three NFL seasons and generated just 12 sacks.”
Can Wilson Still Become an Impact Player?
Despite being a top-10 pick, Wilson has seemingly been an afterthought for the Raiders through his first three seasons. The team promoted Rob Leonard to defensive coordinator this offseason, who has been Wilson’s defensive line coach for his entire career.
It will be very telling if Leonard decides not to give him a lot of snaps. He should know Wilson much better than any coach on the staff.
It would be massive for the Raiders if Wilson finally became a consistent impact player. They used a very valuable pick on him. Wilson hasn’t been terrible, but he hasn’t looked like a top-10 pick. There were pundits arguing that he was a better prospect than Will Anderson, who has 30.0 sacks with the Houston Texans through three seasons. Wilson will never be that good, but if he could get five to 10 sacks in 2026, he might be able to get another contract.
Wilson Faces Competition
Wilson isn’t going to have an easy time getting more snaps this season. The team gave a solid contract to defensive end Kwity Paye in free agency and re-signed Malcolm Koonce.
Wilson may be the fourth or fifth defensive end in the rotation. The Raiders have tried him out at defensive tackle a bit, so perhaps he could take more snaps there.
This is going to be a pivotal offseason for him. If he can’t prove that he belongs in the defensive line rotation, the Raiders could consider trading or cutting him before he even gets to free agency. If Wilson isn’t going to rush the passer effectively, proving to be an impact run defender would help him a lot. It’s just hard to imagine that a player with his size, length and talent can’t make a bigger impact.
Austin Boyd has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com since 2019. A Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas, his featured work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, and a behind-the-scenes look at “The Shop.” More about Austin Boyd
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