The growth of Las Vegas Raiders rookie defensive end Tyree Wilson is not going to happen overnight. His growth may also not be noticeable, but the former Texas Tech star is improving gradually as the season progresses. The spotlight remains just as bright as the New England Patriots are set to visit the Silver and Black on Sunday. As far as Week 5, Wilson had his second home game at Allegiant Stadium against the Green Bay Packers.
Expectations for the rookie were higher than usual due to the instability of the Packers’ offensive line. Still, Wilson did not log his first sack as many had hoped. The rookie did however make the stat sheet and commanded more attention from the Packers than one might have expected. Let’s take a deeper dive into all of this.
Tyree Wilson: Different, But Similar…
Right away, something jumped off the screen during the Monday night game against Green Bay. The Packers’ offensive line gave Wilson extra attention – more than any other team. There were several plays where the seventh-overall pick faced double teams, with a tight end coming in to assist the tackle in blocking the rookie. This move is unexplainable because Wilson’s performance did not required extra help. Wilson did appear stronger, but not enough to be described as “disruptive.”
As stated earlier, the Texas Tech alum did not record his first NFL sack. The Packers game was very much the “Maxx Crosby show,” as he dominated up front with seven pressures and a sack. By comparison, Wilson recorded two pressures and a 7% win rate, per Pro Football Focus. Wilson seems to be trading off snap counts this season with defensive end Malcolm Koonce, who secured 4 pressures, 1 QB hit, and logged a 33.3% win rate. The rook barely saw more time on the field than Koonce with 24 defensive snaps compared to Koonce’s 22. The numbers don’t lie; Koonce was far more productive with two fewer snaps than Wilson.
There Were Some Positives For Tyree Wilson
Wilson looked powerful during his pass rushes and added two pressures to his stat sheet. But his tape was not all flattering. One of the 23-year-old’s most glaring repetitions came in the first quarter. Packers quarterback Jordan Love ran a play action passing play, and Wilson was lined up on Love’s left side where he was responsible for setting the edge on that side of the field. The rookie “bit” on the play action and ran to the middle of the field, believing that Packers running back A.J. Dillon had the ball. Love saw that the left side of the field was completely open and ran for 26 yards. Thankfully, Love was chased down by safety Marcus Epps. The defense fortunately held the Packers to a field goal on the drive, but the error was costly, nonetheless.
While Wilson is improving, he is not immune from those rookie mistakes we commonly see in a player’s inaugural season; first-round pick or not.
It’s Time The Raiders Rookie Pumps Up The Numbers
Each week, fans of the Silver and Black pray that Wilson achieves his first official sack in the NFL. While fans want to see the rookie improve, they also want to see some concrete return on the first-round pick the Raiders used to select him. Las Vegas faces off against the New England Patriots at home in Week 6. This may not be the ideal match-up to get Wilson his first sack, but there is a real chance for disruption.
The Patriots quarterback, Mac Jones, is one of the least sacked quarterbacks in the league, being taken down only nine times (tied for second with four other QBs). Jones is also tied with four other quarterbacks for the second-most interceptions thrown this season. Jones has thrown six interceptions, just behind Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who leads the league with seven.
It would be advantageous for Wilson and the rest of the defensive line to create some chaos in front of Jones. There could be a possibility that Garoppolo won’t be the interception leader any longer.
An Old Friend Returns…
Wilson, while splitting reps with Malcolm Koonce, will likely line up against a familiar face for the Raiders: left tackle Trent Brown.
Brown, who left the Patriots for the Raiders only to return to New England, is listed as questionable for Sunday. If Brown does play, Wilson has a chance to exploit the massive tackle’s average performance thus far in 2023. PFF gave Brown a grade of 78.3 after allowing two sacks, seven pressures, and four hurries over 165 snaps. Brown is not the best on the Patriots offensive line, but he isn’t the worst, either.
The future of the Raiders, which hinges on Tyree Wilson, will hopefully include fine-tuning his pass rush skills. In terms of Week 6, we can only hope there’ll be some signs of improvement against a former Raider who’s declining.
*Top Photo: NBC Sports
Raiders rookie Tyree Wilson today #LVvsDEN pic.twitter.com/0BzHN5mGmd
— RaiderRamble.com™ (@TheRaiderRamble) September 10, 2023
