Raiders' Josh McDaniels talks Tyree Wilson's NFL preseason debut vs. Cowboys
The Las Vegas Raiders had an opportunity to build up their defense for the future this offseason. The draft is one of the best ways to do that, and they spent six of their nine draft picks on that side of the ball.Every defensive player the Raiders drafted has had a petty good offseason. However, […]
The Las Vegas Raiders had an opportunity to build up their defense for the future this offseason. The draft is one of the best ways to do that, and they spent six of their nine draft picks on that side of the ball.
Every defensive player the Raiders drafted has had a petty good offseason. However, their top pick, Tyree Wilson, started the year a bit behind. His injury set him back.
Wilson didn't get any live-action play in an NFL game until this last weekend against the Dallas Cowboys. However, what we did see was pretty amazing.
"Got him out there in a game field. He had padded practices this week. I thought he showed up a little bit," McDaniels said of Wilson's debut in their 31-16 loss to the Cowboys. "I'll have to see the film just to know exactly how it went, but just another positive step in the right direction.
Wilson played just 13 snaps on Saturday. The Raiders must have wanted to keep him off the field for either health reasons, wanting to make sure he wasn't overdoing it, or making sure he wasn't going to get hurt.
In those 13 snaps, though, we got a glimpse of what we can expect in the future, and it was pretty amazing.
There was one play in particular where Wilson Bull rushed from the seven technique alignment and threw the offensive tackle to the ground. He missed the sack, but that's part of being a rookie – figuring out how to finish plays.
Another play showed Wilson stopping the run, which is huge. We know he can rush the passer; that is literally what he is built for. But can he help stop the run on the edge? He did it Saturday a bit.
In terms of things that he needs to fix, there was a play that saw Wilson getting blocked by a rookie tight end. That cannot happen for a guy who is as big as Wilson and as strong as he is; that cannot happen.
Wilson has a lot of room to grow, but from what we did see, it is definitely a 'positive step in the right direction.'
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Featured Image Via Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
