Last year was a wash for Tyree Wilson. The Raiders' 2023 first-round pick – seventh overall, no less – had about as rough a rookie season as any player in his draft class, going the entire year without a start while finishing with 3.5 sacks and 29 tackles.
Wilson was always something of a developmental project, and while no one expected him to set any single-season records last season, it's hard to argue that he took any meaningful steps forward as a rookie. Going into this season's training camp, Wilson's development – especially now with Christian Wilkins in the fold – was a big topic of conversation, and one that has, uh, not gone particularly well so far.
The latest training camp report about Tyree Wilson is *rough*
Some of the most recent reporting on Wilson comes from The Athletic's Vic Tafur, who added a blurb(subscription required) on the edge rusher's practice performances in his latest Raiders camp roundup. One sentence in particular is a big ol' bummer. It's literally titled, "Tyree Wilson may not contribute," so adjust your expectations accordingly.
"Wilson was the seventh pick in the 2023 draft, and the defensive end may have a hard time getting on the field this season ... He still has trouble getting off the ball at practice and though he is happier and healthier, according to Pierce, the bar has been lowered quite a bit."
Woooooof. It's one thing to hear that he hasn't looked as good as he was expected to, but if reporters are already predicting he won't even get on the field, the Raiders may officially have a capital-p problem. "The bar has been lowered quite a bit" is about as depressing as a piece of analysis as you can write about a second-year player who turned 24 in May.
This is the point of the blog where I'll try and tell you that it's early, he's young, etc. They have Wilkins and Crosby! They can just add another veteran and let Wilson develop! It'll all be fine and they'll beat the Chiefs! If you want to stop reading here, I certainly wouldn't blame you. In fact, maybe we should all just stop here for today. We can all just live in a little bit of denial, as a treat.