Raiders activate Tyree Wilson ahead of joint practices with Rams

By Case Keefer (contact)

Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023 | 9:18 a.m.

An answer to the Raiders’ biggest question on defense came Wednesday morning.

Edge rusher Tyree Wilson, the team’s top pick in April’s NFL Draft, is ready to return to practice. The Raiders activated the Texas Tech product off the injured list, ending rising concerns that he may not be ready in time for Las Vegas’ regular-season opener on Sept. 10 at the Denver Broncos.

Wilson hurt his foot last November with the Red Raiders and hasn’t played or practiced since. The injury concern was reportedly enough for some teams to drop the 23-year-old from East Texas down their draft boards, but not the Raiders.

Both Wilson and the Raiders initially expressed confidence that he would be able to return for the start of training camp, but that eventually turned into some point before the start of the season. That point is today, as Wilson’s first practice will presumably come in Thousand Oaks, Calif., where Las Vegas is joint-practicing with the Los Angeles Rams.

The two teams will stage another practice against each other on Thursday before facing off in a preseason game at 6 p.m. Saturday night.       

As a rookie, Wilson would typically be expected to play in the preseason game but it remains to be seen if the Raiders will ease him in off his long recovery from injury.

Wilson logged a total of 14 sacks in his last two seasons at Texas Tech after transferring from Texas A&M, where he committed to and spent one year out of high school. He figures to be a part of the defensive-line rotation this year, mainly with Chandler Jones on the opposite end of the line of Maxx Crosby but also potentially lining up in the interior.

At 6-foot-6, 275 pounds, Wilson has all the physical tools to be an impactful player from early on his career. Now the delay is over and the work begins to get there. 

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or