The New Orleans Saints are taking a calculated swing that the talents that got Tyree Wilson drafted No. 7 overall in 2023 can still be realized. The former Raider believes a new club could bring the best out of him after struggling in three seasons in Vegas.
“It’s a blessing to be a high first-round pick, but you’re always going to have the label,” he said Monday via the team’s official website. “They look at you as the franchise guy. From the outside looking in, the fans want you ready immediately. But it always doesn’t work out that way. Everybody’s timetable in the NFL is different. But I’m glad I’m here, I’m glad for the fresh start and I’m ready to dominate on the field.
“I feel like my game has taken a big leap from the first few years and it’s continually going up. Stats don’t make everything, but a lot of people look at stats. I’m here to play great defense and be a great teammate, and the rest of the stuff will follow.”
In three seasons, Wilson never generated more than 4.5 sacks despite playing in 50 games. In classic Raiders fashion, Wilson’s final game for Vegas was probably his best, netting two sacks in a win over the Patrick Mahomes-less Kansas City Chiefs. After the season finale, Wilson believed he was ready to build on that performance in 2026. Now, he will try to find that consistency in New Orleans.
Wilson pairs with Chase Young, another former high draft pick who bounced around before blasting off for a career-high 10 sacks in 2025 in New Orleans. The Saints now employ the No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 draft and the No. 7 pick of the 2023 draft on the edges.
“I feel like we can see eye to eye,” Wilson said Monday of Young. “He knows what it’s like being a top pick in the NFL. He knows the ups, he knows the downs and he came here, he’s been doing great. That’d be another role model by my side, somebody that can boost my game and learn things from.
“I feel like every player’s journey in the NFL is different. I can’t speak for (Young); I haven’t really gotten to sit down and pick his brain or what happened in his situation and he doesn’t know what happened in mine. But what we do have in common is him being a high-round defensive end, a high pick and he came here and he’s made the best of his opportunity. That’s what I expect to do with mine.”
It should be noted that Young flashed massive potential with a 7.5-sack, Defensive Rookie of the Year performance in his first season. Injuries and other issues led him to bounce around before settling in New Orleans. Wilson hasn’t shown that type of upside in his three campaigns. However, perhaps alongside Young, the 25-year-old can learn a few tricks to unlock his athleticism and become a productive pass rusher on the opposite side under defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. For New Orleans, it was worth a fifth-round pick to see.
The Saints are declining Wilson’s fifth-year option, as expected, sending him into a contract campaign. New surroundings with a significant money motivation heading into 2027. If the Saints don’t get the best out of Wilson, it probably won’t happen in the NFL.
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