The New Orleans Saints made a low risk, high upside move bringing in Tyree Wilson in hopes that Brandon Staley could bring him closer to the ceiling of his draft position. ESPN's Adam Schatz is clearly a believer of the move, as he listed Wilson as the nonstarter to know on the Saints roster.
Edge rusher was a position the Saints needed to address this offseason. Cam Jordan's uncertain future emphasized the need, but the Saints had to bolster the room with or without Jordan. Wilson was one of two additions made to address this need and the more exciting of the two.
The Las Vegas Raiders took a chance on Wilson's traits in 2023, but those traits never translated how they wanted it to. The Saints got Wilson for a late round pick. Staley is tasked with succeeding where the Raiders failed, and luckily for the Saints, Staley has been in these shoes before.
Brandon Staley is no stranger to helping a top-10 pick bounce back
Tyree Wilson feels a little like Leonard Floyd with the Los Angeles Rams. Floyd was a top 10 pick, just like Wilson. Neither guy lived up to hype with the team that drafted them. Floyd popped in his second destination, and the Saints are hoping the same can be said for Wilson.
Floyd struggled to produce on a consistent basis on the Chicago Bears, but he did show some flashes with 7 sacks in his rookie season. It just never materialized again in the next 3 seasons.
Staley was the defensive coordinator for the Rams, and it all clicked. In that season, Floyd racked up 10.5 sacks in Staley’s defense. That season completely changed the trajectory of Floyd’s career. He then went a streak of at least 8.5 sacks for 5 seasons. Only the first was with Staley, but that’s the ideal type of bounce back Wilson is looking for you.
There are a couple of differences between Floyd and Wilson, none bigger than time spent with Staley. Staley already had a relationship with Floyd from his time in Chicago. Staley was the outside linebackers coach in Chicago, but there’s still something to for how Floyd performed when Staley was truly running the show.
That’s what Wilson is stepping into. Even without that prior relationship, there’s a hope Staley can reinvigorate Wilson’s career. Sometimes a change of scenery and right defensive mind is all it takes.
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