Defensive tackles were a hot topic during the head coach’s presser on Friday
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll spoke to the media after Friday’s training camp practice, a day after the decision to release veteran defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. As expected, Wilkins’ departure was a big topic of conversation as Carroll weighed in on the matter while praising young defensive linemen Jonah Laulu and Tyree Wilson.
On the process that went into moving on from Wilkins.
PC: “It took a long time to make our decision, and we watched our way through the whole thing. We’re keeping really clear with what we said, I think there was no clear path to his return, and so we just had to move on.”
On replacing the 2024 big-ticket free agent.
PC: “This place is about competition, it always has been, and it’s just wide open. I don’t need to talk about any names right now. I think in fact, if you watch the rotations, we’re giving everybody a chance, mix guys with the ones and the twos all the way throughout just to gather a bunch of information. I went right back to cut ups yesterday of the first two days, just watching each individual guy, and we’re just putting the information in the vault here, and we’ll figure it out in time. But we have good, young, spunky group of guys now. The young guys that came in this past draft [Tonka Hemingway an JJ Pegues] are part of that competition too, so it’s exciting.”
On Wilson.
PC: “I think this is really his time. He had a little bit of an injury issue early on, last year he made improvement. I’m counting on him to do stuff in a big way, and that’s not just outside at end where he is a real natural. We’re moving him around, trying to see what we can do and work in complement with our other rushers. But I’m really enthused about how he’s shown his effort and his concern about doing things really hard and full speed and all that. So that’s a really good sign. He’s a marvelous looking athlete.”
On Laulu.
PC: ”Jonah hasn’t done anything but the right stuff so far, he’s been on it. I found him watching film coming off the last season before we even got back together and all that. And I thought I saw some really good traits about him. And so, I’ve been kind of in his corner the whole time, pushing him to be in the front line in this thing. And so far, he’s shown us the flexibility to play different spots, which is good. He’s playing really hard and he’s playing really smart and he’s making a bid for us.”
In Other Raiders’ Links:
- Keondre Coburn claimed: The 2023 sixth-round pick played in 15 games (one start) with the Tennessee Titans last year, collecting 14 tackles with no TFLs or sacks. The Titans waived him on Thursday after signing former Raider Jihad Ward, allowing the Silver and Black to pick up the Texas product on Friday.
- Opportunity for young DTs to impress: “Butler, 31 years old, provides both an interior pass rusher and run stopper while Fotu, 26, is the big beefy run-stuffing and space-eating nose tackle type,” Silver and Black Pride’s Ray Aspuria wrote. “But the group overall showcases young and hungry talents such as Jonah Laulu (25, second year), Tonka Hemingway (23, 2025 NFL Draft fourth-round pick), JJ Pegues (23, 2025 sixth-round pick), and Tank Booker (23, undrafted free agent), to name a few.”
- Raiders send strong message: “General manager John Spytek and coach Pete Carroll sent a strong message in releasing defensive tackle Christian Wilkins on Thursday: If you’re anything less than all in, then you have no place with the Las Vegas Raiders,” The Athletic’s Tashan Reed wrote. “Letting go of a star player just one year after signing him to a four-year, $110 million contract made that point. However, the terse statement the team released shortly after left no doubt.
- All-Quarter Century DT: The latest poll in the All 2000s Team settles the second defensive tackle spot between Tommy Kelly, Roderick Coleman and Warren Sapp.
