Raiders Defense Gets Pass Rush Boost Before Steelers Game

The Raiders will get a bit of a boost for Sunday’s game against the Steelers, as rookie edge rusher Tyree Wilson, who was questionable to play with an illness, will suit up against the Steelers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Wilson was thrust into the starting role following an increasingly concerning situation with Chandler Jones, which has kept the veteran pass rusher out for the last three games, and he will miss more. The Raiders placed Jones on the non-football injury list, and they are open to him returning at some point. But for now, and Sunday against the Steelers, Wilson will start across from Maxx Crosby, with Malcolm Koonce as the primary backup. Isaac Rochell joined the active roster on Saturday to add more depth to the room.

Wilson has not registered a pressure or sack in his first two games yet. He looks to change that against Dan Moore Jr., who will also look to have a get-right game. So far, the Raiders have played some porous defense over the first few weeks, allowing 62 percent of all drives by opposing teams to reach the red zone. Teams have keyed in on stopping Crosby, which has worked to a degree. The Bills had a tough time handling Crosby, but he never took over the game, and they won convincingly. The Steelers will look to do something similar by having Darnell Washington and others help out Chuks Okorafor.