By this point in the season, the only thing you think is going to send a shockwave into your roster is a major injury. For the Raiders it was an unhealed injury and perhaps a bit more that had them cut ties with their top free agent addition from last offseason just a few days into training camp.
Christian Wilkins hadn’t practiced with the team all offseason, so it wasn’t a situation that had the Raiders completely scrambling to replace him. But up until probably about a month ago, they were thinking he would eventually be back, so anyone getting his reps was a temporary placeholder.
Last season it was Adam Butler who stepped up when Wilkins suffered the Jones fracture in his foot which has since not healed properly, thus causing him to miss all this time. Butler signed a new long term deal this offseason, even when they probably figured Wilkins would be back in the fold and the two would start alongside each other. That means it will have to be someone else who steps up to replace Wilkins alongside Butler.
From the looks of things, that player is second-year man Jonah Laulu.
“Jonah really flashed last year when he played,” said head coach Pete Carroll. “He didn’t play consistently, he didn’t get in all the time, didn’t log a ton of plays, but he shows all of the traits. He’s really long, he plays really good technique wise, he’s a little bit quicker than you might think for a big guy, and he uses it well. His resolve about coming from the offseason all through camp is really clear, He’s really on it. He’s playing day after day after day, he’s doing things right, he’s playing hard and he’s really tuned in and he’s playing tough. He’s making a great pitch that he needs to be out there a lot.”
Carroll seems to have seen the same things I saw when watching Laulu last season.
The undrafted rookie was waived by the Colts in the final cuts and claimed by the Raiders. From there he had to play catch up with his new teammatese and work his way onto the field. By season’s end, he had shown all the makings of being at very least the next man up in the DT rotation behind Butler and Wilkins. And he was twice named a Baller for his work, including Top Baller in Week 15. So, naturally, with Wilkins out of the picture, it would seem to fall to Laulu. Butler thinks Laulu is on his the right trajectory to start alongside him.
“Maybe I’m a little biased because I see myself in him from the standpoint that he came in really strong as a pass rusher,” Butler said of Laulu. “I’m not going to say that he struggled in the run game like I did early on, but I would say that that’s an area of improvement that he’s focused on. And I know it took me a little minute to get there as far as the run game goes and I’m confident that he’s going to get there because he’s shown that he has the right attitude to get there.”
Attitude is important. Laulu admitted that he suffered from a lot of imposter syndrome as a rookie. Here he was an undrafted guy, a local Vegas kid, seeing significant reps with the Raiders defense. The feeling is understandable.
“It’s a mindset I’ve always had since I was younger. I’ve always felt like I had something to prove,” said Laulu. “I always wanted to take care of my family. I always had a chip on my shoulder. It’s just a mindset of never being satisfied. Little victories, be happy about that, pat yourself on the back or whatever, but you just got to keep going to work. Nobody cares about what you did yesterday. Nobody cares about my rookie year, none of that. I didn’t do anything to be honest. I’m looking at what’s next.”
What’s next could be a starting defensive tackle on this Raiders defense. He added that the one thing that’s changed the most this year from last is his confidence. He’s no longer playing catch up. He’s had a year in Patrick Graham’s defense and has also clearly made an impression on the new staff as well.
No one is saying he will step in an offer what Wilkins did. But if Butler can have another solid season and Laulu can take another step forward, that could be enough.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders 2nd year DT stepping up to fill void left by Wilkins release