How Jerry Tillery Can Create Consistency

When Jerry Tillery was selected with the 28th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers, they had high hopes for what he could do for their defensive line.

However, he never lived up to those expectations, and was waived in November of last season.

Tillery was claimed on waivers by the Las Vegas Raiders, and in the eight games he played with the team, started to show flashes of the player he was supposed to be coming out of Notre Dame a few years ago.

That earned him another contract with the Raiders this offseason, and now Tillery is expected to man one of the starting defensive tackle spots with hopes of making the flashes he showed more consistent.

A full year in Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham’s system should help Tillery tremendously. Graham has coached some of the NFL’s best defensive tackles in his previous stops, including Christian Wilkins of the Miami Dolphins and Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants.

Graham will look to give some of the same advice to Tillery that he gave to those players, in hopes of unlocking some of his untapped potential.

Finding a consistent role for Tillery should also help him establish consistent production for the Raiders’ defense. As he is seemingly locked in as a defensive tackle, he will have to be more consistent at stopping the run. Tillery is a slimmer lineman at 295 pounds, and needs to find ways to get off blocks better to more consistently cause disruption in the backfield.

Tillery was consistently taken out of plays by offensive linemen against the run, something he struggled with for a long time in Los Angeles as well. He will have to find ways to be impactful against the run if he wants to be more consistent in 2023.

Tillery has some impressive moves in his pass rush arsenal for his size, but the statistical production will have to increase. He had only two quarterback hits with the Raiders last season with no sacks. A full year with the Raiders should help those numbers increase.

Tillery is a quick and very athletic defensive lineman. He showed that at times with the Raiders last season. Now, he is looking to show that more consistently to establish himself as a main piece of the Raiders’ defense going forward.

The Las Vegas Raiders open training camp for the entire team on July 25, 2023.

The Silver and Black open the preseason by hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Aug. 13, at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT.

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