HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Christian Wilkins' release early in training camp raised all sorts of questions about how the Raiders' interior defense would make up the difference.
Las Vegas' tackles have for the most part made those concerns moot.
That includes Jonah Laulu, who already has three sacks in two games. He had one in 17 games as a rookie last season.
“He has just blossomed," coach Pete Carroll said. "He had enough plays on film coming off of last year that he caught my eye like a potential guy
that might really be a factor. So I was really excited about him in the offseason, and he did everything right.”
Carroll might not be all that shocked that Laulu is making a strong impact early this season, but outside of the Raiders facility, he wasn't on many radars.
Indianapolis drafted him in the seventh round in 2024 out of Oklahoma, and he made to the final cut before the Colts waived him on Aug. 27 of last year. Laulu's hometown Raiders picked him up the following day.
He showed enough promise to start seven games last season on a defense ravaged by injuries, and then he built on that experience in this summer's camp.
“He works hard,” star pass rusher Maxx Crosby said. “He's doing great. He's young. He's got a lot of good tools and he's just getting better. No one's surprised he's playing well. He's just got to keep building off what he started.”
For Laulu, the battle to become an impact player is as much mental as physical, and he has been open about his struggles with impostor syndrome. Though not considered a mental health disorder, many medical experts take the condition seriously that affects many people who doubt they are qualified for their work positions.
That includes Laulu and the NFL.
“I feel like it's really about coming every day to work to be that same person every day,” Laulu said. “You want to be consistent. You don't want to be an emotional person. Obviously, football is not an easy sport mentally or physically. I'm trying to be my best every day.”
His best has been pretty good this season.
Laulu sacked New England quarterback Drake Maye once in the 20-13 season-opening victory and then took down Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert twice in Monday night's 20-9 loss.
The Raiders as a team have six sacks this season, tied for eighth in the NFL.
They will face a mobile quarterback Sunday at Washington in either Jayden Daniels or former Las Vegas QB Marcus Mariota. Daniels will not practice until at least Friday because of a knee injury.
“We have a lot of background about Marcus on the staff, so we know what his capabilities are, we think," Carroll said. “So we’re planning for both guys, but primarily for Jayden.”
Laulu will be an integral part of that plan, which he began to earn in offseason and preseason practices, showing he could perform alongside fellow tackles Adam Butler and Thomas Butler IV. It's one thing to play well in practice, but transferring that to the season is the real test.
So far, so good.
But Laulu isn't one to think he's arrived. Each week is a proving ground, a chance to show himself that he belongs.
“I still feel like I haven't really done much,” Laulu said. “I made some plays here and there, but I'm still shooting for the sky and trying to make plays in the game and get better every day. I'm the type of person, I made plays, but I could've made more after watching the (Chargers) game a couple of times, seeing all the missed opportunities and what I can do.”
Raiders quarterback Geno Smith tied a career high with three interceptions in the loss to the Chargers. That came a week after he passed for 362 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots.
Smith said the video from the LA loss "was tough to watch.”
“You can never just flush that,” Smith said. “You got to learn from it, and that’s what I did. I watched it over 10 times and just tried to figure out what did I need to do to be better, which was a lot of things that were obvious — being more accurate, taking what they give me, not being so aggressive.”
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