The Las Vegas Raiders could use some help with their run defense, as they ranked 21st in that category this past season.
Considering that Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce wants the team to adopt a very physical style of play, it would make sense that he would want the front office to shore up the trenches this offseason.
That’s why Garrett Podell of CBS Sports thinks that Las Vegas could represent a viable landing spot for Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.
Wilkins is slated to hit free agency in the coming weeks, and with the Dolphins making a decision not to place a franchise tag on him, he may end up playing his football elsewhere in 2024.
Miami has a rather miserable salary cap situation, as it is currently $28.5 million over the cap even after the recent cap spike.
Taking that into consideration, it’s no surprise that the Dolphins may already be throwing in the towel on re-signing Wilkins.
Wilkins is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he played every game and racked up 65 tackles, nine sacks, a forced fumble and a couple of fumble recoveries.
The 28-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Clemson, was selected by Miami with the 13th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft.
He appeared in every contest during his rookie season, finishing with 56 tackles and a couple of sacks. After a similar year in 2020, Wilkins started to show signs of improvement in his third season, registering 89 tackles, 4.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Then, in 2022, Wilkins rattled off 98 tackles, 3.5 sacks, a pair of forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and six passes defended.
Las Vegas’ defense definitely began to develop under Pierce, but it still needs to add some more pieces. If it can sign Wilkins, it would represent a major step in bettering its front seven.
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