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Insider Provides Concerning Injury News on Raiders DL Christian Wilkins

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Austin C. Boyd | Last updated May 19, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, some rumors started to leak out that the Las Vegas Raiders were concerned with the status of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. He missed most of last season due to a Jones fracture, but was expected to be fully healthy this offseason.

According to The Athletic's Tashan Reed, Wilkins appears healthy now, but he did suffer some sort of setback this offseason.

"Wilkins played just five games last season before suffering a Jones fracture in his left foot that required surgery and knocked him out for the rest of the year," Reed wrote. "His injured foot was placed in a walking boot, but he was out of it by the end of the season. Then, earlier this offseason, his foot was placed back in a boot, according to team sources. He was back out of the boot during OTA workouts recently, but the back-and-forth has raised questions about his recovery process.

"The Raiders have stayed quiet about Wilkins. Whether he’s at practice or not — and what he’s able to do if he’s there — will provide more clarity. Other players of note coming off significant injuries are defensive end Maxx Crosby (tightrope surgery), defensive end Malcolm Koonce (torn ACL) and Bennett (shoulder)."

It's good news that he was able to practice in OTAs without a boot, but the Raiders can't feel overly comfortable with his status. Wilkins has mostly been an iron man in the NFL. He started 17 games in three straight seasons prior to joining the Raiders.

While it appears he's on track to play this season, this will be a situation to monitor throughout training camp.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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