Christian Wilkins's injury has coaches and execs snub the Raiders DT from list of NFL best
Wilkins put up nine sacks and 23 QB hits in 2023, and hit the market as the league's top free agent. The Raiders had a big need at the position and they landed him on a four-yeard $110 million deal to team up with Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
Just five games into last season, Wilkins was lost to a jones fracture in his left foot and never returned. And his absence from the NFL most of last season has caused his absence from the minds of NFL execs and coaches.
This year's list of the NFL's top ten DTs didn't have him on it. Wilkins topped the list of Honorable Mentions, with one NFL coordinator saying of Wilkins "I know he's hurt, but I love this guy. Absolutely a top interior player when healthy."
The injury has lingered for Wilkins, who has missed the entire offseason so far. The team is hoping he will be back to full health come training camp and return to his. 2023 form this season. At which point perhaps Wilkins can remind these unnamed execs and coaches of what he is capable.
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