Raiders DT Christian Wilkins Turns Heads in New Social Media Video

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Las Vegas Raiders DT Christian Wilkins.

One of the biggest storylines of the Las Vegas Raiders‘ offseason has been the status of Christian Wilkins. The highly-paid defensive tackle played just five games last season due to a Jones fracture in his foot.

He was seen in a walking boot earlier in the offseason, and now he’s starting training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform List. The Raiders still haven’t given details on what exactly is going on, but there has been a positive sign.

Wide receiver Alex Bachman posted a video on his Instagram story at the Raiders headquarters. In the video, Wilkins is seen without a walking boot on and dancing around. He’s also in his Raiders workout gear.

Now, that doesn’t mean that he’s 100% healthy. He’s likely still in the recovery process, but it doesn’t appear he’s had to undergo any recent procedures.

Raiders training camp starts soon, so the team should be able to provide more details on Wilkins’ timeline for return. If he is able to play in Week 1, that would be great news for the team. He’s one of the most expensive players on the roster, and the defensive line needs him, especially with how inexperienced the secondary is.

Raiders DL Named Team’s Biggest Strength

The defensive line was supposed to be the Raiders’ biggest strength in 2024, but Malcolm Koonce got hurt before the season, Maxx Crosby was banged up all year and Wilkins only played in five games.

The overall defense suffered, and it was a big reason why the Raiders only won four games. Once again, the defensive line is expected to be the team’s biggest strength this season, according to ESPN.

“New year, same strength. The Raiders already have Maxx Crosby (seventh in the league with 34.5 sacks and first among edge rushers with 223 tackles over the past three seasons) and get back one of the league’s top defensive tackles in Christian Wilkins (fifth among DTs with 9.0 sacks in 2023 before missing all but four games last season),” Mike Clay wrote. “Edge Malcolm Koonce (torn ACL in Week 1 of 2024) will also return, and Las Vegas hopes to get more from 2023 first-round pick Tyree Wilson. Defensive tackle depth behind Watkins and Adam Butler remains a concern, but this unit has plenty of potential.”

JJ Pegues a Player to Watch?

While Wilkins looks like he’s headed in the right direction, until he’s off the PUP List, it’s hard to know what the Raiders can expect from him this season. If he’s in and out of the lineup, the team needs another defensive tackle to step up.

Adam Butler is the other likely starter, but he’ll need help. One player to watch could be sixth-round pick defensive tackle JJ Pegues. ESPN named him a “nonstarter to know

“Defensive tackle JJ Pegues. In case you haven’t heard, this rookie was a 325-pound Wildcat quarterback in college. Oh, and he also had excellent tackling grades from PFF,” Aaron Schatz  wrote. “Alongside do-everything former Montana State quarterback-turned-receiver-turned-return-man Tommy Mellott, there’s no doubt the Raiders had the most interesting sixth round of the 2025 draft.”