The Raiders are hoping to have Christian Wilkins back at the start of the regular season and the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vinny Bonsignore suggested last week that the star defensive tackle may have undergone another surgery in the last few months.
Bonsignore also added that Wilkins was close to being able to return to the team at the end of the 2024 regular season, but with the Raiders eliminated from playoff contention, the team made the decision to keep him on the sideline.
It the weeks following the season, though, Wilkins experienced some kind of setback to his surgically repaired foot and Bonsignore’s co-host on the Vegas Nation podcast floated a theory last week on what might have caused the latest situation with Wilkins’ foot.
“It’s just speculation a little bit, but there’s also, it’s been suggested very loosely that [Wilkins] going so hard to try to come back is what caused, maybe potentially, him to [experience] a setback. And that’s often why teams have to save players from themselves,” The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Adam Hill said on Tuesday.
“And, you know, in this case, it seemed like Christian Wilkins was very, very eager to get back on the field.”
If Wilkins re-injured his foot by trying to come back too quickly, it would be a more encouraging scenario than the idea that his foot simply didn’t heal properly – and could easily (maybe even likely) do the same again.
If Wilkins did push himself too hard at the end of the season, the Raiders will take a more cautious approach with their $110 million man this time around. Even if the team doesn’t believe that’s what happened, they might be wise to take that approach.
It’s all speculation, but when connected members of the media float ideas like Hill did with Wilkins, they aren’t generally just spit-balling ideas.
The full podcast with Bonsignore and Hill can be viewed below…
