At the top of [most of] Raider Nation’s list heading into 2024’s free agency period was one name: Christian Wilkins. A five-year vet who had accumulated 20.5 sacks and 45 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, Wilkins seemed to be a hand-and-glove fit with a Las Vegas Raiders team that needed to replace starting defensive tackle Bilal Nichols.
And, one four-year, $110 million contract later, Christian Wilkins became the newest star in Sin City.
That was the good news. The bad news is his first season with the Silver and Black would come to an abrupt end in Week 5 thanks to a foot injury suffered against the Denver Broncos. This news was made worse by the season he had been enjoying, which included a dominant performance against Denver in the very game he suffered the injury.
Through five contests, Wilkins totaled 17 tackles, two sacks, three quarterback hits and four pressures. His grade against the run via Pro Football Focus was north of 80, landing him one tier under ‘elite’.
Against the Broncos, the team with the second-best offensive line in the NFL via PFF’s final OL rankings, Wilkins was particularly fantastic. The 29-year-old posted four tackles, three stops and one sack, all while missing a total of zero tackles.
Against the run, Wilkins earned a grade of 82.6; the highest among all Raiders defenders. This mark was also the third-highest at his position league-wide that week.
But there’s no reason to continue talking about the game–not when you can watch it. Specifically, not when you can watch a complete film breakdown that highlights his game; the positives and negatives with stats and analytics.
That said, let’s get to this installment of Ramble Film Room that focuses on Las Vegas Raiders’ DT Christian Wilkins. You can find the full film review here, on YouTube, at Ramble Digital Media.
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Ramble Film Room: More Raiders film breakdowns, Christian Wilkins content
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Christian Wilkins’ ‘foot injury’; something or nothing?
*Top Photo: AP Photo/ Damian Dovarganes
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