Former Clemson star Christian Wilkins is going through a “long, challenging” recovery process from the season-ending injury he suffered last season, according to Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll.
Carroll met with the media this week and gave an injury update on Wilkins, who signed a mega free agent deal with the Raiders last offseason prior to the 2024 season.
The stalwart defensive tackle played in only five games this past season before suffering a broken foot. He was placed on injured reserve after undergoing surgery for a Jones fracture.
“It’s been a difficult recovery and he’s done everything he needs to do,” Carroll said on Wednesday. “He’s been here every day. He’s here early working hard. But we’re still working it, and he’s not ready to get back out.”
It sounds as if Wilkins is quite a ways away from returning to action.
The Raiders had their second OTA (organized team activities) practice on Wednesday, and while Wilkins was at the practice, he didn’t participate. According to Tashan Reed of The Athletic, Wilkins didn’t have a helmet and wasn’t participating in drills, and he did the same thing on Monday when Las Vegas kicked off OTAs.
“We’re in the midst of a long, challenging process,” Carroll added on Wednesday. “Fortunately, there’s a lot of time, and we’re going to take every bit of it. We’ve really tried to be really diligent about the way we’ve worked it and the way we’ve monitored it and all of that, and he’s been on board the whole time. But it has been challenging.”
After an outstanding tenure with the Miami Dolphins to begin his NFL career, Wilkins agreed to a massive four-year, $110 million deal with the Raiders, making him the second-highest paid defensive tackle in the league.
The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder recorded 17 tackles (two for loss), two sacks and six quarterback hits over his five games with the Raiders last season.
A 2019 first-round pick (13th overall), Wilkins spent the first five years of his NFL career with the Dolphins and amassed 353 tackles, 20.5 sacks and 43 tackles for loss over 81 career games (77 starts) during his time in Miami.