Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins was recently placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list ahead of training camp.
The former Clemson star has been rehabbing from a broken foot that ended his 2024 season last October. He suffered the injury in Week 5 and was placed on injured reserve after undergoing surgery for a Jones fracture.
According to Raiders head coach Pete Carroll, Wilkins’ return timeline remains up in the air.
“It’s still uncertain,” Carroll said during his press conference on July 22. “We sort of have to wait it out.”
Back in late May, Carroll said Wilkins was “in the midst of a long, challenging” recovery process. In late June, The Athletic’s Tashan Reed posted a photo showing Wilkins with a walking boot on his left foot at Baltimore Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy’s charity golf challenge.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on July 18 that Wilkins has been “making sound progress recently,” and on July 20, the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Adam Hill shared a video showing Wilkins dancing in the Raiders’ weight room without his walking boot on – which appears to be an encouraging sign regarding his recovery.
Wilkins, 29, agreed to a massive four-year, $110 million deal with the Raiders last offseason prior to the 2024 season, 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 five games with the Raiders last season prior to his season-ending injury.
A 2019 first-round pick (13th overall), Wilkins spent the first five years of his NFL career with the Miami Dolphins and amassed 355 tackles, 20.5 sacks and 43 tackles for loss over 81 career games (77 starts) during his time in Miami. He hadn’t missed a game since 2020 before his injury on Oct. 6 against the Denver Broncos.
–Photo courtesy of Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images