The Las Vegas Raiders released star DT Christian Wilkins this summer, just one year after signing him to a big four-year deal. He could be an interesting player for the Jets to consider adding to their defensive line.
Jets could use some interior pass rush
Quinnen Williams is the guy for the Jets, but isn’t everyone always looking for a sidekick?
Christian Wilkins, just two years ago, had 65 tackles, nine sacks, and a whopping 23 quarterback hits from the inside. He was outstanding, which ultimately led him to sign a four-year, $110 million contract with the Raiders.
This could be a major pickup for the Jets, as pairing him with Williams would be among the best defensive tackle duos in the league. They would both play a majority of the snaps, as they would be able to terrorize the backfield.
Wilkins didn’t play much at all last season for the Raiders, but he graded out tremendously when he did. PFF graded him as the 21st out of 219 interior defensive linemen, also marking him as the third-best run defender at the position.
Adding him alongside the other stars on this defensive line would provide tremendous benefits for this defense.
Injuries may slow down Wilkins
But there is a downside to bringing in Wilkins on a more expensive contract.
He isn’t healthy, which is one of the reasons for his release from the Raiders. The team didn’t believe that he was recovering from his foot injury correctly, and felt that “he had no clear path for return to play.”
This isn’t something that the Jets would want on their team, nor should they. The team is focused on players with a great work ethic and who are great teammates, but Wilkins had an incident with a teammate, which was another part of his ultimate release.
Overall, bringing in Wilkins wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Jets. If they figure out all of his medical information and feel comfortable with it, then it could be a major upgrade.
The talent is there, and he would pair extremely well with this defensive front.
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