Head coach Antonio Pierce’s first season as the Las Vegas Raiders full-time head coach couldn’t be going much worse.
All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams reportedly requested a trade, Pierce can’t decide on which is the best of two lackluster starting quarterback options in Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell and now the Raiders, who are 2-3 and in last place in the AFC West, will be without one of their best defenders.
Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, who Las Vegas signed to a four-year, $110 million contract in free agency this past offseason, suffered a Jones fracture in his foot on Sunday against the Denver Broncos, according to NFL Media. Wilkins, age 28, had surgery and will be out for the foreseeable future. The typical timeline to return from a Jones fracture, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is three to four months. However, a person’s body can require longer to heal if they need bone grafting to fix the fracture.
Wilkins ranked second on the team with two sacks, trailing only three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby’s five in 2024. While there are still 12 games remaining for Las Vegas in the current regular season, it might be time for them to start grinding more and more tape on the 2025 NFL Draft class.