The Detroit Lions already have injury concerns and the season hasn't started yet.
Two of the big concerns come on the defensive line, where Levi Onwuzurike has been lost for the season and Alim McNeill is working his way back from a torn ACL that leaves his status for Week 1 in doubt.
The Lions also have concerns with their pass-rush thanks to a shaky edge rusher group that is headlined by Aidan Hutchinson, who is coming back from a serious injury himself, and Marcus Davenport, who is injury-prone.
While it remains to be seen if the Lions will do anything significant for the interior of their defensive line or the edge rusher group, they do have a new option to improve the former if they want it.
The Las Vegas Raiders made the surprising decision to part ways with defensive lineman Christian Wilkins just one year after he inked a $110 million deal, and Yardbarker's Joshua Watt is urging the Lions to sign him.
With Levi Onwuzurike out with injury and Detroit needing more juice on the defensive line, adding a proven disruptor like Wilkins could make some sense. He could provide more depth while he gets fully healthy, and he can join a legit Super Bowl contender. His energy and mentality could be a good fit for a Dan Campbell-led squad.
The Raiders announced on Thursday that they would be releasing Wilkins, with the team citing that there was "no clear path or plan for future return to play from Christian" as the reason.
Wilkins suffered a Jones fracture in 2024 that limited him to just five games. He has since suffered setbacks in his recovery and, according to The Athletic's Tashan Reed and Dianna Russini, the two sides disagreed on what his next step should be.
The reporters note that the Raiders wanted Wilkins to get another surgery, but the defender opted against that, which led to the result on Thursday.
Right from the jump, Wilkins' injury situation is a major red flag. Even if he's able to suit up (Wilkins is on the PUP list currently), there's no telling if he'll make it through an entire season.
That said, there's still an avenue for a Wilkins signing to make sense for Detroit, but it would have to come at a greatly reduced cost. Considering the obvious concern with Wilkins' situation, he isn't likely to garner much on the open market.
Adding to that, it's highly unlikely he'll get more than a one-year deal, so the Lions can add him without any future risk.
Assuming he's actually healthy, not only would Wilkins beef up the interior of the Lions' defensive line, he'd also offer someone who has proven to be an effective pass-rusher.
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