The Detroit Lions have been listed as one of the favorites to land defensive tackle Christian Wilkins after his release from the Las Vegas Raiders.
According to betting odds, the Lions are given the second-highest odds to sign Wilkins (+500). The New England Patriots are the favorites (+400), and the Arizona Cardinals (+600) are behind Detroit.
Wilkins was released by the Raiders on July 24 over a disagreement on how to handle his lingering foot injury. Las Vegas is trying to void the remaining $35.25 million in guarantees in Wilkins' deal, but the veteran defender filed a grievance with the NFLPA.
It was also reported that an incident between Wilkins and a teammate contributed to the Raiders cutting ties with the star defensive tackle. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Wilkins kissed a teammate on the head, and the anonymous teammate took offense.
Due to a Jones fracture, Wilkins appeared in just five games in 2024, tallying 17 tackles and two sacks. In his last fully healthy season in 2023 with the Miami Dolphins, the Clemson product posted a career-high nine sacks and 58 quarterback pressures with ten tackles for loss.
The Lions could use some help on the interior of the defensive line with Alim McNeil still out. Wilkins would be a solid addition, but head coach Dan Campbell may not want to bring in a potential distraction with the season on the horizon.
Additionally, Wilkins' health is still a massive question mark. The 29-year-old was on the Raiders' PUP list before being released, and still seems to be dealing with the foot injury that cut his 2024 campaign short.
Detroit could look to sign Wilkins for cheap to help out the defensive line. However, McNeill is expected to return at some point, so the Lions could just wait for their 2021 third-round pick to come back instead of signing Wilkins.
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