The Raiders have made several big moves this offseason, including signing quarterback Gardner Minshew and selecting tight end Brock Bowers at No. 13 in last month’s draft. They’ve reshaped their offensive line and added depth and youth to the unit.
But what was the single best move of the offseason for the Las Vegas Raiders? Mike Sando of The Athletic recently wrote about his favorite moves of the offseason.
Sando’s choice for Las Vegas was the signing of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to beef up the pass rush. Here is what Sando had to say about the former first-round pick from Clemson:
Christian Wilkins was expensive, but at least the Raiders did not have to trade for him, the way Carolina had to trade for Brian Burns. Wilkins is an outstanding player whose skill set should fit well in Las Vegas partly because the Raiders’ defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham, was with Wilkins in Miami. This was a high-odds acquisition at a premium position.
It had been a long time since the Raiders had a defensive tackle of Wilkins’ caliber. And now that they can pair him with Maxx Crosby, this move is even better.
The Raiders showed a lot of promise on defense last year, and the hope is that the unit can take another step this season. The dominant presence of Wilkins should raise the ceiling of this defense.
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