The long and bitter saga between the Las Vegas Raiders and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins was largely kept out of the public eye this offseason. However, it always seemed like something was missing from the reports, and the fan base finally got some clarity on the situation.
Wilkins was released by the team on Thursday evening, and the Raiders were able to void the rest of the guaranteed money on his deal. Of course, the $110 million defensive tackle will file a grievance with the NFLPA, so the drama between the two sides should drag on for quite some time.
However, as far as Pete Carroll and the football side of the operation are concerned, this team needs to find a replacement at defensive tackle, and fast. The free agent and potential trade markets are bleak, but fortunately, the team has some solid defensive tackles already on the roster.
Raiders could employ Tyree Wilson at DT to replace Christian Wilkins
They also have a sneaky solution to fill the void left by Wilkins, which would be to move former No. 7 overall pick Tyree Wilson, a defensive end, to the interior. Most would argue that Wilson needs to gain weight to make this switch, but Aaron Donald played the position better than anyone at 280 pounds.
Wilson has no real experience playing the position, outside of a handful of snaps over the last few years at both the college and professional levels. However, the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vincent Bonsignore reported that Wilson has already been taking a lot of snaps on the interior at camp.
By the way, Tyree Wilson took a lot of reps inside today at @Raiders camp, and had what would have been a sack if the pads were on during an 11-on-11 period.
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) July 25, 2025
Of course, Wilson would be a project and needs to learn the intricacies of the position, but he should already have the prerequisite power and run-stuffing ability to at least stay afloat while he learns on the job.
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Star defensive end Maxx Crosby corroborated Bonsignore's sentiment when speaking to the media on Wednesday after practice.
"You got Tyree, you know, getting reps inside," Crosby said. "He's gotten reps inside the last couple years as well. But we got a ton of talent, and I trust those guys."
At the end of the day, the departure of Wilkins is a sad day for Raider Nation, no matter the reasoning of how or why things went down. Upon his signing, fans were stoked to see what he could do alongside Crosby and the rest of the defensive line, but it never came to fruition in Las Vegas.
Now, however, the team has to pivot quickly because the season is rapidly approaching. Perhaps an in-house candidate like Wilson could be up to the task.