It has been another offseason of change for the Las Vegas Raiders, as they welcomed in a new general manager in Tom Telesco. Formerly the GM of the Los Angeles Chargers, Telesco brought a wealth of knowledge to the position, and it did not take him long to start breaking down the Raiders roster.
Las Vegas has struggled across the past two decades to field a winning team on a consistent basis, something that Telesco and his staff are trying to change. There is a lot to like about the current roster, despite the loss of Josh Jacobs in free agency, as Telesco has added some key new pieces via free agency, and the 2024 NFL Draft.
Over at the New York Times, Mike Sando wrote about one move per NFL franchise that he liked, and for the Silver and Black, it was a no-brainer.
Sando high on Raiders adding Christian Wilkins
The biggest move that Telesco made this offseason, outside of letting Jacobs walk in free agency, was the arrival of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. Wilkins has been a dominant player for some time for the Miami Dolphins, and he joins a Raiders front-7 that has the chance to be one of the best in football this season.
Maxx Crosby is a bonafide star at the defensive end position, and we saw the rise of Malcolm Koonce after Antonio Pierce became head coach last year. Tyree Wilson is likely to move inside at defensive tackle as well, and there is depth behind he and Wilkins in Adam Butler and John Jenkins.
Sando also spoke about how the move was even better because Las Vegas did not have to trade for Wilkins. Las Vegas has been looking for a legitimate defensive tackle for some time now, and when it came to this year's available players at the position, the Raiders got the best of the best.