The Las Vegas Raiders will be without star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Wilkins is undergoing surgery to repair a Jones fracture he suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Denver Broncos and will be out indefinitely. He’ll be placed on injured reserve.
Wilkins, who signed a lucrative four-year, $110 million deal with the Raiders this offseason after leaving the Miami Dolphins, is a massive loss for Las Vegas in the interior. He recorded 17 tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and six quarterback hits in 4.5 games this season. Adam Butler is expected to replaced Wilkins at DT.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin praised Wilkins for being a game-wrecker during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
“And then Christian Wilkins, they picked up in free agency from the Dolphins is somebody that’s new to them that’s really talented. He’s got a well-rounded game,” Tomlin said. “He’s disruptive in the run. He’s disruptive in the interior in terms of passing. Looks like he’s really catching his stride over the last two and a half weeks or so, in terms of his disruption, negativity that he’s creating in his playmaking.”
It’s the second straight week that the Steelers will face an opponent without key pieces on the defensive line. They dodged Dallas Cowboys All-Pro edge rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence on Sunday night. Even without Parsons and Lawrence, the Cowboys front sacked Justin Fields three times and got consistent pressure. The Steelers also struggled on the ground against a Cowboys run defense that came into the game ranked 26th, allowing 145.8 yards per game. The Steelers mustered only 92 yards on 26 attempts (3.5 average).
The Steelers offensive line will still have to deal with Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby, who’s one of the best in the game. In four games this year, Crosby has recorded 17 tackles (11 solos), five sacks, seven tackles for loss and seven quarterback hits. He’ll certainly be a handful for Steelers right tackle Broderick Jones.
Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.