Raiders' Christian Wilkins Placed on PUP List Amid Foot Injury Rehab

Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins has been placed on the Physically Unable to Perform List ahead of training camp, the team announced Friday.

Wilkins suffered a season-ending left foot fracture in Week 5 of the 2025 season. He underwent surgery on the injury in October.

Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said in May that Wilkins was undergoing "a difficult recovery" and was "in the midst of a long, challenging process."

Wilkins signed a four-year contract with the Raiders ahead of the 2024 campaign. He had recorded 17 tackles and 2.0 sacks in five games prior to his injury last season.

“It’s been a difficult recovery and he’s done everything he needs to do,” Carroll said in May, per Mark Anderson of the Associated Press.“ He’s been here every day. He’s here early working hard. He’s not ready to get back out. We’re in the midst of a long, challenging process.

"Fortunately, there’s a lot of time and we’re going to take every bit of it to be really diligent about the way we work.”

The Athletic's Tashan Reed reported in May that Wilkins had worn a walking boot after the surgery and removed it by the end of the season. He then started wearing the boot again during the offseason, but was back out of it during OTA workouts in May.

Reed noted that "the back-and-forth has raised questions about his recovery process."

Wilkins was then spotted wearing the walking boot once again during an appearance at charity event in June:

Wilkins could be moved off the PUP list at any point during training camp. The date to watch will be Aug. 26, the day when NFL teams are required to reduce rosters to 53 players.

If Wilkins is still on the list at that point, he would be required to sit out at least the first four games of the regular season.

Last season the Raiders' defense ranked sixth in the NFL in points allowed per game while struggling to make up for the losses of Wilkins to his foot injury, Malcolm Koonce to a torn ACL and Maxx Crosby to season-ending ankle surgery.

The ability of all three players to bounce back from last season's injuries will be key to defensive coordinator Patrick Graham's hopes of helping his unit rebound in 2025.