The Raiders' X-Factor Heading Into the 2025 Season

After making several additions to this offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders have a vastly improved roster. Las Vegas' new-look front office and coaching staff believe they have assembled one of the best rosters they have had in the last few seasons.

While the new additions are a reason for that, the Raiders have several returning players that are set to have prominent roles this upcoming season as well. Las Vegas also has players such as Christian Wilkins, who many believe is one of the best in the league at his position.

Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated believes the Raiders' X-factor this upcoming season will be Wilkins, who is still working his way back from an injury he suffered early last season.

If he able to return to full strength, he will be a force on the Raiders' interior defensive line. However, if he needs more time to recover, the Raiders are deep enough at defensive tackle to withstand his absence for a little.

"With several concerns in the defense’s back end, the Raiders desperately need a productive and healthy season from Wilkins. The former [Miami] Dolphins standout played in only five games during an injury-riddled first season," Manzano said.

"Wilkins’s splash signing was supposed to help star edge rusher Maxx Crosby & Co. improve on a promising 2023 season. Still, his injury absence led to a dismal season for Patrick Graham’s defensive unit."

Following Organized Team Activities, Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll noted that Wilkins' recovery is going slower than the Raiders had initially hoped. However, there is little concern about the veteran defensive tackle's chances of returning in a reasonable amount of time.

"Yeah, this has been difficult recovery and he's done everything he needs to do. He's been here every day. He's here early, working hard, but we're still working it, and he's not ready to get back out. And we're in the midst of a long, challenging process here," Carroll said.

"So, fortunately there's a lot of time, and we're going to take every bit of it. We've really tried to be really diligent about the way we've worked it and the way we've monitored it and all of that, and he's really been on board the whole time. But it has been challenging."

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