Bad Break for Wilkins

Former Miami Dolphins DT Christian Wilkins Headed for Injured Reserve

Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (94) celebrates his sack in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Christian Wilkins' first season away from the Miami Dolphins has taken a detour.

In his fifth game with the Las Vegas Raiders, Wilkins sustained a foot injury that has him headed for injured reserve, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Wilkins sustained a Jones Fracture in the first half of the Raiders' 34-18 loss against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High and will be out indefinitely.

The injury came after Wilkins recorded his first full sack for the Raiders when he tackled rookie quarterback Bo Nix for a loss. In his five games so far, Wilkins had 17 tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and six quarterback hits.

If Wilkins does wind up on IR, he would miss Raiders game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals before the Raiders have their bye in Week 10.

The Raiders' Week 11 opponents: The Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. So, yeah, if Wilkins does go on IR, the first game he would be eligible to play would be against his former team.

Ironically, Wilkins missed a total of five games total in his five seasons with the Dolphins and none the past three seasons.

WILKINS' DEPARTURE AND THE COMPENSATORY PICK

Wilkins left the Dolphins this offseason when he signed a four-year, $112 million contract with the Raiders after playing the 2023 season with Miami on his fifth-year option.

The Dolphins' failure to retain Wilkins has been a hot topic among fans and the media, with one side bemoaning the loss of a player the team drafted and saw develop into a top-end defender.

At the very least, the Dolphins have been projected to get a third-round compensatory pick in the 2025 NFL draft for the loss of Wilkins. That's based on the NFL's complicated formula that takes into account the contract of free agents who leave along with play time and postseason accolades.

Because of the massive size of Wilkins' contract, the second-most lucrative among all NFL defensive tackles behind only that of the Kansas City Chiefs' Chris Jones, the compensatory pick still should remain a third-round selection regardless of how long Wilkins is out, though comp picks and where they fall don't become official until the offseason.