Stars of Raiders' Defensive Line Continuing to Gel Together

The Las Vegas Raiders have one of the best defensive ends and defensive tackles in the National Football League. They plan to continue working hard on their on-field chemistry.

Sep 8, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle Joe Alt (76) defends against Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (94) in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Las Vegas Raiders general manager Tom Telesco added veteran defensive lineman Christian Wilkins earlier in the offseason in one of the most significant moves any team made in free agency.

The addition of Wilkins to a defensive line that already had multiple talented players on the unit gave the Raiders what many consider to be one of the best defensive lines and best defenses in the National Football League.

For most of the offseason, the Raiders' defense was discussed mainly in terms of how good the defensive line could be with Wilkins and Crosby playing next to each other. Wilkins’ presence on the defensive line could make life easier for Crosby, as adding Wilkins would lead to fewer double teams for the veteran defensive end.

After an offseason of playing with each other against their teammates on offense and against other teams in preseason action, Wilkins and Crosby finally got to play next to each other in a meaningful game. The two finished the game against the Los Angeles Chargers with five tackles each and were critical to the defense, keeping the Chargers’ running game in check for most of the game.

Wilkins said that while the duo played well in their first regular-season game together, they still have room to get even better. He noted that he enjoyed working with Crosby to figure out how to best attack the Chargers' offense and looks forward to continuing to build his on-field relationship with Crosby as the season continues.

“Yeah, we can definitely be better,” Wilkins said. “It was good to kind of have a full game together and kind of make adjustments as we went, just as a defense and as a defensive line, and kind of talk to each other and really still continue to build that rapport and that relationship. 

“He’s an easy guy to play with because he's always going to bring energy and is always about the right stuff. And that's the thing I respect the most about him. But it's different when real bullets are flying. So, we'll continue to learn how to improve playing with each other and try to continue to lead this defense and this team.”

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