Will Muhammad Wilkerson (Once Again) Be On The Raiders Radar?

If they are still intrigued by him, the Raiders may have a chance to add defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson.

Three years ago, the Raiders were reportedly monitoring Wilkerson’s status closely with the Jets, but Wilkerson’s stock has dropped in the years since and there are obviously a few new faces making decisions in Oakland.

Now 28 years old, Wilkerson won’t command anything close to the five-year, $86 million deal he signed with the Jets in 2016. No team will be willing to risk signing Wilkerson to a long-term deal after the off-field antics and unmotivated play that plagued the last two years of his career.

Nevertheless, there aren’t many teams that need help on the defensive interior more than the Raiders and general manager Reggie McKenzie is going to have to gamble on at least a player or two along the defensive line.

So why not Wilkerson?

There are no free agent available – arguably at any position – that come with the upside of Wilkerson.

The Raiders have been interested in Wilkerson in the past, but it’s anyone’s guess what Gruden and defensive coordinator Paul Guenther think of him.

If the cost is reasonable, how can they not be interested?

As of now, the only defensive tackles the Raiders have under contract for 2018 are Treyvon Hester, Darius Latham, and Eddie Vanderdoes – who suffered an ACL tear in the final game of the regular season.

The only real risk for the Raiders would be a failure significantly upgrade a group like that.

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