Patriots Eye Christian Wilkins for Defensive Line Boost

0:00It's March 22nd. This is NFL News Today, powered by AI. Your Gridiron Update. I'm Cory with the story. The New England Patriots face a big gap on their defensive line after losing defensive tackle, Kyrie's Tonga to the Kansas City Chiefs in Free Agency. Tonga weighed in at 335 pounds and was a fan favorite. Now one idea floating around is to target Christian Wilkins, a former star defensive tackle looking for a new team. Wilkins came into the league as a top 15 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He finished his rookie deal with the Miami Dolphins, then signed a 4-year, $100 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders heading into 2024. His time in Las Vegas didn't last long. He only played five games before a foot injury sidelined him for the season. Things got messy with a locker room incident where he reportedly kissed a teammate on the head and what he called a playful move, but it upset the other player. The Raiders ended up releasing him, citing issues with his injury recovery and conditioning.

1:04When healthy, Wilkins can rack up double digit sacks from the inside, pairing him with Milton Williams could create real headaches for opposing offenses. Still, head coach Mike Raible would want the complete picture on those off-field matters before making a move on the 30-year-old. It's an option worth watching as the Patriots rebuild their front, blending proven talent with some risk for a potential defensive boost.