Raiders' Christian Wilkins is trying to get his new teammate to do what everyone has tried for years
It can be tough being the new guy. Well, in the NFL it's nothing compared to when you are the new guy at school. It also makes things easier when you are a guy like the Las Vegas Raiders' new defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, who is as friendly as it gets when it comes to […]
It can be tough being the new guy. Well, in the NFL it's nothing compared to when you are the new guy at school. It also makes things easier when you are a guy like the Las Vegas Raiders' new defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, who is as friendly as it gets when it comes to meeting new people.
He will crack a few jokes here and there, too, so that certainly helps. And it also helps that he is a pretty popular guy in the league. He is well known by almost everyone, as he is one of the top defensive players in the league, and certainly one of the best at his position.
So, fitting in hasn't been hard for Wilkins, but getting one of his teammates to talk more has been the real challenge. In a joking way, of course, he talked about how Tre'Von Moehrig is one of the quietest guys on the team, and he is still trying to get him to talk.
"Honestly, I don't think I have that power. I was joking about it, Tre [Moehrig] probably says about five words a day," Wilkins said during mandatory minicamp.
"But it's all good, he's a dog and he's a heck of a player, so it's fun to be around him. But I'm going to try to get it out of him for sure. But we will see how well I can figure it out."
The Raiders have good chemistry, even with their new players being mixed in with guys who have been with the team for some time. Being a Raider is all about being a part of that brotherhood, and I think we see that already with Wilkins, even though he is joking around.
As for Moehrig, he is pretty quiet, but that's not always a bad thing. He is somewhat of a silent assassin, who has gotten much better over the last few years compared to where he was as a rookie.
He struggled his first two seasons in the league. He was a pretty high pick under the old regime, so last season was a year where he really had to be good or his future was going to be uncertain. Going into training camp last offseason there were conversations about him needing to have the best training camp of anyone. And, he did.
Moehrig was great last season, and he really fed off of Marcus Epps, who was the veteran he always needed there. As for Epps, he was the safety that just always did the right thing. He never made many errors, and he never made many crazy plays. He was just consistent and sometimes you need that. It's safe to say that 2024 could be big for the two of them together, as both enter a contract season, too.
Raiders coach describes what’s next for the safety tandem of Marcus Epps and Tre’Von Moehrig
The two of them can be great.
