Ben Wilkerson enters his first year with the Raiders as the assistant offensive line coach and brings 11 years of NFL coaching experience following a four-year playing career. He has made stops with the Cleveland Browns (2025), New York Jets (2022-24), New York Giants (2018-21) and Chicago Bears (2015-17).

Ben Wilkerson enters his first year with the Raiders as the assistant offensive line coach and brings 11 years of NFL coaching experience following a four-year playing career. He has made stops with the Cleveland Browns (2025), New York Jets (2022-24), New York Giants (2018-21) and Chicago Bears (2015-17).

In 2025, Wilkerson served as the Browns' assistant offensive line coach and helped the unit pave the way for rookie RB Quinshon Judkins to rush for the third-most rushing yards (827) and fourth-most scrimmage yards (998) among rookies in the NFL. The offensive line protected rookie QBs Dillion Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders as they split time with veteran Joe Flacco. Gabriel completed 110-of-185 passes for 937 yards and seven touchdowns. Sanders completed 120-of-212 passes for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns.

Before joining Cleveland, Wilkerson served as the assistant offensive line coach with the New York Jets for three seasons (2022-24). In his final year with the club, he mentored rookie T Olu Fashanu who registered the lowest pressure rate (7.1%) and sack rate (0.3%) among rookie offensive tackles in the NFL in 2024. The offensive line allowed QB Aaron Rodgers to record the third most passing yards (3,898) and touchdown passes (28) in a single season in franchise history.

In 2023, Wilkerson worked with a unit that saw rookie C Joe Tippmann be named to the PFWA All-Rookie team after starting 14 games (4 at guard and 10 at center) and allowing only three sacks, while snapping to three different QBs and playing in 11 different starting offensive line groups. Wilkerson helped former first-round pick T Mekhi Becton start a career high 16 games after returning from injury.

In his first season with the Jets, Wilkerson assisted an offensive line unit that blocked for rookie RB Breece Hall, who averaged 5.8 yards per carry before his season-ending knee injury in Week 7. Wilkerson tutored second-year OL Alijah Vera-Tucker as he transitioned positions from left guard to make seven starts at multiple positions (three at RG, one at LT and three at RT).

Prior to joining the Jets, Wilkerson coached the New York Giants offensive line for four seasons (2018-21). The Giants started 10 different offensive linemen in 2021 with only G Will Hernandez playing in all 17 games. Wilkerson worked with OL Matt Skura who stepped in and started 14 games at both center and guard.

In 2020, Wilkerson coached three offensive linemen – C Nick Gates, RG Kevin Zeitler, RT Cam Fleming – to start all 16 games, marking the first season in which the Giants had three offensive linemen start every game since 2016. He also assisted in the development of first-round pick T Andrew Thomas and fifth-round selection G Shane Lemieux. Thomas played in 16 games with 15 starts at left tackle while Lemieux started the final nine games of the season at left guard.

During the 2019 season, the Giant's offensive line blocked for rookie QB Daniel Jones as he set franchise rookie records with 3,027 passing yards and 24 touchdown passes. The unit also helped RB Saquon Barkley rush for 1,003 yards in 13 games to become the first player in Giants history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons.

In Wilkerson's first year with the team in 2018, the Giants utilized five different starting offensive line combinations, while T Nate Solder and Hernandez were the only linemen to start all 16 games. Hernandez was the Giants' first rookie offensive lineman to start every game since right tackle Justin Pugh in 2013. The offensive line helped Barkley earn the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award after leading the NFL with 2,028 scrimmage yards and rushing for a Giants rookie-record 1,307 yards.

Prior to joining the Giants, Wilkerson spent three seasons (2015-17) as the Chicago Bears' assistant offensive line coach. During that time, he helped coach an offensive line that paved the way for RB Jordan Howard to rush for a combined 2,435 yards and 15 touchdowns over his first two seasons in the league (2016-17).

In 2017, the Bears ranked eighth in the NFC with 111.8 rushing yards per game and registered four games with 200-plus yards on the ground, the most such games in a season for the franchise since 1990.

In 2016, Wilkerson was part of an offensive staff that produced two PFWA All-Rookie Team selections in G Cody Whitehair and Howard. Whitehair started all 16 games at center and Howard gained 1,313 rushing yards, the second-highest total in the NFL that season, and the most by a Bears rookie in franchise history.

Under Wilkerson's guidance, G Kyle Long transitioned from right guard to right tackle in 2015 and was named to the Pro Bowl. He started all 16 games and became the first Bears offensive lineman to make the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons.

Before entering the NFL coaching ranks, Wilkerson spent five years coaching at the collegiate and high school levels after a four-year playing career.

In 2014, he spent a season as an assistant football coach at North Shore (Texas) Senior High School, where the Mustangs finished atop the 6A Region III District 21 rankings.

Wilkerson spent two seasons (2012-13) at Grambling State where he served as the offensive line coach. He coached with the Pittsburgh Steelers during their 2012 training camp as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.

Began his coaching career at his alma mater LSU as an offensive graduate assistant in 2010 before taking on the offensive administrative assistant role in 2011. During his time at LSU, the Tigers won the SEC Championship and finished as BCS National Championship runners-up in 2011 and earned a No. 8 final AP ranking in 2010.

PERSONAL: A native of Port Arthur, Texas, Wilkerson played in 32 career games over three NFL seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals (2006) and Atlanta Falcons (2007-08)…He finished his playing career in 2009 with the UFL's Florida Tuskers…Played collegiately at LSU from 2001-04 and appeared in 41 games at center, going 33-8 over that span…He was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection by the Associated Press and ESPN…As a senior, he was named a Consensus All-American and a co-recipient of the Rimington Trophy, given to the top center in college football…During his junior year, he started 14 games at center en route to the Tigers BCS National Championship title…Wilkerson and his wife, Angi, have four children: daughters Brianna, Isabella and Jordan, and a son, Benjamin II.