There is no doubt that the free agency market for the NFL is about to heat up as Monday marks the opening of the window for the legal negotiation window. It's about to be a barrage of news for a ton of players, but one of the best stars on the market that will be available is defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.
It was a shock when the Miami Dolphins did not put the franchise tag on Wilkins as the former first round pick has been a staple on their defensive line since being drafted with the 13th overall pick in 2019. The expectation is that he will receive huge money due to his massive success so far and the one team that can could be attached is the Houston Texans per ESPN.
After a successful first season under head coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, the Texans will be a team that could attract free agents. With arguably the biggest free agent in defensive tackle Chris Jones re-signing with the Kansas City Chiefs, Dan Graziano at ESPN believes Wilkins will “likely be a hot name” and that the Texans are “looking to upgrade at that position.”
“After Chris Jones landed a big deal on Saturday night, Miami's Christian Wilkins is likely to be a hot name, with contending teams such as the Texans and Lions looking to upgrade at that position,” Graziano said. “Other defensive tackles people around the league believe could land nice deals include the Colts' Grover Stewart, the Seahawks' Leonard Williams and Bengals run-stuffer DJ Reader. Jones' five-year deal and the four-year, $98 million deal the Ravens gave Madubuike on Friday night are only going to help the defensive tackles at the top of the market get paid.”
Wilkins to be pursued by “at least seven teams”
As expected with a huge name like Wilkins, expect the market to be competitive as not only is the University of Clemson product one of the handful of players at defensive tackle that can wreck a game, but it seems to be a limited position this free agency. This means that that there will be a ton of teams looking to be at least interested in adding Wilkins to their roster as according to Jeremy Fowler at ESPN, there are “at least seven teams to pursue him.”
“Wilkins' market is heating up after Miami opted against the franchise tag,” Fowler said. “Expect at least seven teams to pursue him. The Brian Flores connection in Minnesota is one to watch, but Houston and Cleveland could take swings, too.”
When looking at ESPN's list of ranking the top 100 players available in free agency, Wilkins was listed as No. 3 behind Jones and Kirk Cousins. Matt Bowens would talk about his “position versatility” as being a strong suit.
“Wilkins has the position versatility to produce in multiple NFL fronts; he can align as a 3-technique, play nose tackle or even slide to the edge,” Bowen wrote. “He's an explosive mover off the ball with the lateral juice to impact both the run and pass defense. Wilkins recorded 9 sacks, 35 pressures and 63 tackles last season.”
Wherever Wilkins ends up, it's obvious that the team will be better for it as Wilkins is in his prime at 28-years old.
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