Important window opening on Tuesday for the Dolphins and DT Christian Wilkins
The Miami Dolphins paid one of their stud interior defensive linemen back in August in hefty fashion in Zach Sieler. It's time for the Dolphins to – pardon the expression – fish or cut bait on their second one. The NFL franchise tag window opens up on Tuesday, February 20. That is the day where […]
The Miami Dolphins paid one of their stud interior defensive linemen back in August in hefty fashion in Zach Sieler. It's time for the Dolphins to – pardon the expression – fish or cut bait on their second one.
The NFL franchise tag window opens up on Tuesday, February 20. That is the day where teams can officially place the franchise tag on impending free agents, although it typically happens closer to the end of the franchise tag period. The period to use the tag goes through March 5.
With the Dolphins, that becomes of particular interest with defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.
Wilkins was drafted by the Dolphins in the first round of the 2019 draft. Over his five seasons with the Dolphins, Wilkins has been nothing short of extremely reliable for Miami. He played in all 16 games his rookie season with 14 starts. He missed just two games his second year and has played in all 17 games each of the last three seasons. Where the Dolphins have seen nothing but massive attrition across their roster, Wilkins has given them the best kind of ability: availability.
As far as his performance on the field, Wilkins has been very good, earning Pro Football Focus grades of 83.3, 82.2, and 71.8 the last three seasons. He's also coming off a career-best 9 sacks in 2023. As Chris Grier noted in his press conference after the season ended, Wilkins bet on himself in 2023, and he won.
Which is exactly why the franchise tag is relevant for Wilkins. From February 20 to March 5, the Dolphins can place the tag on him if they're unable to work out a long-term deal before then. With free agency not starting until March 13 and Wilkins very likely interested in testing the waters of his market value, the tag seems like a distinct possibility for the veteran defensive lineman.
That doesn't mean they can't work out an extension if they tag him. The franchise tag doesn't have to be signed by Wilkins until the Tuesday after Week 10 of the 2024 season. The Dolphins have until July 15 to sign a long-term deal with Wilkins and avoid him playing on the tag in 2024.
Of course, the Dolphins are also in salary cap hell right now, sitting at almost $60 million over the cap in effective cap space, per OverTheCap.com. Tagging Wilkins, which would cost $20.943 million per OverTheCap.com, creates a risk of him eventually signing the tag and them having a big number on their books for 2024. Of course, a long-term deal could be structured in a way that would allow them much greater cap flexibility for their 2024 number, so it would be prudent for Grier to work out a deal. Again, that comes back to him still being in town and not signing with someone else once free agency starts.
As such, placing the tag on Wilkins is potentially the first of multiple steps to keep him in Miami. However, it's one the Dolphins simply have to take if pen hasn't met paper between the Dolphins and Wilkins by March 5.
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