Dolphins reportedly not expected to use the franchise tag on DT Christian Wilkins
There had been a growing belief that the Miami Dolphins would keep their star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins from reaching free agency. That could end up not being the case. According to ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler, the Dolphins are unlikely to use the franchise tag on Wilkins, which would allow him to hit the […]
There had been a growing belief that the Miami Dolphins would keep their star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins from reaching free agency.
That could end up not being the case. According to ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler, the Dolphins are unlikely to use the franchise tag on Wilkins, which would allow him to hit the free agency market.
Fowler noted that while Miami has indicated nothing is out of the realm of possibility, his league sources are telling him otherwise.
While Miami's stance is that all options are on the table for defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, several league sources say he probably won't be franchise tagged. That would put a big time tackle who had 63 tackles and nine sacks in 2023 on the market.
Houston is intriguing here. The Texans have ample cap space, a quarterback early on a rookie deal and a playoff roster. There would be several teams in the mix thought. The Browns are always good for a splash or two, for instance. Would they strengthen an already stout defense with the versatile DT?
If the Dolphins indeed do not plan to place the tag on Wilkins, then that's a drastic change from less than two weeks ago. ESPN's Dan Graziano went on NFL Live back on February 21 and said the Dolphins would be willing to use the franchise tag on Wilkins in order to keep him from leaving if they had to.
The Dolphins are running out of time to make a decision on Wilkins and the franchise tag. The team has until Tuesday March 5 to use the tag on their star veteran defender. If they don't, then Wilkins will be free to negotiate with new teams beginning on March 11, with deals able to be signed on March 13.
Wilkins will certainly be a hot commodity on the trade market as one of the top defenders available. The Texans, who Fowler mentioned as a potential candidate for Wilkins' services, have over $66 million in effective cap space and can afford to give Wilkins a very high offer.
We'll see soon enough just what the Dolphins will do if they want to keep their star defender from leaving town by mid-March.
Picking the best Day 3 draft targets for the Miami Dolphins ahead of the 2024 NFL Combine
The Dolphins can address still address some key areas on the draft’s final day
