‘Major Player’ Emerges for Dolphins DT Christian Wilkins After Worrisome Update
When Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier spoke at the NFL combine, fans left the chat feeling confident that star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins would be retained.
On March 3, however, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler offered a much more worrisome update on contract discussions between the two parties.
“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,” Fowler revealed. “That would put a big-time tackle who had 63 tackles and nine sacks in 2023 on the market.”
Fellow ESPN insider Dan Graziano added that the Houston Texans could be a “major player” for Wilkins later in the article, noting that “the Texans seem to be focused on upgrading their defense in a few key spots,” with the “biggest” need being defensive tackle.
Fowler agreed, pointing out that Houston has “ample cap space” to get a Wilkins deal done with quarterback C.J. Stroud on a rookie contract. The latter also discussed the Cleveland Browns as a team that he could see bidding on Wilkins, acknowledging that “several teams in the mix” for the integral Dolphins defender.
Revisiting Dolphins GM Chris Grier’s Comments on Christian Wilkins at NFL Combine
While addressing the media at the NFL combine, Grier told reporters that “all options are on the table for us” when it comes to retaining Wilkins — including the franchise tag.
“I’m going to meet here with Christian’s agent this week,” he explained. “David [Mulugheta] and I have always had good conversations. I’m just being very transparent with it. He has earned [the right to be a free agent]. He’s had a great season. So, we’ll see what happens here as we talk over the next couple of weeks.”
