With the franchise tag window opening on Tuesday — allowing teams to tag a player who is slated to hit unrestricted free agency, and therefore keep that player for the upcoming season — ESPN provided a look at the franchise tag candidates for each NFL team.
A couple of former Clemson stars were named among them, including defensive tackle Christian Wilkins as the Miami Dolphins’ top franchise tag candidate.
Over 17 games in his fifth season with the Dolphins in 2023, Wilkins posted more than 60 total tackles (10 for loss), 23 quarterback hits, two passes defended, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries to go with nine sacks – double his previous career-high of 4.5 sacks in 2021.
The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder has amassed 355 tackles (43 for loss) and 20.5 sacks since being drafted by Miami in the first round (13th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft.
“The Dolphins’ first-round pick from 2019 turned in a career season in 2023 with (9) sacks despite not being able to come to an agreement on a contract extension last offseason,” ESPN’s Marcel Louis–Jacques wrote. “Miami is strapped for cash currently ($51 million over the cap), but applying the tag to its best homegrown player makes more sense than letting him walk in free agency. Both sides want him in South Florida long term, so an extension this offseason seems likely.”
Tee Higgins, meanwhile, was tabbed by ESPN as the Cincinnati Bengals’ top franchise tag candidate.
The star wide receiver dealt with injuries this past season, contributing to his dropoff in production. He played in a career-low 12 games while posting career-lows with 42 receptions, 656 yards and five touchdowns.
However, Higgins had back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons the previous two years, tallying 13 total touchdowns in that span. The 6-foot-4, 219-pounder has been highly productive overall in his NFL career, during which he has hauled in 257 receptions for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns.
“In his end-of-season news conference, quarterback Joe Burrow made it clear he expects Higgins to be back for 2024,” ESPN’s Ben Baby wrote. “With a long-term deal a big question mark, the franchise tag is the most logical solution for the Bengals if they want to keep Higgins for at least another season. The Bengals have the cap flexibility to keep Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase and Burrow together for another run.”
The NFL franchise tag window runs through 4 p.m. on March 5.
–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
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