Former Clemson star Christian Wilkins wasn’t franchise-tagged by the Miami Dolphins, meaning he will be an unrestricted free agent.

Pro Football Focus believes this particular NFL team could benefit from the Dolphins not franchise-tagging the 6-foot-4, 310-pound defensive lineman.

PFF named a perfect free-agent match for all 32 NFL teams, based on need and available financial resources, and Wilkins was pegged as an ideal match for the Chicago Bears:

The Bears have a golden opportunity to add talent at quarterback, wide receiver and edge defender in the upcoming draft. With more than $56 million in cap space to work with, they should look to add to a defensive tackle group that ranked 29th in the NFL in overall grade in 2023.

Justin Madubuike has been franchise-tagged in Baltimore, and it’s widely assumed that the Chiefs will find a way to keep Chris Jones. That leaves Miami’s Christian Wilkins, PFF’s seventh-ranked free agent, as the best available interior defender. Wilkins finished 2023 with the ninth-most pressures and fifth-most sacks at the position last season.

Wilkins amassed 355 tackles (43 for loss) and 20.5 sacks across five seasons with the Dolphins after being drafted by the franchise in the first round (13th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Another former Clemson defensive lineman set to hit free agency — DJ Reader — was also highlighted by PFF.

PFF believes there should be a reunion between Reader and the Cincinnati Bengals, the team he has played for since 2020:

The math is simple: When DJ Reader is on the field, the Bengals have a very good to excellent run defense. When he is not, they don’t. Reader’s ability to plug gaps when the Bengals play an odd front is incredibly valuable. He has also improved as a pass rusher over the past two years.

Reader’s value may also be lower after his season ended early due to a torn quad. He still finished the campaign as one of just five defensive tackles with top-15 grades in run defense and the pass rush. A reunion makes sense for all parties, with the hope that Reader fully recovers from his injury.

Since entering the league in 2016 after being drafted in the fifth round (166th overall) that year by the Houston Texans, the 6-foot-3, 335-pound Reader has racked up 277 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks over his career with the Texans and Bengals.

NFL free agency will get underway next week. On March 11, negotiations can take place, and then contracts can be signed starting on March 13.

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images 

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