The Miami Dolphins are in the rhythm of training camp as they continue to work on the contract of a former National Champion. Christian Wilkins was selected No. 13 overall by Miami in 2019, and enters the final year of his rookie contract.

It’s been noted that the price is going up in the defensive tackle market, but that’s the nature of the NFL and sports as a whole. Teams either bite the bullet and extend players as early as possible, or it costs them later when big extensions are signed by other stars at the position.

While Aaron Donald’s contract pays $31.7 million a year, it’s hard to compare him to others at the position. Another domino fell Thursday, with Jets star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams securing a four-year, $96 million contract.

Wilkins is staying focused and is a full participant in Dolphins camp, but there hasn’t been much to say about the contract side of things. For a player with 290 combined tackles over his first four years and a cornerstone of their front seven, Miami must be starting to have a sense of urgency.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler had their notes from their first four training camp visits and had some small details about Wilkins’ negotiations.

On the extension front, the Dolphins remain optimistic they will get a deal done with defensive tackle Christian Wilkins at some point, though the sense is there isn’t any significant momentum as of now. But they’ve been working on it.

NFL contract talks tend to be long-winded and span over years at times, hence all the holdouts we’ve seen in the last few years. As the season approaches, it feels important that the Dolphins get pen to paper with Wilkins so it’s not a storyline throughout the season, and the work is being done to do so.