With Miami Dolphins star DT Christian Wilkins to likely hit free agency, he could be a target for the Chicago Bears
As free agency looms, and the 2024 NFL draft buzz reaches its peak, teams around the NFL will be looking to improve their team in any way possible. This is easier to do when you have money to spend as a team, and the Chicago Bears have just that. Currently, they sit fourth in the NFL in cap space with around 79 million currently available.
Last season, GM Ryan Poles was very active bringing in big names like Tremaine Edmunds, Yannick Ngakoue, and Nate Davis. Bears fans across the country hope he brings that same aggressiveness this free agency period, and the draft, as the organization looks to get back to the playoffs.
Bringing in a big, superstar defensive tackle could be a move the Chicago Bears are interested in making. They were rumored to be in on Kansas City’s Chris Jones last season during his contract holdout, and could very well be looking to make another big splash this time around.
Last season, Wilkins racked up 65 tackles, a whopping 9 sacks, and 10 tackles for loss over the course of 17 games. It was his best season as a pro, and furthermore, he’ll likely be looking to get paid a pretty decent amount in the next few months. The former Clemson Tiger is only 28 years old and is likely entering his prime.
Today it was announced that the Miami Dolphins will most likely not be franchise tagging Wilkins, making him a free agent. This news comes as a shock to some after Wilkins’ career season.
Last year, one Dolphins fan that covers the team told me I was “wrong” when I said the perimeters of a deal that Christian Wilkins’ camp was seeking.
Well, here we are. Wilkins wants best DT in the game money and will likely get it.
Chicago Bears make a lot of sense.
— Neal Driscoll (@NealDriscoll) March 3, 2024
With so much money to play with, the Chicago Bears do make sense in this situation, as their interior defensive line could use some beefing up. Even after solid seasons from Justin Jones and Andrew Billings, Wilkins would clearly be a massive update from the two.
Jones is also set to hit unrestricted free agency in a few weeks, making it possibly more likely for them to be interested.
With so many other needs, can the Chicago Bears afford to spend big on a defensive tackle?
Well, yes. They can absolutely afford it financially, but with starters like Jaylon Johnson and Darnell Mooney also UFA’s, the question is who and what will they prioritize? Especially during a season in which so much is on the line for everyone in this Chicago Bears organization.
Last spring, the Bears drafted defensive tackles Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens, both of whom had decent rookie seasons and showed quite a bit of promise. The fact that they spent two picks on DT’s last year might deter them away from signing one to a mega-deal, with so many other holes to fill on the offense and defense.
I’d see it most likely that the Bears go after a big name wide out if they don’t draft one, and those can be expensive. If they fail to retain cornerback Jaylon Johnson, that creates another massive hole after his very good season in 2023. With left tackle Tyron Smith also hitting the market, the Bears could invest even more into their offensive line by paying one of the best in the game.
However they decide to do it, this team needs to win more games in 2024, simply put. In a weak NFC conference, the playoffs shouldn’t be that far from reach.
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