Wilkins Selected as This NFL Team’s Ideal Free Agent Match
Based on need and available funds, PFF selected the ideal free-agent fit for each of the 32 NFL teams; Wilkins was selected as the Chicago Bears’ best fit.
In the 2018 draft, the Bears have a fantastic chance to add talent at wide receiver, edge defender, and quarterback. They should try to bolster a defensive line group that finished 29th in the NFL in terms of overall grade in 2023, now that they have more than $56 million in cap space to deal with.
Although Justin Madubuike has been franchise-tagged in Baltimore, it is generally accepted that the Chiefs will find a way to keep Chris Jones. The best interior defender on the market right now is Miami native Christian Wilkins, a free agent who is rated ninth by PFF. As of the 2023 season’s end, Wilkins ranks seventh in sacks and tenth in pressures among all wide receivers.
After completing his five-year career with 355 tackles (43 for loss) and 20.5 sacks, Wilkins was selected by the Dolphins in the first round (13th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. Another player on PFF was DJ Reader, a former Clemson defensive lineman who is anticipated to be a free agent.
PFF thinks that Reader and the Cincinnati Bengals, whom he has been a member of since 2020, ought to get back together:
The math is easy: The Bengals have a very good to great run defense when DJ Reader is on the field. They don’t when he isn’t. When the Bengals play a strange game, the reader’s ability to fill in the blanks is invaluable. Over the previous two years, he has also become a better pass rusher.
The reader’s season being cut short by a torn quad could also limit its usefulness. Nevertheless, he was one of just five defensive tackles who finished the season ranked in the top 15 for both run and pass defense. Assuming Reader fully recovers from his injury, it makes sense for everyone to reunite.
The Houston Texans selected the 6-foot-3, 335-pound reader in the fifth round (166th overall), and he entered the league in 2016. He racked up 277 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, and 9.5 sacks while playing for the Bengals and Texans.
Next week is when NFL free agency will begin. Talks may begin on March 11, and contracts may be signed beginning on March 13.