Potential DT Free Agent Could Be Game-Changer for Lions
If the Detroit Lions want to fulfill their Super Bowl hopes in 2024, they would be wise to add a dominant force to their defense.
EDGE rusher Aidan Hutchinson had an exceptional campaign in his second NFL season, but frequently drew double teams and extra attention from opposing offensive lines. As a result, the team would benefit from adding another presence on the defensive line.
One potential option is Miami's Christian Wilkins, who is trending toward becoming a free agent after reports have surfaced that the Dolphins don't plan to franchise tag him.
As a result, he could be available to acquire when free agency opens March 13.
Wilkins has 20.5 career sacks across five NFL seasons, including a career-high nine in 2023. He also logged 65 tackles, including 10 for loss, and 23 quarterback hits last season for the Dolphins.
"While Miami's stance is that all options are on the table for defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, several league sources say he probably won't be franchise-tagged," wrote ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "That would put a big-time tackle who had 63 tackles and nine sacks in 2023 on the market."
The talented defender has already been linked to the Houston Texans and the Cleveland Browns, both of which are young teams that have high playoff hopes for the upcoming campaign.
Wilkins is a versatile lineman who can contribute in a big way against both the pass and the run. He finished last season with a 70.8 pass-rush grade and a 69.5 run defense grade, via Pro Football Focus.
"Wilkins is a foundational piece for the Dolphins, a tone-setter on defense and a leader, and also was the team's first draft pick when they started their massive rebuilding project in 2019," All Dolphins' Alain Poupart wrote. "He has emerged over the years as a top-end defensive tackle, adding a pass-rushing element to his game last season when he produced a career-high nine sacks."
The defender posted 61 pressures last year, which would've ranked second on the Lions' roster behind only Hutchinson. Getting heat on the quarterback from the defensive interior would do wonders for a defense that struggled to do so in 2023.
"Wilkins had a strip-sack/forced fumble/fumble recovery against the Buffalo Bills in the regular season finale, as his highlight play of the season," Poupart wrote. "Wilkins led all NFL interior defensive linemen in tackles in 2022 with 98, setting a record for the position that was broken this past season by the Carolina Panthers' Derrick Brown."
Detroit ranked near the bottom of the league in sacks in 2023, as Hutchinson was the only double-digit sack producer. Defensive tackle Alim McNeill had five, and no other player on the roster had more than three.
McNeill has proven to be a solid part of the Lions' defensive interior, but Wilkins has the flexibility to move around the defensive line and would pair nicely with the talented defender.
Detroit was strapped for depth at points last year on the defensive line, and was especially exposed when McNeill went down with an injury. The Lions wound up relying heavily on veteran Tyson Alualu down the stretch of the season.
There are two interesting and relatively unproven options with Levi Onwuzurike and Brodric Martin. Onwuzurike missed all of 2022 with a back injury, and was limited last season. Meanwhile, Martin was active in just three games.
Wilkins will be a big addition wherever he winds up, and has the ability to be a difference-making element. With the Lions' needs, it would be a significant move that would signal Detroit's desire to compete for a Super Bowl.
