Panthers GM Dan Morgan provides update on potential Derrick Brown extension

Panthers GM Dan Morgan expressed some optimism about a potential contract extension for DT Derrick Brown.

Maybe the Carolina Panthers have themselves a standout defender who they can actually keep.

On Monday, the team’s president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan talked with reporters on a Zoom call from the NFL’s Annual League Meeting. When asked about defensive tackle Derrick Brown, who is entering the fifth-year option on his rookie deal, he expressed some optimism about a potential contract extension.

“I’m not going to put any timetable on it; we have had some good discussions with his agent,” Morgan said, via Darin Gantt of Panthers.com. “But as of right now, we’re working through that, and hopefully, it ends up working out at the end, which I think it will.”

Brown is coming off the first Pro Bowl season of his NFL career. In fact, it was no ordinary all-star campaign—as the 25-year-old broke the all-time single-season record for tackles by a defensive lineman.

A few of Brown’s fellow interior linemen got their big paydays this offseason—including Kansas City’s Chris Jones, Las Vegas’ Christian Wilkins and Baltimore’s Justin Madubuike. Jones set the market at a $158 million pact, with Wilkins at $110 million and Madubuike at $98 million.

So, is Brown next?

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AFC East: Dolphins lose top defender Christian Wilkins in free agency

AFC East: Dolphins lose top defender Christian Wilkins in free agency”

The Miami Dolphins have lost one of their best players over the opening week of the NFL’s 2024 free agency period.

Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins is no longer an AFC East rival of the Buffalo Bills. He signed a four-year, $110 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Wilkins played in 10 games against the Bills during his time in Miami. He had a sack and two forced fumbles in that time. Wilkins recorded a career-high nine sacks last season.

What he’s most known for is a spat he had with Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen.

Back in 2022, Allen ripped off Wilkins’ helmet on a play… but there was also commentary about Wilkins potentially grabbing the QB in the groin area during a pileup.

But in the end, the two evidently buried the hatchet. Allen and Wilkins went on to exchange compliments ahead of Buffalo and Miami’s first meeting in 2023.

Even so, Allen and the Bills will likely enjoy not seeing Wilkins twice a year moving forward.

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Rich Eisen a big fan of Christian Wilkins joining Maxx Crosby on Raiders: ‘Unfair’

Rich Eisen big fan of ‘unfair’ pairing of Christian Wilkins and Maxx Crosby on Raiders

A lot of Raiders fans are super excited about the addition of Christian Wilkins. I have certainly made my feelings on the move clear. I love it. Had Wilkins as the top free agent on the market for the Raiders’ needs.

But if you don’t want to go with my opinion or those of Raider Nation, how about Rich Eisen?

The veteran NFL voice couldn’t say enough good things about the move by the Raiders and pairing him up with “the Condor,” Maxx Crosby.

Eisen got downright poetic while praising the Raiders for the move and imagining the havoc Wilkins and Crosby will create together.

He liked it particularly with regard to the Raiders attempting to accomplish their primary objective of ending the Chiefs’ stranglehold on the AFC West.

“Christian Wilkins requires a ton of attention to stop,” said Eisen. “He is a one-man wrecking machine. But just imagine what he can do with the Condor lined up to his left.

“Maxx Crosby next to Christian Wilkins sounds like an AFC Pro Bowl team,” he continued while also calling the duo “unfair” and lauding the move as “aggressive and smart.”

The Raiders still have many question marks — the quarterback position, for one. Clearly when Eisen recorded this, the news of the Raiders adding Gardner Minshew had not come out. But even if it had, Minshew is not the answer there.

And while the Chiefs dynasty largely surrounds QB Patrick Mahomes, they made Chris Jones a priority as well because they know how crucial having a dominant presence on the interior defensive line is along with consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback. The Raiders have at least checked that box. That’s a good start.

Christian Wilkins agrees to terms with Raiders, what it could mean for Leonard Williams

Christian Wilkins agrees to terms w/ Raiders, what it could mean for Leonard Williams

One of the first major dominoes in free agency has just fallen. One of the better defensive linemen available, Christian Wilkins of the Miami Dolphins appears to be headed west. Wilkins and the Raiders have agreed to terms on a monster contract that will make him quite a wealthy man.

Wilkins will join a defensive line with Maxx Crosby, in an effort to slow down division rival quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert.

Breaking down the contract, this appears to be roughly $21 million a year. Of course, the first thought Seattle Seahawks fans should have is how this impacts impending free agent Leonard Williams.

The Seahawks made a splash trade in the middle of the season to acquire Williams from the New York Giants at the deadline, and it cost them a pretty penny. To obtain Williams’ services, Seattle had to fork over a second round pick. Such a hefty price for a soon-to-be free agent had many folks expecting the Seahawks to ink Williams to an extension eventually.

Now we know the likely price range Williams will be asking for in contract negotiations with either Seattle or a different suiter.

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Christian Wilkins agrees to terms with Raiders in massive deal for great defender

The Las Vegas Raiders have very bad news for opposing quarterbacks: Christian Wilkins and Maxx Crosby are now on the same team.

Former Miami Dolphins defensive lineman Christian Wilkins, one of the best players in the 2024 wave of free agency, will have a new home. Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Wilkins will get a four-year contract with $110 million in base value, and $84 million guaranteed.

Those are weighty numbers that put Wilkins among the NFL’s top defensive tackles, but he’s put up enough numbers of his own for that contract to be quite reasonable. Selected by the Dolphins with the 13th overall pick in the 2019 draft out of Clemson, Wilkins had 10 sacks, 61 total pressures, 40 tackles, and 34 stops last season. The 6-foot-4, 310-pund Wilkins can win from just about any gap — he played 16% of his snaps at edge last season — and he faced some kind of double team on 301 of his snaps, getting two sacks and 33 total pressures when doubled.

It’s likely that when Wilkins lines up next to edge demon Maxx Crosby in Las Vegas’ fronts, he’ll face far fewer double-teams than that.

Breaking: Christian Wilkins signs a massive contract with the Las Vegas Raiders

Wilkins is moving on from the Dolphins and got a massive contract from the Raiders.

Christian Wilkins is no longer with the Miami Dolphins.

With NFL free agency getting ready to kick off, Wilkins moved quickly, taking advantage of his standing as one of the top available free agents. According to reports from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Wilkins and the Las Vegas Raiders have agreed to a four-year deal worth $110M base value that includes $84.75M guaranteed in a contract. Wilkins got the contract he was looking for, becoming one of the highest-paid defensive tackles in the NFL.

In 2023, Wilkins showcased his prowess once more for the Dolphins. Despite a dip in total tackles, he notched a career-best 9 sacks, a remarkable achievement for a defensive tackle. Additionally, he tallied ten tackles for loss and 23 QB hits, setting yet another career high.

The Raiders have a new superstar on their defensive line.

Raiders reel in big fish, agreeing to terms with former Dolphins DT Christian Wilkins

Top top DT in free agency is headed to the Raiders

It was clear the Raiders were ready to make a big time move at defensive tackle this offseason. And they finally did. They are expected to sign the top defensive tackle on the market, nabbing former Dolphins DT Christian Wilkins.

Outside of quarterback, no position was more crucial for the Raiders than that of defensive tackle. And Wilkins was the best one out there and therefore topped my list of free agent fits for the Raiders at any position.

They have no returning defensive interior starters since allowing Bilal Nichols and Adam Butler hit free agency and releasing Jerry Tillery. Based on that, it was clear the Raiders were ready to overhaul the position which has been in disrepair for years.

On a defense which saw just about every other area step up late last season, the missing piece was a dominant interior presence. Wilkins provides that which will help every other part of the defense, from the edge rushers, to the linebackers, to the secondary.

This is a huge signing. Good on the Raiders to make it happen.

Dolphins DL Christian Wilkins agrees to massive deal with the Raiders

Miami’s star DL has agreed to a huge deal with Las Vegas.

The NFL’s legal tampering window is open, and teams are already agreeing to deals at a furious pace.

For the Miami Dolphins, their biggest pending free agent was defensive lineman Christian Wilkins, who bet on himself after he and the team couldn’t agree on a contract last offseason.

Now, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Wilkins has agreed to a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders that will pay him $110 million over four years.

Wilkins, 28, was selected by the Dolphins with the 13th overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft following a very successful collegiate career at Clemson.

In 81 career games for Miami, he recorded 355 tackles (43 for a loss), 50 quarterback hits, 20.5 sacks, 19 passes defensed, six fumbles recovered, four forced fumbles and one interception.

If the deal becomes official, the Dolphins will be losing a huge part of their team, not only on the field but also in the locker room.

TeX’s and O’s: Christian Wilkins would bring disruptive force to Texans’ interior

In our first iteration of “TeXs and Os,” a look at what Christian Wilkins would look like on the Houston Texans defensive line.

The interest has been brewing.

Ever since the Miami Dolphins chose not to franchise their star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, his interest with the Houston Texans has been well noted. ESPN analyst Jeremy Fowler was first to report that Houston was a team to watch and then local reporter Aaron Wilson of KPRC later repeated that same sentiment.

It makes sense. Head coach DeMeco Ryans’ attacking 4-3 front would be a perfect fit for Wilkins and he’s the type of presence the team currently lacks. NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year winner Will Anderson Jr. looks like he could become a premier edge player, but outside of that, the defensive line is unclear. Edge rusher Jonathan Greenard is coming off a career season with 12.5 sacks and is an unrestricted free agent. Defensive tackle Maliek Collins is a solid, but unspectacular starter and his running mate Sheldon Rankins is also set to hit free agency.

Ryans preached that he wanted to improve the quality of the Front 7 after the team’s 34-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens and Wilkins could play a huge part in doing just that if Houston was to splurge.

Since he was drafted in 2019, Wilkins has been one of the premier defensive tackles in the NFL. He has had at least 10 tackles for loss in each of the past three seasons and broke out in a huge way in the pass rushing department in 2023 with nine sacks.

He was one of Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded defensive tackles each of the past three years and has never had a rushing defense grade below 70 since 2019. His pass rush grade has also been over 70 since 2021 and peaked with a grade of 72.8 this past season.

It’s the perfect time for him to hit the market. The NFL more than ever values defensive lineman that can rush the passer and, in addition to his nine sacks, Wilkins generated 61 quarterback pressures per NextGen Stats in 2023. Not to mention his additional 26 quarterback hits.

What exactly does he bring to the Houston Texans that would encourage general manager Nick Caserio to engage in his first huge bidding war as general manager of the team?

The conversation likely begins with his availability. Wilkins played 80% of the Miami Dolphins’ defensive snaps in 2023 and represents a player that is capable of playing both the 1-technique and 3-technique defensive tackle spots in Ryans’ system. He would never need to come off the field and could be used interchangeably with multiple other players on the defensive line.

For a defense that preaches the importance of stopping the run, Wilkins more than satisfies that demand. He’s capable of occupying multiple blockers in the gap but also making explosive plays up-field to kill plays. His high motor also shows up on film chasing runs to the outside and making exceptional plays that are often not expected for players as large as Wilkins at defensive tackle.

This play against the New England Patriots stands out as representative. Wilkins not only starts out the play double-teamed — which frees up space for other defenders to attack the run — but he’s also able to come off the double team and chase the run to the outside. It’s the kind of athleticism and effort that every defensive coach covets.

That’s before you even discuss his ability to rush the quarterback.

Wilkins has improved every season rushing the passer as evidenced by both his statistics and PFF grades. It is also evident on film. He has good power to attack opposing guards and centers with ample athleticism to be used more creatively as well when called upon.

This stunt play is an excellent example of Wilkins using his athleticism to get to the quarterback. The opposing defensive tackle crashes the center and right guard leaving nobody to take Wilkins. He’s able to get to Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis before he has a chance to get rid of the ball. The Texans defense uses very similar concepts under Ryans and he would likely be tasked with assignments like this even more frequently.

Wilkins, in conjunction with a player like Anderson and any other pass rushers that Houston might add this offseason, would create headaches for offenses. It would be very difficult to allocate resources and call protections with two premier defensive linemen demanding attention. On the same side as Anderson, one of them would very likely see individual protection assignments. On stunts they both have the athleticism to torch offensive lineman and exploit protection rules.

In short, Wilkins effects every aspect of the defense. He is an every-down player that is impactful in both the rushing game and attacking the opposing quarterback. He would make life easier for linebackers to kill run plays and also open up pass rushing lanes for his teammates, all in addition to his own individual contributions.

This multi-level projected contribution for Wilkins makes paying him a little bit easier. The 28-year-old will likely demand the largest contract on the free agent market and will be paid even more after recent extensions for defensive tackles Justin Madubuike and Chris Jones from Baltimore and Kansas City respectively. As the league recognizes the impact of defensive tackle play, there will be very competitive bidding wars to secure that.

Still, when Houston spent the past two years clearing cap space after the blunders of the previous management under former general manager Bill O’Brien, this is the type of situation you dream of as a team-builder. Adding Wilkins represents a perfect fit from both a personnel and player perspective.

If the Texans want to take another step forward and their desire to swarm on defense, there should be no hesitation to take a swing on the defensive tackle.