PFF names 'perfect' matches for prominent NFL free agents Christian Wilkins, DJ Reader |
With franchise tags in the books, free agency is up next in the NFL, and that's of particular interest to two Clemson pros.
Of the three highly-ranked NFL free agents this offseason, Christian Wilkins, formerly of Miami, and DJ Reader, formerly of Cincinnati, avoided a franchise tag. Tee Higgins was tagged and will stay with the Bengals, however. Pro Football Focus outlined the "perfect" spot for the top free agents remaining, and for Wilkins, that is Chicago with the Bears. "The Bears have a golden opportunity to add talent at quarterback, wide receiver and edge defender in the upcoming draft. With more than $56 million in cap space to work with, they should look to add to a defensive tackle group that ranked 29th in the NFL in overall grade in 2023," PFF's Dalton Wasserman said. "Justin Madubuike has been franchise-tagged in Baltimore, and it’s widely assumed that the Chiefs will find a way to keep Chris Jones. That leaves Miami’s Christian Wilkins, PFF’s seventh-ranked free agent, as the best available interior defender. Wilkins finished 2023 with the ninth-most pressures and fifth-most sacks at the position last season." Wilkins has logged 355 combo tackles, 20.5 sacks and 43 more TFLs over 81 games as a pro. The PFF writeup says Reader should end up back in Cincinnati. "The math is simple: When DJ Reader is on the field, the Bengals have a very good to excellent run defense," Wasserman said. "When he is not, they don’t. Reader’s ability to plug gaps when the Bengals play an odd front is incredibly valuable. He has also improved as a pass rusher over the past two years. "Reader’s value may also be lower after his season ended early due to a torn quad. He still finished the campaign as one of just five defensive tackles with top-15 grades in run defense and the pass rush. A reunion makes sense for all parties, with the hope that Reader fully recovers from his injury." After starting his career in Houston from 2016-19, Reader has logged 277 combo tackles, 9.5 sacks and 23 more TFLs as a pro.
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