New Miami Dolphins DC excited to work with Christian Wilkins

Anthony Weaver names Christian Wilkins as player he’s excited to coach; omits Xavien Howard and Jerome Baker.

New Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver had his introductory meeting with the South Florida media on Thursday. The press conference was not broadcast by the team, but thanks to the many reporters in attendance, Fins fans around the globe got a glimpse of what Weaver will be bringing to the table as the new man in charge of Miami’s defense.

The 43 year-old former NFL defensive end spoke on various topics, but it was his comments on which players he’s excited to work with that caught the eye of some on social media. He mentioned defensive tackle Zach Sieler, EDGE players Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips, linebacker David Long, and defensive backs Jevon Holland and Jalen Ramsey.

He also mentioned a player who is soon to be a free agent if he doesn’t sign a long-term deal with the franchise — former first round defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.

As noted by Omar Kelly of Sports Illustrated, Wilkins was the only player named by Anthony Weaver who also happens to need a brand new deal to keep him with the Dolphins.

If one wants to read the tea leaves, it would be easy to speculate that Miami and Wilkins’ camp are still working on an extension to keep the stud defender in South Florida for the next few years. Recently, however, general manager Chris Grier remarked that Wilkins had “earned the right” to test free agency.

Spotrac currently lists the 28 year-old’s market value for a new deal at 4 years for $80,988,580 — an average of roughly $20.2 million per season. It has been rumored that Wilkins is looking to surpass that average annual salary by quite a bit when the ink is dried on the contract, so we’ll have to wait and see if the two sides can come to an agreement that locks the player in for the foreseeable future.

While Weaver named a handful of quality players he was excited to coach, two names he omitted from his list — and admittedly, he did mention that he probably forgot some names — were those of defensive back Xavien Howard and linebacker Jerome Baker.

With the Dolphins desperately in need of cap space — even before a possible expensive extension for Wilkins — the team could look to move on from the soon-to-be 31 year-old Howard and the 27 year-old Baker. According to Spotrac, the two players alone account for roughly $40.8 million against the cap for the upcoming season.

It remains to be seen what changes in defensive personnel the Miami Dolphins will make this offseason, but if Anthony Weaver’s words — or omissions — are something you choose to put stock in, the team will likely look much different when they take the field for the 2024 NFL season.