The Atlanta Falcons could have the perfect fix to their biggest issue that's hiding in plain sight. At this point, we all know how much Atlanta struggled in defending the run in 2025, so signing a low-stakes veteran like Christian Wilkins should be something the Falcons should consider before it's too late.
According to Adam Schefter, Wilkins fully intends to play in 2026, after missing all of 2025 due to a foot injury where a rehab dispute played a role in the Las Vegas Raiders' decision to release him. But reports surfaced after his release indicating that the injury debacle wasn't the only reason he was cut.
The 30-year-old has some red flags pertaining to his locker room presence, especially because his release from the Raiders came from an incident where a teammate accused him of allegedly attempting to kiss his forehead, which he reported to the team and also played a role in his release.
Wilkins is a pretty talented player, he's been productive in the past, and would immediately fill a major need for the Dirty Birds. So this begs the question of if Ian Cunningham and Kevin Stefanski would be willing to look past the red flags that come with signing him in order to add experience to the defense.
Does Christian Wilkins' baggage make him someone the Atlanta Falcons will refuse to sign?
Schefter's report also revealed that most of the NFL has reached out to Wilkins, with 26 teams expressing interest. It remains to be seen whether or not this is true or a spin from his agent, but I don't deny that teams are interested in him after taking the 2025 season off to recover from his injury.
For those who don't remember, when the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins, the 2019 first-round pick was one of Atlanta's backup plans had they not landed Cousins. Even though Terry Fontenot isn't the GM anymore, they won't have to break the bank to sign a player who was once looked at as their "Plan B".
The Clemson product was college teammates with A.J. Terrell in college, which has to count for something. It's difficult to bring a player like this into your locker room, but after losing David Onyemata and Kentavius Street, the Falcons need someone who will slot in as a nose tackle.
Atlanta already has a strong defensive tackle room, but none of them are legit nose tackles like Wilkins, who is a massive human at 6-foot-4 and 310 pounds. They need an established nose tackle to complement Ruke Orhorhoro and Brandon Dorlus, two players who still struggle to defend the run.
Zach Harrison will be part of the equation if he isn't traded, but Orhorhoro and Dorlus are more important. Onyemata was also a mentor to this young DL, which hopefully is something that Wilkins would be able to replicate in Atlanta. And since they aren't paying him $110 million, perhaps banking on him to stay out of trouble and make a real impact on the defense is a worthy gamble.