Dolphins' DT Christian Wilkins and the strange tale of the NFL's 'hold in' system | Habib

HOUSTON — We heard Christian Wilkins. Whenever Christian Wilkins is around, that’s a given. He’ll be chirping and you’ll be listening, whether you want to or not.

We also saw Christian Wilkins. Well, at least we saw a large man wearing No. 94 in Dolphins colors early Wednesday morning.

He was stretching.

He was hitting the sled.

He just wasn’t hitting anybody else.

And, when it came time for real action — 11-on-11 drills — we no longer could find Christian Wilkins. Not when looking between the white lines.

Rhetorical question: If a defensive tackle shows up for work but doesn’t work, can he call it work?

This may sound like criticism of Wilkins, the Dolphins’ star defensive tackle. It’s not. If I were Wilkins — besides being three times the size I am now — I’d almost certainly be doing the same thing he’s, well, not doing.

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You can thank the NFL’s strange, 3-year-old collective-bargaining agreement for this. It paints players into a corner when they hit their contract year, training camp opens, and they still don’t have an extension even though both sides want one. In the old days, players held out. Under the new agreement, fines get way too expensive, even for these guys, to do such a thing.

So they hold in. Which is what Wilkins has started doing. Last week, for example, the Dolphins held joint practices in Miami Gardens with the Atlanta Falcons. When it came time for 11-on-11s, Wilkins made a tackle on the first play, then excused himself. Having made his statement, he headed to the sidelines and has stayed there since.

Ready work, eager to work … but not working.

Mike McDaniel understanding of Christian Wilkins' situation

Consider, now, the position coach Mike McDaniel is in. It’s McDaniel’s job to get the best out of Wilkins. Sometimes that involves criticism, but often, McDaniel’s way is with encouragement. So he can’t very well rip Wilkins for letting the team down (as old-school coaches would have claimed). He also can’t undermine general manager Chris Grier, who sits across the bargaining table with Wilkins’ agents. McDaniel is caught in the middle but played the role deftly Wednesday morning.

“Christian is such a good player, such an important person in the locker room who has made it clear that he feels that his play is deserving of a contract,” McDaniel said. “We would agree.”

McDaniel then confirmed that Wilkins’ inactivity isn’t due to any phantom injury.

“We are in negotiations and as a result he hasn’t been participating in team (drills),” McDaniel said.

So if anything is bruised, it might be Wilkins’ ego. Nothing a new contract couldn’t instantly heal.

As it stands, Wilkins will have earned $26.1 million over the five-year life of his rookie contract, including $10.7 million this season. He’d be underpaid in 2023 without a new deal — that part isn’t up for discussion. The strange part is that the bargaining agreement would force the Dolphins to fine him $50,000 per day if he held out instead of held in (as if there’s a huge difference?). It’s the same agreement that costs players such as center Connor Williams about $98,000 for skipping mandatory minicamp.

McDaniel said each case like this is “a snowflake … unique to itself.” He added, “I’m comfortable with the situation as it stands. Christian and I are in constant communication. And this is part of the business that a lot of teams are dealing with.”

Xavien Howard on the system: ’It's not weird'

Strange business, it is. The NFL is a different animal, we know, but how many of us can show up for work, sit at our desk, put our feet up on that desk, not work, and still get paid as if we actually worked?

“It’s not weird,” cornerback Xavien Howard said. “It’s work, man.”

That’s an NFL player speaking. A couple of summers ago, Howard got his extension, then took a look at the team’s pay scale and got the club to rework that deal a year later to better align his salary with his skills. So Howard knows how the game-within-a-game is played.

“Get your money,” he said.

But Howard isn’t all mercenary, either.

“At the end of the day, you’ve got to make sure you’re ready to play football also, no matter what you’re going through,” Howard said. “Because it’s like some guys just focus on getting paid and stuff like that. They forget that you’ve still got to play football. You get paid or you don’t, you’ve still got to perform.

“Just be a pro. I’m sure he’s going to do that because he’s a pro.”

That last part can’t be overlooked. At this point, no one is worried that Wilkins will let this stalemate affect his performance or preparation. One of the last Dolphins to leave the practice field Wednesday? Yup, Wilkins, who prides himself on being a creature of habit to extreme degrees when it comes to working out.

“Christian’s a dog,” said Terron Armstead, the left tackle and fellow team captain. “We need him to win, there’s no question. So he knows what he needs to be ready, be prepared. He practices and plays harder than anybody I’ve ever seen.

“So you never worry about a guy like him. We need him. The organization knows we need him. So I’m pretty sure they’ll figure out something, whether it’s stock options or whatever to get the job done.”

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at  hhabib@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins' Christian Wilkins just playing the NFL's odd 'hold in' system