 The Miami Dolphins are entering year one of the Chad O’Shea offense.
Thus far through OTAs, players such as DeVante Parker and Ryan Fitzpatrick have been all the talk for the offensive side of the ball. One position group that is flying under the radar is running back. The Dolphins depth at the running back position is severely different than last season. Only Kenyan Drake and Kalen Ballage are still on the roster from last year’s running back room. Miami drafted Myles Gaskin in the 7th round of the 2019 NFL draft and surprising signed the troubled Mark Walton. In addition to those players, Miami also drafted Chandler Cox, a fullback. Miami now has one of the youngest running back rooms in the league and it is loaded with potential. Drake flashed his potential in 2017 when he took over as the lead back once Jay Ajayi was traded away. Ballage flashed his potential multiple times last season even with the limited opportunities he got. Walton is the most interesting name in the room. Walton has a huge amount of potential but he seems to always be in trouble. If Walton can stay out of trouble, Miami could have a future three-headed monster at running back with Drake, Ballage, and Walton. Gaskin can be a great third down back in Miami as, in college, he showed he can catch out of the backfield, pass block, and can get past the first down line if needed. Cox was an interesting pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Since O’Shea is from New England one would have to assume that he will be used like James Devlin, New England’s fullback. Even though it is very early in the 2019 season, Miami has the potential to be a very good rushing team. It will be interesting to see how things play out in training camp, as I do not expect Miami to keep four running backs and Cox on the active roster. If Miami does keep all five players on the active roster, expect to see Gaskin have a huge role on special teams as he more than likely is the odd man out in the competition (unless Walton can not stay out of trouble). Gaskin should make the practice squad if he does not make the final roster as an insurance plan. This story was written by Tanner Elliott. Follow him on Twitter: @Elliott302Tj  The Miami Dolphins, on Thursday morning, signed free agent defensive tackle Adolphus Washington to a one-year deal. In a corresponding move, Miami waived linebacker James Burgess.
A former Ohio State product, Washington is entering his fourth season at the professional level. Washington opened his playing career with the Buffalo Bills, starting in 21 of a possible 31 games, from 2016-2018. Washington totaled 3.5 sacks in three seasons with the Bills. Most recently, Washington spent a short stint with the Cincinnati Bengals, producing one sack in four games. The Bills selected Washington in the third round (80th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. Washington is a young, athletic player who could thrive if given the opportunity to succeed. This move further displays Miami's commitment to a youth movement, taking young, developing players and trying to get the most out of them that they can. If Washington can catch on quick, it will be a great boost to the Dolphins defensive line, and a very New England-like transaction. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori 
Dolphins defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick was described by many before the draft as a "do-all" kind of safety, a true Swiss army knife that could line up wherever was necessary in the secondary. During his rookie season, he spent time as a safety, a slot cornerback, and a boundary corner all in the span of a few weeks.
And according to head coach Brian Flores, Fitzpatrick will be asked to do even more in his second season. "Last week we just talked about Minkah playing multiple positions." Flores said on Tuesday. "He’ll play corner, he’ll play linebacker, he’ll play free safety, he’ll play strong safety, he’ll play nickel. He’ll be all over the place. I think in all those different roles, I think he’s done an okay job kind of learning all of those positions." However, it should be noted that this will not be the first time Fitzpatrick has lined up as a linebacker. Even last year, the Alabama standout spent some time acting in that hybrid role, so this honestly should not come as a surprise to anyone.
But even with that in mind, Flores has been hesitant to give out information, no doubt a result of the influence Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had on him for all those years he was in New England. "To me, this is obviously an open forum." Flores said. "I like to, as much as possible, keep things in house and not give out a lot of information because other teams are watching. If I tell them if we’re pulling, we’re going to pull all the guards or we’re going to play Minkah (Fitzpatrick) at corner or we’re going to play, I don’t want to put our team at a disadvantage." Clearly this approach has worked for Belichick all these years, so it's understandable Flores would want to follow that same philosophy in dealing with the media. That said, Fitzpatrick stated after his rookie season that he would need to know where he was going to play if he was going to improve his game. It would appear that he's got his answer. This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter:@LuisDSung  One of the first things that was established when the Miami Dolphins hired Brian Flores to be their next coach was that the defense would begin a major overhaul, switching from a base 4-3 that they have run for the past several seasons under numerous defensive coordinators, to a more hybrid scheme that featured lots of 3-4 scheme elements. Back in January, before Flores was ever hired, we broke down what the Dolphins would need to make a 3-4 scheme work, and now that is becoming reality even as we speak, and that has forced the players to completely change their philosophy on the field. “Last year, we were attacking. Now you have to read the blocks." said defensive tackle Davon Godchaux. "That’s probably the biggest challenge for me. (I am) used to getting off the ball, trying to attack the offensive line. Now you have to read and watch where they’re going and playing more with your hands out in front of you.” The versatility that comes with running a 3-4 is what makes it such an appealing scheme, but it also comes with a lot of cerebral responsibility, and the players themselves must also be versatile. In the case of Davon Godchaux, who projects to be used as a 3-4 defensive end, he'll have to not only be fast enough to rush the passer on passing downs, but he'll have to have the strength to take on guards and centers and keep them away from the linebackers, who ideally will be Raekwon McMillan and Kiko Alonso acting as the inside linebackers. But Godchaux won't just be playing there, he'll evidently also be lining up as the nose tackle, which traditionally requires an extremely large individual meant to take on extra blockers. Godchaux will also have that on his plate as part of the scheme versatility. “The ultimate goal is to be a team player (at) my nose position." He said. "If I’m in 1-tech, play A-gap, 2-I, play the A-gap, if I move to a three-play B-gap. It’s the same thing we’re doing. We’re playing the same gap. We just went from attacking to read.” With the revelation that Brian Flores intends to have Minkah Fitzpatrick playing just about every position in the secondary, as well as linebacker, and pass rusher Nate Orchard will be tasked with multiple responsibilities as well, this Dolphins defense is set to become the most complicated it's been in years. Given how predictable they've been since the days of Kevin Coyle, that's not a bad thing by any means, and fortunately, Godchaux is quickly adapting. “I’m very comfortable." He said. "The first couple days, (I was) a little rusty. Each and everybody was a little rusty. Speaking of myself, a little rusty. I’m coming out here each and every day, getting the techniques, going through the growing pains of the 3-4, 4-3 defense.” This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung  When you’re a second round pick in the NFL draft, you’re expected to be, at worst, a solid contributor for the team that invested in you. And as a first team All-PAC-12 selection and the winner of the 2014 Ted Hendricks Award (given to the best defensive end in the country), you could say expectations were high for Nate Orchard.
Orchard, a 6’3”, 256 pound defensive end/linebacker out of Utah, did have a good start to his career, recording three sacks while playing in 15 games with 11 starts for the Cleveland Browns in his rookie season. An injury-shortened 2016 season appears to have been his downfall, as he never regained his starting spot, and was released prior to the 2018 season. After being released by the Browns, Orchard spent a month each last season with two teams (Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs), filling in for injured starters. After the season he was signed by the Seattle Seahawks just prior to the NFL, only to be cut weeks later when the team drafted two players at his position. He was out of work when the Miami Dolphins came calling, a team in dire need of help along the defensive line. “The places I’ve been, it’s always come down to a numbers situation,” says Orchard. “But you can’t let those situations and things like that deter you from what you do. My confidence is high. I’m grateful each day for the opportunities - Buffalo, KC, Cleveland, here. Just to be in this league is a huge opportunity.” “I’ve learned a lot,” he continued. “I’ve been through peaks and valleys, ups and downs. I learned at the end of the day that you’ve got to be confident in your craft and be a professional. You’ve got to show up each day and put your best foot forward.” While the Dolphins are light-lipped about details of their defensive schemes, Orchard has already noticed something from the short time he’s had to digest the Dolphins playbook - that head coach Brian Flores is bringing some of the flavor from his previous job in New England to South Florida. “They put guys in position here to be successful,” says Orchard of Flores and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s schemes. “Blitzes coming from every angle, you don’t know who’s coming, what’s going on. The coaches do a great job. Coach Graham is doing a great job of disguising that.” Orchard has no shortage of confidence in his abilities, and has kept a great attitude throughout the last year while bouncing around to four different teams. “It’s the nature of the business,” he says. “The NFL, it’s a tough league and everywhere I’ve been, it’s a business decision. But at the end of the day, the ego is great. My confidence is still sky high. I’ve got a great support system, my wife and kids and family. They keep me going. “At the end of the day, you’ve got to be confident in what you do and don’t ever let anybody drag you down.” This story was written by Eldon Jenson. Follow him on Twitter: @EJFootball 
Miami Dolphins fans have been begging the front office to unveil a new look in 2019, and their prayers have been officially answered.
Tom Garfinkel, the CEO, announced the Dolphins will spot an all-white throwback uniform in Week 2 of the 2019 regular season versus the New England Patriots.
The contest is scheduled for September 15. On this day, the Dolphins will also celebrate the 58th birthday of legendary quarterback, Dan Marino. In recent years, Miami has worn all-aqua throwbacks.
Last season, Miami knocked off New England and Buffalo in December while wearing their all-aqua throwback jerseys. Fans are able to purchase these specific jerseys in June. ​The Dolphins open the 2019 regular season versus Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, September 8. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori 
“’If you work hard and put the team first, you’re a leader,’ Flores said. ’I want to have 53 leaders on our team. I want 90 on our team right now. That’s something that you can develop. That’s something that you can talk about.”’ I’m glad that Salguero is pressing the issue of Reshad Jones' absence from OTAs in a year where a new coaching staff is trying to install a new defensive scheme. But that aside, I continue to be astounded that Jones is still a part of this team at all. I understand that cutting Jones post-June 1 would entail eating $17 million dollars in dead cap money. But the Dolphins have plenty of cap space. How can you keep a guy who basically quit on your team by refusing to enter a game last year? I don’t care what issues Jones had with defensive coordinator Matt Burke or head coach Adam Gase. As Flores, himself, correctly points out above, none of your 53 “leaders” should ever put pride ahead of the team, especially if you are a serving as veteran example. I understand that football players aren’t all going to be angels. But right now the focus has to be first and foremost on developing young players and establishing a positive team culture. Similar to the signing troubled running back Mark Walton, I can’t imagine what a poor example such “veteran leadership” will set for the youth on a rebuilding Dolphins team. Every time Flores speaks to the team about “putting the team first,” young eyes in that room will involuntarily turn to look at Jones (when he finally shows up). I can’t imagine the damage that will cause. “[T]he frustrating thing about this pick is that Asiata was drafted out of Utah with the 164th selection. And with the 190th selection the Los Angeles Chargers selected Sam Tevi, who was on the same offensive line as Asiata at Utah. In fairness, the Dolphins were still two years away from losing Ja’Wuan James to free agency. They had just taken Laremy Tunsil in the first round in 2016 and they were just moving him to tackle. They needed a guard. Nevertheless, Salguero’s point is excellent and well-taken. Talent is talent and it isn’t like the Dolphins couldn’t have used a good developmental prospect that could serve as a back up in the meantime. The situation highlights a fundamental problem. The general manager can set the general direction of the franchise and help make some final decisions on the players. But Chris Grier, even if he’s the right guy for the job, can’t be everywhere. It takes a village to put together a good draft and if the scouts can’t recognize talent when they see it, it results in an organizational failure. The general manager is just the face of it. This is an issue when you consider the fact that the Dolphins chose to stick with Grier rather than embrace big changes by hiring from the outside. All the little Indians underneath Grier stayed the same. Here’s hoping they improve their performance or it won’t matter who the chief is.
“[Michael] Deiter checks all those boxes. I think Beasley is right. But I have a better explanation. The Dolphins drafted Christian Wilkins, a defensive tackle, and Dieter, a guard, with their first two picks. They are planning on being strong up the middle and building outward. And that’s a sound strategy. Nothing disrupts the opposing offense more than pressure up the middle. Offensive guard is being recognized as an increasingly important position in the modern NFL as teams struggle to keep the pocket clean in front of the quarterback so that he can step up and throw.
“I get it. Rome wasn’t built in a day. And neither were the Patriots. But this is simple roster management issue that could be fixed with a veteran addition, similar to how Jordan Mills’ signing potentially patches up the vacant right tackle spot.” Kelly is primarily concerned with the run defense but the problem will crop up when it comes to the pass rush as well. The Dolphins are deficient at this position, the outside linebacker when they are in the base 3-4 and the defensive end in the nickel. This position sets the edge against the run and rushes the passer. There’s no doubt about it. The Dolphins have a huge roster hole at this spot. But I’d love to know who Kelly thinks the team should sign as a “simple roster addition.” The truth is most teams are deficient in this area. Anyone who is any good was taken off the market a long time ago. Even if the Dolphins were willing to part with 2020 draft picks, most of those players aren’t available via trade. The Dolphins have evidently made the decision to let this position slide in a rebuilding year. I don’t like it, Kelly doesn’t like it and you probably don’t like it, either. But I think its something everyone is going to have to live with because it’s not a problem that will be solved until the next offseason now.
There isn’t much to say about it this early in the process but it is worth noting that installing a new defense and a new offense is going to be a particular challenge for this group of coaches. The reason is simple - most of them haven’t done it before. Indeed, most of them have never even seen it done. Many of the Dolphins coaches, both offensive and defensive, have spent their entire careers in New England, where head coach Bill Belichick is an institution and where the organization has been a smoothly running machine for a very long time. Belichick probably doesn’t even remember how he went about installing the Patriots defense from scratch, let alone his assistants. The problem highlights one of the challenges that comes with being a Belichick disciple. Many of these guys have never been anywhere else. For instance, they’ve never developed the contacts in the league which can be necessary to succeed as coaches, particularly head coaches in Brian Flores’s case. So what happens when you have to hire assistants? You look for former Patriots because you’ve never worked anywhere else and you don’t really know anyone else. Having veteran coaches like Jim Caldwell can help. But that will only take you so far. Flores and his staff have their work cut out for them in this respect.
“Jets CEO and chairman Christopher Johnson wants a ’great strategic thinker’ to run the football operation. He needs someone who can work with coach Adam Gase. And at the intersection possibly resides one and only one name. This sounds to me more like the media connecting dots than a realistic possibility. But I’ve been surprised before. I love Peyton Manning but a general manager? I’m not a big fan of having people without a background in personnel in that role, let alone someone with no front office background at all. It almost never works out. The latest example is in San Francisco where rumor has it that John Lynch, who also had no front office experience, and head coach Kyle Shanahan are rumored to be on the outs. I don’t like the direction the Jets are taking.
“Multiple judges have ruled that the “sneak and peek” video surveillance violated the law by undertaking no effort to minimize the intrusion on the privacy of innocent persons who were simply getting massages. If the appellate courts don’t overturn these rulings, there will be little or no evidence against Kraft — unless prosecutors can persuade the alleged providers of prostitution to “flip” on their alleged customers.” It bothers me when someone tries to legally get off the hook based upon technicalities. The police know he did it. I know he did it. You know he did it. The lawyers know he did it. Virtually everyone knows he did it.
Kraft is the owner of a franchise where players are constantly told to be accountable for their actions. Is this accountability? It might be the reality of the world we live it. But I call it hypocrisy. In any case, the situation puts the league in a bind. They haven’t hesitated to suspend players who are obviously guilty but who have not been legally convicted, often because they paid off the victim. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s 2010 suspension after sexual assault allegations is a good example. I think its fair to say that although the league has some morally upright fans who strongly disapprove, solicitation isn’t really considered to be a big deal to most in modern American society. It certainly doesn’t rise to the level of sexual assault or similar offenses. But in terms of obvious guilt or innocence beyond the legal ramifications, there are players who are going to be watching this situation closely to see if Kraft is held to the same standard. This story was written by Tom Shannon. Follow him on Twitter: @bearingthenews  Wide receiver Ricardo Louis, who joined the Dolphins as a free-agent signing on April 8, received terrible news Thursday, as Louis was placed on season-ending IR nursing a knee injury, the team announced. This is the second straight season Louis will miss, as he was not active for all of the 2018 campaign.
Before signing with the Dolphins, Louis spent his entire three-year professional career with the Cleveland Browns, totaling 45 receptions for 562 yards on 96 targets. The Browns, in 2016, selected Louis in the fourth-round, pick 114 overall. As for Isaac Asiata, he was unable to stay consistent and never developed his technique as a blocker, and as a result, Asiata is no longer a member of the Miami Dolphins. On Thursday, the team waived the former 2017 fifth-round choice in an official statement. Asiata played in just two games during his NFL career: one in 2017 and one in 2018. Asiata spent a majority of the 2018 regular season on the Dolphins’ practice squad. A former Utah product, Asiata was re-signed to a one-year, $645,000 contract on April 1. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori  Former University of Miami running back Mark Walton was arrested three times during the offseason in a span of three months, thus resulting in the Cincinnati Bengals releasing Walton this past April. On Sunday afternoon, the Miami Dolphins gave Walton an ultimate second chance, something very few professional athletes get a chance to see.
Walton, along with center Kirk Barron and cornerback Jamar Summers, were signed following a tryout at rookie minicamp this past weekend. What does this mean moving forward for Walton? No, he is not officially on the 53-man roster, and the reason being is because OTAs have only just begun. “I’d say I think… I think people deserve a second chance. I believe that. I think that’s the case. I don’t want to judge people based on one or two incidents. I think it’s a case-by-case situation for a player and just for people in general,” head coach Brian Flores said during a press conference Thursday afternoon. During his Cincinnati Bengals tenure, Walton was mainly a non-factor in the offense, due in large part to the productiveness of running backs Giovani Bernard and Joe Mixon. Walton, in 2018, rushed for 34 yards on 14 attempts. Now that Walton is signed, the Miami coaching staff, especially running backs coach, Eric Studesville, is looking to see how Walton can fit in the Miami offense. The Dolphins currently hold seven running backs on the 90-man roster, which includes Walton, Kalen Ballage, Kenyan Drake, Kenneth Farrow, Patrick Laird, fullback Chandler Cox out of Auburn, and Myles Gaskin, a 2019 seventh-round selection out of Washington. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori 
"Narrative: The Dolphins trade down in the second round was part of Miami’s plan to land Rosen. Salguero makes a lot of good points in this article but that one falls flat. Salguero’s point is that the Dolphins made the trade not knowing if they could swing a deal for Rosen with the 62nd overall pick or not. No deal was in place. I have absolutely no trouble believing that. At the same time, Salguero, perhaps purposely, misses the point. The fact that the Dolphins felt good making the trade even if Rosen didn’t come with it doesn’t mean that they didn’t have a potential Rosen deal in mind when they made it. In fact, given that they were already in discussions and thought the 48th pick was too high but obviously felt the 62nd wouldn’t be, it would be foolish not to assume that they didn’t. Whether the Dolphins were willing to stand on this trade without a Rosen deal or not, the end result is the same. They basically traded back into the third round and added a fourth round pick to make this happen. Intent aside, that was the end result of their maneuvering and that is the bottom line. Any other conclusion is just spin. "If he wins the competition, absolutely I’m good with that. I think that would be what’s best for the team and best for the Miami Dolphins," Dolphins coach Brian Flores said. Right. This is, of course, what Flores has to say. But this competition is - or had better be - slanted towards finding out what the young, potential franchise quarterback can do. It’s absolutely true that you can’t just trot Rosen out there no matter what he does. For one thing, evaluating Rosen isn’t the coaching staff’s only job. Every young player on the team has to be examined and a determination has to be made about their future with the franchise. That’s particularly true of Kenyan Drake and Jakeem Grant, both of whom are entering contract years. How can you evaluate your talent if the quarterback if the quarterback can’t throw the ball accurately or run the offense? How can you develop younger players? So you do have to have a competent quarterback in order to develop and run the team properly in a rebuilding year. But having said that if Fitzpatrick wins this job it will mean very bad things for Rosen. And it will mean the decision about what to do come draft time in 2020 will have already been made.
“Miami’s coaches intend to run a hybrid scheme that incorporates both elements of a 4-3 and 3-4 front, and envision themselves playing with five defensive backs on the field at the same time, possibly as the team’s base defense. I think Kelly describes the forest well but he misses the point when it comes to the trees. The players in this defense will be expected to do a lot of things but to say that they don’t have “a defined role” really isn’t true. In fact, if the coaches do their jobs right, their role will be very clear cut and well-defined in any given situation. That won’t be - or at least it shouldn’t be - the problem. The problem comes in when you consider the talent of your players and whether they are capable of executing those well-defined roles. In this case, new Dolphins defensive line coach Marion Hobby seems to understand the challenge. “That’s where the awareness comes in,” Hobby said. “A coach used to always tell me if you trick the [defensive] ends and trick the free safety, you’re going to get a big play. So those guys have to have some awareness to them. They have to play with their eyes and their feet. It’s hard. There are very few that can.” When you are playing a multiple 3-4, 4-3 scheme, to a certain extent you throw the old position definitions away. But position definitions are still there. They’re just new. The trick, just as it is in the old standard systems, is the same. Getting guys who are capable of doing their jobs and getting them to the point where they can execute them is still the key to successful football. “Look, Tunsil has not fully arrived. He’s not fully developed. There’s much room for growth. But no one in the Dolphins organization questions whether he should be part of the organization going forward. Because he’s very good. Salguero has a point. But there are drawbacks.
As Salguero points out, the Dolphins don’t have to do this. Tunsil is under contract for 2019 and they have already picked up the fifth-year option for 2020. If they had to, they could apply the franchise tag in 2021. Interestingly, Omar Kelly at the Sun-Sentinel asserts out in another article that the Dolphins have been criticized for trying to do contract extensions too late. He points to losses like defensive end Olivier Vernon, tight end Charles Clay, receiver Jarvis Landry, tailback Lamar Miller and offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James under Mike Tannenbaum. I disagree with this assessment. In each of these cases it wasn’t a question of approaching the player too late. It was a question of money and value where, right or wrong, the Dolphins in each case decided that there wasn’t a match. In fact, I would argue the opposite. The Dolphins got themselves in some trouble after Adam Gase’s first year by handing out a lot of contracts such as those for Andre Branch, Reshad Jones, and Kiko Alonso that they’d probably like to get out from under. In many cases, these players were extended when the Dolphins really didn’t have to do it and they eventually let the team down either through disappointing play (debatably Alonso), a lack of development (Branch) or poor football character (Jones). Bottom line, a lot of money was spent that didn’t have to be and probably wouldn’t have been had the teams waited. There are also some additional factors. Players who get early long term deals tend to get comfortable. This can lead to less concentration and a decline in quality of play. And there is the fact that this sort of thing leads to the expectation on the part of other players that their contracts will be extended early, too. So even if you aren’t worried about extending Tunsil, the next guy who is more borderline will press for an early extension. And when he doesn’t get it, it can lead to an early hold out, one which agents have reason to expect might work simply because the team has a history of giving early extensions. On balance, I’d say its better to wait until the 2020 offseason to extend Tunsil. It would prevent Tunsil from having to enter a final, lame duck year and keep him out of the free agent market. This while keeping the team from having to tag him and while setting a better pattern for other players under the new regime. In the meantime, even if you are reasonably sure Tunsil is a part of your future, it gives you another year to make sure Tunsil remains healthy and to see how he develops and performs under the new coaching staff. •Safid Deen at the Sun-Sentinel reports that the Dolphins are giving running back Mark Walton a tryout, and then later actually signed him to the team. I found this move to be ironic given that on the very same day Flores characterized the extension of Xavien Howard’s contract as a move meant to build team culture. Walton was cut by the Cincinnati Bengals last month after his third arrest. He is facing felony charges for allegedly carrying a concealed weapon, marijuana possession and reckless driving. Significantly, the March 12 incident took place in Miami, his home town. Now the Dolphins are not only giving him a second chance, they’ve brought him back to a city where old friends and bad influences could exacerbate the problem. But that’s not my point. The problem is that they’ve brought him into a young locker room where veteran influence will have more than the usual impact on the development of the team. I don’t have a problem with Walton getting a second chance. But giving it to him with the Dolphins seems like a very questionable move. This story was written by Tom Shannon. Follow him on Twitter: @bearingthenews  The Miami Dolphins hoped Ja’Wuan James would solidify himself into one of the top right tackles in the National Football League concluding the 2018 regular season. Unfortunately, James decided to take his talents to the West Coast, after becoming an unrestricted free agent heading into the 2019 offseason, signing a 4-year, $51 million deal with the Denver Broncos in March.
To supplement the line after James' departure, the Dolphins came to terms with former Bills offensive tackle Jordan Mills on Thursday. The deal is for one year, and $3 million, according to league sources. Mills, at the right tackle position, started all sixteen games for Buffalo in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Prior to his tenure with the Buffalo Bills, Mills was a member of the Chicago Bears, from 2013-14, starting all 29 games he played with them. “He’s a veteran. He’s played a lot of football." said offensive line coach Pat Flaherty. "He was in Buffalo this past season and watching tape from week to week, you have a lot of crossover tape. So, I had an opportunity to see him there. I think he’s a good football player. Still even though he’s been in the league a little bit, he has got a high ceiling and he can get better at a lot of things he’s doing. We’re excited about having him.” Since Miami signed Mills after the May 7 deadline, the deal does not affect the Dolphins’ 2020 compensatory draft picks. Now, there will be a competition to see who gets to be the starter for the 2019 season. “It’s going to be open." said Flaherty. "Zach Sterup has done a good job in the offseason program. He’s worked his tail off in the weight room and on the field. Now with Jordan Mills here and drafting Isaiah Prince, you would think that the two veteran guys have a little bit of a step ahead of the rookie, but we’ll see how it goes. It’s hard to evaluate really where you are at the offensive line until you put pads on.” This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori  Xavien Howard is now the highest-paid cornerback in the National Football League, and man, does he deserve it.
The Miami Dolphins, on Thursday evening, locked up one of the most significant players on the defensive side of the football, signing Howard to a record five-year, $76.5M, including $46 million in guaranteed money. Set to enter the final year of his rookie deal, Howard, the former Baylor product, had an outstanding 2018 season, recording seven interceptions, tied for first in the league and twelve pass deflections. Due to a knee injury, Howard missed the final four contests. The previous largest contract for a cornerback was Washington’s Josh Norman, who was given a five-year, $75M deal in 2016. Howard was named to his first Pro Bowl this past season, as well. With Howard’s new contract, he is officially tied down to Miami until the 2024 season, where Howard will then become an unrestricted free agent in 2025. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori  The Sun-Sentinel does a photo gallery of quarterbacks who, similar to new Dolphins quarterback Josh Rosen, had slow starts to their careers. In one photo they highlighted the start of Peyton Manning’s career: “His first game was against the visiting Dolphins who grabbed three of his passes, including one for a pick-six by Terrell Buckley in a 24-15 Miami win. By the time the Colts had finished the first quarter of the season, Manning had piled up 11 pickoffs against only three touchdown passes. Things stabilized from there as he threw 23 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in the final 12 games. The rest is Hall of Fame history.” I hate clicking through these photo galleries and I usually don’t bother with them. But I knew I was going to have to read this one because I knew Manning would come up on a list of very good quarterbacks. With all due respect to Tom Brady, Dan Marino and the many others you could mention, Manning is in my opinion the greatest quarterback in the history of the game. I love all of those other guys but not one of them had to literally lift their team and carry them the way Manning did.
But that’s not my point. My point is that Manning elevated his game from his first three win season through to NFL history with the help of very good coaching from legendary offensive coordinator Jim Moore and quarterbacks coach Bruce Arians. And Rosen is going to need that kind of help. Like Manning, Rosen is smart. In fact, in the words of former Dolphins head coach Jimmy Johnson, probably too smart. What did Johnson mean? Rosen has a reputation for being arrogant. Most Dolphins fans can’t figure out where that reputation came from because his introduction to the Miami media, as least, was nothing but positive. But I have an idea how Rosen might have gotten stuck with this label. In my day job when I’m not bloviating about the NFL, I teach first year medical students. Specifically, I deal with a lot of extremely intelligent, high achieving students that I greatly respect. And those students challenge me with a lot of questions. In fact, even after doing this for going on 17 years, I’m constantly amazed at my students’ ability to come up with things I’ve never heard before. Sometimes these interactions test my limit when trying to show that I know what I’m talking about. And, at least as important, they test my willingness to admit when I don’t know what I’m talking about. I enjoy these conversations, especially when the latter is true, because it forces me to learn something. I’m nearly always better for having talked to a smart student about a topic. But I have tell you honestly that not all of my colleagues feel the same. There are some who believe that its their job to always show students that they are superior and they don’t like interactions with students who, frankly, might be smarter, if less knowledgeable, than they are. In the end, they explain their shortcomings to themselves by blaming the students. Most feel that these students lack respect. And that brings us back to Josh Rosen, who is by all accounts an extremely intelligent player. And, let’s be honest, his teachers haven’t been the best. After having had three offensive coordinators in college at UCLA, Rosen is going on his third offensive coordinator as he joins the Dolphins this season after only one year with the Cardinals. Up until this point, Rosen has had to deal with a carnival of coaches including Mike McCoy, who was fired after Week 7 last year, followed by Byron Leftwich, who was fired after the season. Someone with more cruelty in his blood than I have might have called it a "clown car." Nothing against the Cardinals staff but you don’t go through coaches like that if you are good at what you are doing. Bottom line, it would be no surprise to find that Rosen was smarter than his teachers. And it would be no surprise to find that his teachers didn’t react well to the situation. So far it seems that Rosen has had the same benefits that Manning had in his first seasons with the Colts. Let’s hope that he finds a better home in South Florida with good instructors that he can respect and, just as important, who can respect him. This story was written by Tom Shannon. Follow him on Twitter: @bearingthenews 
On Sunday evening, to celebrate Cinco De Mayo, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Albert Wilson brought his foundation to Lime Mexican Grill, located at 801 S University Drive, in Plantation.
The main objective of the Albert Wilson foundation is to give back to young kids in foster care homes. “As I always like to say, it is about the kids. If I can put a smile on their faces and make their day, it makes my day,” Wilson said. Wilson's desire to help children in the foster care system comes from the fact that he himself spent most of his childhood going in and out of Florida group and foster homes. It wasn't until he reached the 10th grade that he was able to really gain his footing, and now he's looking to help other kids do the same through events like this.
The night began with customers piling inside the restaurant to politely ask Wilson for a picture and an autograph. Once the photograph and autograph sessions concluded, customers began asking different questions to Wilson, with some being on the field-type questions and some off. One individual even decided to walk inside wearing a Tom Brady New England Patriots jersey. Once Wilson had made eye contact, he began shouting jokes to the young man. “Overall, it was a successful night. I am grateful for the people who came out and supported my foundation and I am looking forward to upcoming events down the road,” Wilson said. The next big thing on the docket for the Albert Wilson foundation is its Youth Skills Camp, which since its inception in 2016, has given over 150 kids annually the opportunity to be hands-on with the game of football, and it is scheduled to begin on June 22, right around the time the Dolphins will be getting ready for training camp. Wilson sustained a season-ending hip injury in Week 7 of the 2018 regular season, and is scheduled to return to the football field once the Dolphins open OTA’s and training camp. But first he'll be fulfilling his personal mission to give the foster kids of the Treasure Coast something to look forward to. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori  The Miami Dolphins were very active in both the draft and after the draft, trading for Josh Rosen and signing many undrafted free agents headlined the Dolphins draft storylines. One of the free agents Miami signed after the draft was wide receiver Preston Williams. Williams is one of the most talented players in this year's draft but ultimately went undrafted due to multiple reasons. His love for football was questioned and he was arrested for domestic violence in 2017. Williams has very, very impressive film, but he had a horrible pro day. At his pro day, Williams ran a 4.57 forty-yard dash, 31.5 inch vertical, and a 116 inch broad jump. Those numbers are very disappointing, and do not match up to his skill set on film. As for his domestic violence charge, he did plead guilty to assaulting his ex-girlfriend in 2017. The charge he received was a Class 3 misdemeanor charge and he was suspended from the NCAA. During his time playing college football he failed multiple drug tests, which could show that he could be another Josh Gordon. Williams also played for the University of Tennessee before transferring to Colorado State University. He was at Tennessee in 2015 and 2016 and during those two seasons he had a combined 16 catches, 247 yards, and two touchdowns. He had to sit out 2017 due to transfer rules and him being suspended. In his lone season at Colorado State, 2018, he had 96 catches, 1345 yards, and 14 touchdowns. From his stats, you can see that the talent is there but Williams still has a ton of potential as well. Williams is 6’4” and 210 pounds. With those measurables, Miami can have one of the best red zone offenses in the NFL with him. With players such as DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki, Kalen Ballage, Kenyan Drake, and newcomers Josh Rosen and Chandler Cox, Miami already has plenty of players who should be red zone threats. If you add WIlliams to that list, it will be hard for teams to cover all of those tall receivers and those versatile running backs. Williams will have to prove himself in training camp and it will be interesting to see how he does in OTAs as well. If Williams can play like he did at Colorado State and stay out of trouble, Miami would have got one of the biggest steals in this year's draft. This story was written by Tanner Elliott. Follow him on Twitter: @Elliott302Tj  When the Miami Dolphins started their rebuild, they dumped a lot of salaries, making room for a lot of new players in the process. To fill out the ranks, the Dolphins brought in a few former AAF players, cheap NFL free agents, new draft picks, and a whole bunch of undrafted free agents who will all come in to compete for a spot on the 53-man roster, as mandatory mini-camp fast approaches. But they are being somewhat selective with who they bring in, making sure they meet certain standards that Miami is looking for in their players. “I think when Brian (Flores) and I got together with the personnel department and the coaching staff, we wanted to make sure we’re adding guys that had toughness, competitiveness, guys that love football, are very intelligent and (have a) history of production in college, as well." said general manager Chris Grier. "We’ve kind of done that. We feel good. We’ve addressed some holes in the roster maybe that we may have; but again, a lot of work to be done still.” One of the players the Dolphins brought in was defensive end Dewayne Hendrix out of Pittsburgh, and he's fully prepared to compete for a spot on a roster that is short on DEs. "I've been dealing with competition my whole life," Hendrix said on Wednesday during an exclusive PhinManiacs interview. "I love it to be honest, there's nothing like going out there and competing. I wouldn't want nothing given to me, I wanna earn it. I look forward to competing with those guys." As of now, the only players listed as DEs on Miami's roster are Jonathan Woodard, Tank Carradine, and former first round draft pick Charles Harris. He also has fellow undrafted free agent Jonathan Ledbetter out of Georgia to beat out for a roster spot. Hendrix views himself as a pass rusher primarily, and acknowledges that one thing he needs to get better at is getting off of blocks faster. Fortunately, he knows a thing or two about being working hard and being patient with his development, thanks to the things he went through in college after transferring to Pittsburgh from the University of Tennessee. "My time there, it started off a little rough," Hendrix said. "I had to sit out a year, and I'd never done that before. Then that following year I ended up getting hurt. So that whole two years has really taught me how to be patient, you know good things will come if you'll be patient. After that is when I had two seasons and then I am where I am today." During the two years and 21 games he was able to actually play at Pittsburgh, Hendrix racked up 50 tackles (10 tackles for a loss), 7.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. He's also played in both 4-3 and 3-4 defensive alignments, and that versatility will go a long way in the hybrid defense head coach Brian Flores is projected to install. One of the signature skills of Flores' former team, the New England Patriots, is taking otherwise unheralded players and turning them into solid contributors. That is Hendrix - and other undrafted free agents - in a nutshell. There's talent to be developed with Hendrix, and it will be a real test of Flores and the coaching staff's ability to make these new players realize their NFL potential. This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung 
Kelly’s initial answer was “Seven wins.” Hyde’s more reasonable response was: “You’ll know it when you see it.” A couple things here: a. In fairness, Kelly immediately started to back off his ridiculous response. Seven wins on a team with more holes than answers is absurd. But it does show you what his attitude towards this situation is. Despite claiming otherwise, he’s determined not to like the Rosen experiment. I’m not saying that I mind that. Like every reporter, no matter who he is, Kelly is welcome to his opinion. No reporters, no matter how hard they try, can completely suppress those opinions when they write their articles. And Kelly isn’t just acting as a beat reporter. He’s also a columnist where he is actually paid to express that opinion (whether beat reporters should also be allowed to be columnists is a topic for another day). Nevertheless, this is something that needs to be born in mind when you read his articles. They’re going to be biased and an informed reader is going to have to compensate mentally for that. b. Neither of these guys are right. The truth is, with the Dolphins roster constructed the way it is, no one on the outside is really going to know whether Rosen is the answer. It’s not going to be a good year. Peyton Manning won one game his rookie season. I think we can all agree he wasn’t a bad quarterback. What people not directly associated with the team are going to have to do is have faith that the coaches know what they’re dong and that they’ll be able to properly evaluate Rosen from the inside. They’re the ones in the locker room. They’re watching the film. They’ll know how Rosen responds to coaching. They’ll know his strengths and weaknesses to some extent independent of the talent around him. We’ll be convinced that Rosen is the answer when we find out whether the Dolphins take a quarterback high in the 2020 draft. Until then, keeping an open mind is really all you can do. The Dolphins pumped a lot of resources into the 2020 draft this offseason and now have 12 draft picks. 1 — 1st round 2 — 2nd round (theirs and New Orleans) 2 — 3rd round (theirs and Ja’Wuan James compensatory pick) 2 — 4th round (theirs and Tennessee’s from Ryan Tannehill trade) 1 — 5th round (Cameron Wake compensatory pick) 2 — 6th round (theirs and Robert Quinn trade) 2 — 7th round (theirs and Kansas City from Jordan Lucas trade) I noted the optimism with which Hyde anticipated getting the compensatory picks for James and Wake. In particular, I’m not convinced that losing James is going to bring a third round compensatory pick but presumably the formula says he will, so let’s assume that. The list highlights one of the changes I think we can anticipate in the new NFL labor contract as the old deal expires in 2 years. The compensatory pick system was set up to help ameliorate the damage done when a player leaves via free agency, they weren’t meant to completely compensate for the loss, only to make it less disastrous for a team when they lose a particularly valuable asset. But the system has developed far beyond that now. The compensatory picks that teams get for getting a free agent go are so valuable that teams are often motivated to game the system by purposely letting the player go and taking the pick instead. Consider the case of James. Does anyone think there’s any chance that James would have brought a third round pick in a trade before he became a free agent? Would anyone have given a fifth round pick for a 37 year old Cam Wake? The pick system is currently being used for a purpose that it was not intended for - i.e. actually rewarding a team for not signing a player in free agency. That’s something the NFLPA cannot let stand and, given the justice of their case, I have to believe that the league won’t fight too hard against changing the system. "The Dolphins trade for Josh Rosen was helped out by the awful management in Arizona. If Cardinals GM Steve Keim knew he was trading Rosen, why wait until after picking Kyler Murray? Every team was down the road to their top picks at that point. If he started trade talk a month before the draft, then perhaps the New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Dolphins and others would be involved. This occurred to me as well. The best explanation I could come up with was that the Cardinals were worried that they tipped their hand on Murray before the draft, they might miss out on a "Godfather offer" for the first overall pick that they might have considered. It was, for instance, rumored that Oakland liked Murray a lot. Had they offered say, three first round picks to move up into the first position, I assume the Cardinals would have had to consider it. There is also the possibility that the Cardinals were in secret negotiations already with Murray’s agent. Once you commit to Murray, it gives them significant leverage. I like this explanation less in the age of the rookie salary cap. In any case, Hyde as a point. At bare minimum if you don’t trade Murray before the draft, you trade him as soon as possible after you make the pick before other teams know if they are going to have the opportunity to get their guy. As it turned out, the top end of the quarterback market was softer than expected with first round talent Drew Lock falling into the second round. That meant everybody was happy with where they ended up and the Cardinals were stuck negotiating with the Dolphins.
Indianapolis would be a good spot except for one thing. It’s far enough north to make weather a problem. When Radio City Music Hall left the draft four years ago, Chicago lobbied hard to be the new permanent home. But anyone who looked out the window at the heavy snow coming down in Saturday, the last day of the draft, had to agree that the the NFL made the right decision when they started rotating cities instead. Indianapolis isn’t that far south of Chicago.
“The Bears are planning to sign 19 undrafted free agents. As you and others have documented, this has become an important part of the draft process as teams scramble and bid against one another to sign highly regarded prospects who slipped through the cracks. The draft was cut down to seven rounds in 1994. Do you think the NFL would consider adding more rounds given the importance of these undrafted players? — Tom S., Chicago Yes, if you are a reporter. Maybe not if you are a general manager.
I actually didn’t think this was a bad question. Wisconsin guard Beau Benzschawel had offers from 20 teams before signing with the Lions. It’s very evident that teams are leaving good players on the board at the end of seven rounds. This story was written by Tom Shannon. Follow him on Twitter: @bearingthenews 
It comes as a surprise to no one that the Miami Dolphins are not being given a lot of thought when it comes to the 2019 playoff picture early on, even after the dramatic trade that brought quarterback Josh Rosen to Miami.
Even after the draft was over, the holes on the team were, and are evident. There are questions along the offensive line, the defensive end position is scarce, and the Dolphins don't have a set cornerback on the boundary alongside blossoming star Xavien Howard. Of course, those questions could easily be answered as training camp eventually rolls around, and the new young players get a chance to get accustomed to head coach Brian Flores' scheme and team philosophy. Flores is preaching that no one will be given a job coming in, and that everyone will have to earn their spots on his team, as evidenced last Saturday when Flores addressed how Rosen and the QB position will be handled.
"You have to earn it." He said. "We’ll give him the opportunity. We’ll give everyone the opportunity to go out there and reach their potential and try to have some success on the field. That starts obviously in the classroom, in the walkthroughs, in the meetings, and then you have to produce on the practice field and then obviously when we start playing games.” Those games, however, will not be easy to win on paper, and while there's undoubtedly talent to be developed, their inexperience leads many to believe that Miami will struggle in 2019. In fact, SportsBettingDime.com currently ranks the Miami Dolphins as the least likely team to win the AFC Championship game by a large sum, probably for those exact reasons. Naturally, this could change if the Dolphins display a fair amount of improvement over the course of the season, odds are never set in stone; SportsBettingDime recently made an update on May 1 that hurt the Chiefs' odds of winning the AFC Championship game due to the scandal currently orbiting their star receiver Tyreek Hill. If cornerback Cordrea Tankersley thrives in a press man coverage scheme, if pass rusher Charles Harris manages to find his groove back at his old college position, if Josh Rosen has a Jared Goff-like resurgence in his career, those odds could improve in a hurry. But for now, those 8,700 to 1 odds will mark Miami as the least winningest team in the NFL for 2019. For those odds to improve, they will have to prove the world wrong. And general manager Chris Grier is well aware that they still have a lot of work to do to make it happen. “We’ve made some progress." He said Saturday. "We feel good about the players we’ve added, the guys we added today. They’ll come in and compete. Like I said, we feel better but there’s still work to do. We still have time to add people post-draft here and free agents as we get going throughout the spring and summer. We’re not where we want to be but we’re happy where we are.” This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung |
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