NFL Free Agency Tracker, March 17: Who are Miami Dolphins targeting after big Day 1?
The NFL’s legal tampering period continues ahead of Wednesday’s start of free agency. Check back throughout the day for the latest updates.
4:10 p.m.: One of the few remaining holes on the Dolphins’ roster is at offensive tackle. Former Packer Bryan Bulaga would have helped, but he’s off the board now. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Bulaga has reached a deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.
2:55 p.m.: The Dolphins and running back Jordan Howard have agreed on a two-year, $10 million deal, giving Miami a veteran running back who has rushed for 3895 yards on 4.3 per carry in his first four NFL seasons.
Howard ran for 1313 yards and 1122 yards and 935 yards in his first three seasons with Chicago. He spent last season with Philadelphia, rushing for 525 yards on 4.4 per carry.
Howard will assuredly be one of Miami’s top two backs next season. A rookie draft pick might be the other, with the remaining backs (Kalen Ballage, Patrick Laird, Myles Gaskin) fighting to make the roster.
2:45 p.m.: The Dolphins are signing linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill to a one-year deal, according to a league source.
A former sixth-round pick of the Patriots, he has spent all four of his NFL seasons with Philadelphia. He started 10 games for the Eagles in 2017 and six last season. He has 76 career tackles and one sack, is a very good special teams player and skilled in pass coverage.
10:50 a.m.: The Dolphins bolstered their defensive line on Tuesday by signing defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah to a two-year, $15 million deal with $7.5 million fully guaranteed, per agent Drew Rosenhaus.
Ogbah played 10 games for Kansas City last season, starting four, and had 32 tackles and 5.5 sacks before going on injured reserve with a torn pec in November.
He spent his first three seasons with the Cleveland Browns (where he was a starter) before moving to the Chiefs last season. He has 18 sacks and 22 tackles for loss in four NFL seasons. Here’s our full Ogbah story.
The Dolphins have now added three skilled front seven defenders in the first 23 hours of free agency: Ogbah, Shaq Lawson and Kyle Van Noy.
10:40 a.m.: It is true, the Miami Dolphins have shown no interest in Tom Brady. The Miami Dolphins are not currently in the Tom Brady sweepstakes and there are no plans to be part of it.
Tom Brady isn’t going to play for the Miami Dolphins in 2020.
Except, of course, if one thing changes ...
...If Stephen Ross suddenly decides he’d like to make a run at perhaps the greatest quarterback in NFL history.
The Miami Dolphins owner is on record as saying Brady makes no sense in Miami because the Dolphins are rebuilding and Brady, 43, wants to play for a contending team. Coach Brian Flores, who has Ross’s great favor following his first season as head coach, agreed with Ross on this at the NFL Combine.
So that closed the door to the team reaching out to Brady when the free agency negotiating period opened on Monday. But as you can read below and likely already know, Brady announced Tuesday morning he’s not going back to New England.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, spent the first day of free agency building. And that building will continue.
But it says here all it will take is Ross having some change of heart -- either because he thinks a door has opened or the club’s rebuilding is closer than anyone thought -- to insert the Dolphins into the Brady sweepstakes.
It is unlikely. And, again, it would take the franchise owner himself wanting it to happen because the franchise brain trust is headed in a different direction.
But stranger things have happened. Ross has changed his mind before and constantly revisits decisions he’s previously made. Ross also knows Brady and shares a deep fondness for him.
So we present to you the small crack to a door that has otherwise been shut for quite some time.
10:04 a.m.: Jordan Phillips is on the move again. The former Dolphins second-round pick has agreed to a three-year deal with the Cardinals. So in less than 24 hours, the Bills have lost two of their best defensive linemen: Phillips to the Cardinals and Shaq Lawson to the Dolphins.
9:45 a.m.: Here are the details on Kyle Van Noy’s Dolphins contract, as reported by multiple parties: four years, $51 million, including $30 million guaranteed and a $12 million signing bonus. The contract for the following season becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the league year, in March, in 2021 and 2022. He has a $500,000 annual incentive clause for making the Pro Bowl.
His base salaries over the next four seasons are $3 million, $12.5 million, $12.2 million and $11.1 million.
9:30 a.m.: The Houston Chronicle has the details of Byron Jones’ five-year, $82.5 million contract.
He will get $54.375 million guaranteed, including $15 million in the form of a signing bonus.
Jones’ annual salaries, per year: $11 million, $14 million, $14.375 million, $13.5 million, $12.425 million. He also has $1 million roster bonuses he can reach in 2023 and 2024.
Some back of the envelope math here suggests Jones’ cap number will be $14 million in 2020, $17 million in 2021 and $17.4 million in 2022. The Dolphins could move on from Jones after that third year with just a $6 million cap hit.
In other words, a responsible, largely pay-as-you-go deal.
9 a.m.: With Brady gone from New England, where next?
Not Miami, by everything we’ve heard.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Dolphins did not make an offer to Brady yesterday. The Buccaneers and Chargers did, in the neighborhood of $30 million a year.
This makes sense in many reasons for the Dolphins, the biggest being this: They were able to commit hundreds of millions of dollars to free agents Monday because Ryan Fitzpatrick is cheap and they’re going to have their quarterback of the future on his rookie deal.
Adding Brady and his $30 million annual contract would flip those economics.
8:50 a.m.: Tom Brady’s incredible run with the Patriots is over.
Brady announced on social media Tuesday morning that “I don’t know what my football future holds but it is time for me to open a new stage for my life and career.”
Obviously, much more on this developing story throughout the day.
7:45 a.m.: Good morning! We’re back at it for Day 2.
Day 1 was nuts. As a recap, the Dolphins were the biggest spenders in the NFL.
They rebuilt their defense by signing cornerback Byron Jones and edge defenders Shaq Lawson and Kyle Van Noy.
The improved their offensive line by Ereck Flowers.
And they added a core special teams piece in Clayton Fejedelem.
That’s a great start. But it’s only a start.
The Dolphins still need a center (available options include Ted Karras and Joe Haeg) and an offensive tackle (Bryan Bulaga, Germain Ifedi, Cordy Glenn).
They still need a running back (Melvin Gordon, Devonta Freeman and Jordan Howard).
And they still need help in their front seven.
It’s hard to say how much cap space they have left until we see how their contracts are structured, but it’s safe to say it’s at least $50 million. That’s a lot of coin, especially considering the biggest names are off the board.
Check back often as Chris Grier continues to fill holes in the Dolphins’ suddenly improved roster. And check out Barry Jackson’s excellent deep dive on the players the Dolphins have added.
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 7:48 AM.
