NFL Free Agency Tracker, March 18: Will there be any (more) Miami Dolphins surprises?
The NFL’s league year begins Wednesday, and with it comes the start of free agency. Check back throughout the day for the latest updates.
5 p.m.: The Dolphins, as expected, released safety Reshad Jones, who had 21 interceptions and six touchdowns in 10 seasons for the Dolphins and made two Pro Bowls. The Dolphins did not use a post-June 1 designation on Jones, instead opting to take his entire dead money hit in 2020 instead of spreading it out over multiple years.
Per overthecap.com, the Dolphins have $8.1 million in dead money from Jones on their 2020 cap but $7.5 million in cap savings. Here’s more on Jones’ release. He was due to make $11.5 million in 2020 — including $2.1 million that has already been guaranteed — with a team-high salary cap figure of $15.6 million.
And to clear roster spots, they waived center/guard Evan Brown, cornerback Rashard Causey, offensive tackle Chidi Okeke and wide receiver T.J. Rahming.
Causey, Okeke and Rahming were on Miami’s practice squad last season. Brown appeared in three games for the Dolphins last season after being claimed off waivers from the Giants during the season.
Also, linebacker Mike Hull failed a physical and was released. He spent all of last season on injured reserve after appearing in 43 games, with five starts, over four seasons with Miami. Defensive tackle Kendrick Norton, whose career ended last July when he lost his arm in an automobile accident, was released in a procedural move.
The Dolphins did not tender safety Adrian Colbert - who made five late-season starters for them last season -by the 4 p.m. deadline, making him an unrestricted free agent. Also not tendered: linebacker Chase Allen, who hasn’t played in a game for the team since 2018 and linebacker Deon Lacey, who appeared in every 2019 Dolphins game on special teams.
4:35 p.m.: This is the weirdest free agency yet. Teams are free to sign players, but won’t do so officially without physicals. And since teams are prohibited from formally announcing informal agreements, there’s been little actual news from the organizations themselves.
But there’s still news, like this: The Dolphins keep adding Patriots.
The latest (and third in as many days)?
Linebacker Elandon Roberts, ESPN first reported.
Roberts had 29 tackles and a sack in 16 games for Pats last season, including three starts. He started 35 games for Patriots over past four years.
Roberts joins once and future teammates Ted Karras and Kyle Van Noy in Miami.
Brian Flores surely has a role in mind for Roberts, but coverage might not be his primary job.
According to Pro Football Reference’s advanced stats, he has allowed 25 of 34 passes in his coverage area to be completed the last two years. However, he’s missed just five tackles since 2018, including only one last year.
One more thing: If the name Elandon Roberts sounds strangely familiar to Dolphins fans, it should. He caught a touchdown against the Dolphins last season.
12:15 p.m.: The Dolphins have a starting center. They are signing ex-Patriot Ted Karras to a one-year, $4 million contract, multiple sources tell the Miami Herald.
He is signing with the Dolphins instead of remaining in New England because of the opportunity to play, betting that he’ll be able to parlay a strong 2020 into big payday in 2021.
Karras has position flexibility, but he will be a center in Miami. He started all 15 games in which he appeared for the Patriots in 2019.
10:40 a.m.: Danny Shelton was a natural free agency fit with the Dolphins because he plays a position of need and has a history with Brian Flores.
Alas, it’s not to be. The veteran defensive tackle is joining the Lions on a two-year, $8 million deal, per NFL Network.
The Ravens’ Michael Pierce is among the top remaining options at defensive tackle.
9:50 a.m.: What’s up with Albert Wilson? We know the Dolphins are moving on from Daniel Kilgore and Reshad Jones, but Wilson’s future with the team remains murky.
And in truth, it might be for a while.
The Dolphins still have plenty of cap space. Spotrac has the figure at $62 million, but that doesn’t include the contracts given to Jordan Howard, Shaq Lawson or Emmanuel Ogbah or Reshad Jones’ release, so it’s probably closer to $50 million.
But those new cap charges aren’t real until the new contracts are submitted to the league, and as we mentioned early, who knows when that will happen because of coronavirus.
What’s more, even if all the deals go through, the Dolphins have the space to carry Wilson’s $11 million cap figure indefinitely.
It’s entirely possible they bring him to training camp, see how his hip responds with another offseason of rehab, and then either keep him, ask him to take a pay cut in September (when they’d have far more leverage) or simply release him with a cap penalty of just $1.3 million and a savings of $9.5 million.
9:30 a.m.: Add veteran Carolina Panthers guard/center Greg Van Roten to the list of interior linemen who has drawn interest from the Dolphins. There have been conversations between the Dolphins and Van Roten, according to a league source, but two other AFC teams (Jets, Bills) also have expressed interest and the situation remains fluid.
What’s more, the Panthers have offered him a three-year contract to remain in Carolina, according to The Athletic Charlotte.
Van Roten started all 16 games for Carolina for 2017 and all 11 games in which he appeared last season. He made all of those starts for the Panthers at left guard but also has played center, where the Dolphins have a hole.
He ended last season on injured reserve with a toe injury. Undrafted out of Pennsylvania, he spent the first two seasons of his career in Green Bay and the past three with Carolina.
Because the Dolphins signed Ereck Flowers to play left guard, Van Roten would be an option to play center and right guard if the Dolphins pursue this further.
The Dolphins have had conversations with Patriots free agent center Ted Karras, but nothing was imminent as of Tuesday evening. They hadn’t pursued Ravens free agent center Matt Skura as of Tuesday afternoon.
9:10 a.m.: Speaking of coronavirus, the infection has now touched the Dolphins family:
Former Dolphins linebacker and seventh-round pick Quentin Poling announced on Twitter that he’s concerned he and his family have the virus, but aren’t sure because they have not been able to get tested.
Get well Quentin.
9 a.m.: Believe it or not, free agency actually still doesn’t start for another seven hours.
OK, you can stop laughing now. Yes, the legal tampering period is when the deals get done. But 4 p.m. Wednesday is when the deals can actually be signed.
But does that means the Dolphins’ seven new additions will become official sometime this afternoon or evening? Maybe not.
The big curve ball: The impact of the coronavirus on the execution of contracts.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero laid out the issue in a series of tweets last night:
The gist? Since players are barred from entering team facilities through the end of the month (and let’s be frank, probably beyond), preventing them from taking a physical with team doctors, organizations should include health-related contingency language in trades.
What’s more: The NFL is prohibiting teams from announcing that a player has agreed to terms on a contract pending a physical. A deal can only be announced when a contract is actually signed.
So don’t expect a flood of tweets from @MiamiDolphins this afternoon welcoming Byron Jones, Kyle Van Noy and the rest to Miami.
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 8:59 AM.
