A safety swap, offensive linemen and a pair of re-signings: How the Dolphins fared
Let the games begin.
The Miami Dolphins’ Tuesday started off with a bang as safety Jevon Holland signed with the New York Giants, bringing the 2021 second-round pick’s time in Miami to an end. The deal will pay Holland $45 million over the course of three years, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Approximately $30.3 million of the contract will be guaranteed.
Minutes after Holland’s signing came to light, former Detroit Lions safety Ifeatu Melifonwu reached a deal with the Dolphins, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. Miami also added safety Ashtyn Davis, receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine as well as brought back special teams ace Elijah Campbell and edge rusher Quinton Bell.
Melifonwu started only 14 of a potential 37 games and racked up two interceptions, 72 combined tackles and more than four sacks. The 2021 third-round pick appeared in only three games in 2024 as he missed most of the season with ankle and knee injuries. Similarly, Davis was not a full-time starter during his five years with the Jets yet managed to grab eight interceptions, a good sign for the safety room considering that position record a single interception in 2024.
During his four-year career in Miami, Holland racked up more than 300 combined tackles, five interceptions and 25 pass breakups as a hybrid safety. He also added five forced fumbles, five sacks and nine tackles for loss. Despite his production, coach Mike McDaniel made it very clear that Holland’s time with the Dolphins could soon come to an end.
“I think Jevon has earned the right to go out and test his market,” McDaniel said Feb. 25 at the NFL Combine, “and that’s something that I don’t look at as a negative because what I don’t want is players being here and wishing they were somewhere else.”
Holland’s deal with the Giants puts the young safety in the range of roughly $15 million in earnings per year. With the Dolphins’ limited cap space at about $28 million, it was unlikely that Miami would spend roughly half on a single player. Melifonwu, on the other hand, got a one-year contract worth $4 million.
The Dolphins’ need for safety help stems from the unit’s up-and-down 2024. Holland and Jordan Poyer battled injuries for most of the year and neither recorded a single interception. The duo’s lone forced turnover came Week 1 when Holland punched out the football just as Jacksonville Jaguars running back Trevor Etienne was about to cross the goal line.
Poyer, who signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins in 2024, isn’t expected back. As far as Melifonwu is concerned, only time will tell whether the 25-year-old safety can match what Holland brought at his peak. On the bright side, Holland’s departure does mean the Dolphins will likely get a high compensatory pick.
The Dolphins’ activity Tuesday comes just 24 hours after the franchise employed a patient approach. After re-signing defensive tackle Matt Dickerson in the early afternoon, Miami remained mostly silent until the evening, signing Zach Wilson to back-up quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to one-year deal worth $6 million. The Dolphins have prioritized the backup position considering Tagovailoa’s injury history.
“It’s a position we do not take lightly,” general manager Chris Grier said Jan. 7, later adding that it’s “a position that we will focus on this offseason. I will tell you that every stone will be unturned at that position including the draft.”
The Dolphins then grabbed a pair of offensive linemen in James Daniels and Larry Borom. A fifth-round pick out of Missouri, Borom has played sparingly over his last four seasons with the Chicago Bears but can go between tackle and guard, an added bonus considering the Dolphins’ affinity for positional flexibility. He will potentially slide in as backup tackle. The terms of Borom’s contract are unknwon.
Daniels, however, remains the far more intriguing player considering the Dolphins’ need for interior offensive linemen. Through the first four games of the 2024 season, Daniels ranked as the second-best guard before a torn Achilles prematurely ended his season. After a thorough review of his medical records, the Dolphins felt confident enough to sign Daniels as he’s expected to resume football activities in May or June, according to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson.
The Dolphins gave Daniels, widely considered one of the top free agent guards in the 2024 class, a three-year, $24 million deal, Jackson reported.
Between Monday and Tuesday’s signings, the Dolphins would be down to roughly $10 million in cap space. A restructure of Tagovailoa’s contract would instantly create an addition $19 million, however, Miami has not opted to do that as it would make it more challenging to cut him after the 2026 season.
This story was originally published March 11, 2025 at 5:37 PM.
