Dolphins reach out on veteran cornerbacks. And contract information revealed, notes
In their continued search for veteran cornerback help, the Dolphins have called to inquire about former Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas standout and Los Angeles Chargers free agent Asante Samuel Jr., according to a league source.
The Dolphins also remain in contact with former Bills starter Rasul Douglas, who rejected a previous Miami offer after a visit earlier this month.
The Dolphins — who are trying to trade Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey — have not made an offer to Samuel and have not brought him in for a visit, a source said.
But the Dolphins have conveyed interest and said they want to keep tabs on his recovery from neck surgery and want to remain in touch. If something materializes with the Dolphins and Samuel, it likely would happen in July.
Samuel Jr., 25, underwent neck surgery in April and has a check-up scheduled in early July, after which he will meet with several teams. ESPN said he will be available to play this season. The Saints brought him in for a visit earlier this offseason.
Samuel, 5-10, had six interceptions in four seasons (50 games, 47 starts) for the Chargers, who drafted him in the second round out of Florida State in 2021. He also had three interceptions in a playoff loss to Jacksonville.
Samuel, who missed 13 games last season due to a shoulder injury, has a solid 92.3 career passer rating in his coverage area, per Pro Football Reference.
This week, ESPN’s Matt Bowen wrote a story with the best trade or free agent fit for each team, and said the Dolphins are the best fit for Samuel.
Bowen wrote: “When healthy, Samuel has a playmaking mentality at cornerback and uses sudden closing speed to break on the ball. That fits in a Miami defense that played Cover 2 on 27.3% of opponent dropbacks last season, the fourth most in the league. Samuel has the traits to pattern match in man, too.”
Meanwhile, the Dolphins have maintained dialogue with Douglas, with met with team officials in Miami Gardens recently but rejected Miami’s initial offer. Both sides remain open to a deal if terms can be worked out. Douglas visited Seattle last week but left without a contract.
Douglas, 6-2, started 15 games for the Bills last season and has 120 appearances and 80 starts over eight seasons. He has played for Philadelphia, Green Bay, Carolina and Buffalo and has a 93.2 career passer rating in his coverage area. He very likely would start on the boundary if he signs with Miami.
Aside from Ramsey (who could be dealt in June) and nickel cornerback Kader Kohou, the Dolphins don’t have a proven starting cornerback on their team.
Their other corners under contract: former second-round pick Cam Smith, Storm Duck, Kendall Sheffield (who signed Monday after a weekend tryout but hasn’t started a game since 2020), rookie fifth-rounder Jason Marshall Jr., undrafted rookies BJ Adams and Ethan Robinson, Jason Maitre, Artie Burns, Isaiah Johnson and Ethan Bonner.
Besides Samuel and Douglas, other proven veteran cornerbacks who remain available include James Bradberry (there was contact with Miami earlier this offseason), Mike Hilton, Stephon Gilmore and C.J. Henderson.
As for Ramsey, the Dolphins shrugged off April questions about a potential reconciliation and appear intent on trying to trade him.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter said last week that “there’s more interest in Jalen Ramsey than people realize.” Schefter noted if trade happens before, it wouldn’t be processed until after June 1 for cap reasons.
The Dolphins would have a $25.2 million dead money cap hit on Ramsey in 2025 if they trade him before June 1. That number would drop to $6.7 million if traded after June 1.
Rookie deals
In trying to determine how much the Dolphins value an undrafted rookie free agent and how much they believe that player can help their team, we always start with the guaranteed money given to those players.
And those numbers, which have now been leaked, indicate the Dolphins’ high regard for three receivers and two cornerbacks, in particular.
The Dolphins gave receivers Andrew Armstrong and Theo Wease Jr. $234,000 guaranteed apiece, which is high for an undrafted rookie but far from unprecedented. Each has a chance to win a job on the 53.
Miami also gave $175,000 guaranteed to cornerback Ethan Robinson and $150,000 guaranteed to cornerback BJ Adams. It wouldn’t be a shock if one, or even both, of those players make the team.
On the opposite end, overthecap. com reports that Miami gave no guarantee, beyond signing bonuses under $5000, to defensive lineman Alex Huntley, guard Josh Priebe and offensive lineman Tedi Kushi.
The Dolphins gave six figure guarantees to eight players: Armstead, Wease, Robinson, Adams, receiver A.J. Henning ($125,000), tight end Jalin Conyers ($100,000), linebacker Eugene Asante ($100,000) and safety John Saunders ($100,000).
Running back Nate Noel received $30,000 guaranteed and center Addison West received $50,000 guaranteed.
Here’s some evaluator feedback on the undrafted Dolphins added on offense and defense.
▪ Jaguars coach Liam Coen said his team will have a joint practice with the Dolphins in advance of their third preseason game in Miami.
The Dolphins played at Chicago and at Detroit earlier in preseason. NFL teams can practice as many as four times with other teams each preseason. Miami hasn’t announced dates for its three preseason games.
This story was originally published May 20, 2025 at 12:17 PM.
