How Gerald Willis feels about his return to Miami. And news from other Dolphins additions
Gerald Willis’ initial NFL experience has been largely disappointing, from going undrafted despite a dominant senior season at UM to be being released by the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday.
But Sunday brought welcomed news for the rookie defensive tackle: The Dolphins called and offered him a job on their practice squad, bringing him back to the community where he played college ball the past three seasons.
“I was very pleased; it’s home,” Willis said Monday. “It feels great to be back in Miami. I had a few teams reach out but I wanted to come back down here. I have a lot of family down here. It’s home. I felt comfortable here.”
What did the Dolphins tell him they like about him?
“They like my quickness and my get-off to the quarterback and my relentless effort. That’s what they love about me.”
Willis was named a second-team All American by Sports Illustrated last season after he produced 59 tackles, 18 tackles for loss (which led the ACC), four sacks, two passes defended and one fumble recovery.
But he couldn’t participate at the NFL Combine because of an injury and fought through a hamstring injury at UM’s Pro Day - factors why he wasn’t drafted. He signed with Baltimore after the draft and had two tackles in three preseason games before being released Saturday.
“I’ve been through a lot of adversity through my entire life, just keep pushing, keep fighting,” he said of going undrafted and his NFL odyssey the past few months. “I love what I put in tape in preseason. I thought I did a great job in preseason and that’s why I have an opportunity to showcase what I can do.”
And he hopes to play like he did with the Hurricanes.
“I have that confidence,” he said. “I’m going to treat this like down the street Canes football, do my best and showcase my talent.”
Besides adding Willis, the Dolphins also signed another former Hurricane, defensive end Trent Harris, who was placed on the 53-man roster after New England released him.
“Those are two young guys who are talented,” coach Brian Flores said of Harris and Willis. “I felt like we needed some help on the edge and inside, so they’re two young guys. We felt like they have a ceiling they can reach and they have not yet reached their ceiling, so there is some potential with both players.”
Notes on other players added over the weekend:
▪ New offensive tackle Julien Davenport said he actually studied tape of Laremy Tunsil, the player he’s potentially replacing, last year “to see if I can add [some things Tunsil does well] to my game.”
Davenport was among the league leaders in sacks allowed (12) and penalties last season and said his play was “up and down.” He said he has made subtle changes to his technique, including “making sure my footwork is better.”
Jesse Davis worked at left tackle and Isaiah Prince at right tackle on Monday, while Davenport learns the system.
▪ New linebacker Vince Biegel, acquired from the Saints for Kiko Alonso on Sunday, said he expects to play more defensively here than in New Orleans, where he was mostly a special teams player in part because the Saints’ starting linebackers stayed healthy all season.
He said he’s well suited to be a SAM linebacker, a contributor at defensive end and a core special teams player.
The Dolphins said “they’re excited to have me and see what I can do with the defense.”
▪ Former UM guard Danny Isidora said it was “bittersweet” to be traded here because he enjoyed his two years with the Vikings. “But I’m happy to be coming here. My family is happy.”
Isidora, who attended Cypress Bay in Weston, said he played guard and center for the Vikings and has played only one game at tackle (for the Hurricanes) in the past five years.
The other offensive line addition, former Colts player Evan Boehm, said he was a right guard for the Arizona Cardinals and mostly a center for the Indianapolis Colts. He hasn’t played tackle since high school.
▪ New long snapper Taybor Pepper, who played four games for the Packers in 2017 and was most recently with the Giants, said he was signed to replace John Denney after auditioning Monday morning. No other long snappers auditioned Monday.
He said he would love to forge a long career here like Denney did (14 years) but “his career is not looming over me like I have to have his career.”
INJURY UPDATE
▪ Rookie linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel was the only player on the 53-man roster who missed practice Monday. Linebacker Raekwon McMillan returned after missing a month with an undisclosed injury and said he’s 100 percent and ready to play against Baltimore.
▪ According to NFL Network, Alonso agreed - as part of his trade to New Orleans - to take a pay cut from $6.5 million to a guaranteed $5 million, with Miami agreeing to pay $1 million of his salary.
But that made sense for Alonso, because if the Dolphins had cut him, he would have been paid only $2.5 million of the $6.5 million.
▪ In the wake of the purging of several veterans, safety Reshad Jones said he has no desire to be traded. “I love it here,” he said Monday.
▪ The Dolphins added offensive tackle Zach Sterup, linebacker Terrill Hanks and defensive tackle Durval Queiroz Neto to the practice squad; all three were cut over the weekend. Tight end Chris Myarick also is expected to join the practice squad. Cornerback Nik Needham, Willis, defensive end Dewayne Hendrix, former Patriots linebacker Christian Sam and receiver Isaiah Ford already have joined the 11-member p-squad.
▪ The Dolphins worked out veteran offensive tackle J’Marcus Webb on Monday but hadn’t signed him as of 5:30 p.m. Monday. Webb has started 65 NFL games but spent most of last season on the Colts’ injured reserve list with a hamstring problem.
This story was originally published September 2, 2019 at 3:05 PM.