Dolphins lose two starters for the season at same position, sign two former UM players
The Dolphins made a flurry of roster moves Wednesday, with two former Miami Hurricanes joining the roster and two starting safeties landing on season-ending injured reserve.
Three players were placed on IR: Safeties Bobby McCain and Reshad Jones and receiver Gary Jennings, who was claimed off waivers from Seattle two weeks ago and appeared to injure a shoulder while celebrating Jakeem Grant’s kickoff return for a touchdown on Sunday.
The three players added: former UM defensive back Adrian Colbert (plucked from Seattle’s practice squad), linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (reinstated off injured reserve) and former Hurricanes defensive tackle Gerald Willis (promoted from the practice squad).
A look at each of the six players affected by Wednesday’s moves:
▪ Jones: There’s a good chance this could be the end of his career in Miami; the Dolphins could save $11.6 million in cap space by cutting him with a post-June 1 designation.
Jones played Sunday after missing four games with a broken rib. He finished the season with 27 tackles in four games, all starts, and if this is the end of his time in Miami, he will be remembered as one of the best fifth-round picks in franchise history.
Coach Brian Flores said he had not thought about whether Jones could have a role with the Dolphins in 2020 — “we’ll see how that goes” — though it’s clear he likely would need to take a pay cut for that to be a possibility.
He would be paid $11.5 million (which is nonguaranteed) if he’s on the team next season, with a $15.6 million cap hit. That’s likely well more than Miami could stomach.
“I got to know him very well and this is a tough, very, very good player,” Flores said. “Good person as well. I like Reshad a lot. He brings toughness, grittiness, love of the game. He brought a lot to this team. You can see why he’s been such a productive player.”
Jones, 31, has played 10 seasons for the team and made the Pro Bowl in 2015 and 2017. Miami explored trading him this past offseason but never found an appealing deal. Jones said he wanted to be here this season and was assured by management in late August that he wouldn’t be traded.
▪ McCain: He has dealt with a shoulder injury all season, and the Dolphins ultimately decided to sit him for the final six games. He finished the season with 25 tackles, three passes defensed and two interceptions.
Eric Rowe, who began the season as a starting cornerback, and Steven Parker (claimed off waivers from the Rams on Labor Day weekend), likely will be Miami’s starting safeties moving forward this season, with Colbert and Walt Aikens also in the mix.
The McCain/Rowe safety combination had some good moments in recent weeks, and McCain saw advantages in two cornerbacks playing safety.
“You have more guys covering the field that are used to covering the deep part of the field,” McCain said. “Not saying [Jones] hasn’t. He’s done it a long time in his career. Having those corner backgrounds helps the defense.”
McCain likely will return next season. He’s due $5.5 million next season with a $6.2 million cap hit.
Flores was pleased with McCain’s transition to safety this season, praising his contributions from “a communication, leadership standpoint, helping teammates get lined up. He’s a good overall player. I thought the transition to safety was a good one, one this team needed. He played well for us.”
McCain, too, believed it worked out well at his new position: “I’m glad they believe in me to play multiple roles,” he said. “They believe in my instincts and ball skills and my ability to make plays.”
▪ Colbert: He played three seasons at Texas and then his final season at UM. The 49ers drafted him in the seventh round in 2017, and he entered the 2018 season as the 49ers’ starting free safety, started six games but then sustained a season-ending ankle injury in Week 7.
The 49ers waived him Sept. 6 this season. He spent two weeks on the Seahawks’ 53-man roster this season — without appearing in a game — and has been on their practice squad since Oct. 12.
His career resume includes 21 regular-season games — including 12 starts — for San Francisco over the 2017 and 2018 seasons, with 49 tackles and two forced fumbles but no interceptions.
“We saw a young player who has speed, athleticism, started games in this league,” Flores said. “We felt he’s a guy... [the] personnel staff have done a lot of evaluations on and had an eye on for a while. We had a loss at the position and he was the best guy available. We’ll see if he can carve out role for himself on Sunday.”
▪ Willis: Originally considered a potential mid-round pick, Willis surprisingly went undrafted after a superb senior season at UM in which he was named second team All-America by Sports Illustrated and had 18 tackles for loss and four sacks. He spent the offseason with the Ravens, was cut Aug. 31, and signed to the Dolphins’ practice squad two days later.
Willis was cut Sept. 4 with an undisclosed injury but returned to the Dolphins’ practice squad on Sept. 23 and impressed the team with his work on the practice squad.
“He’s a young tackle with athleticism, quickness and some pass-rush ability,” Flores said. “He showed in practice he can play both run and pass. We will try to give him an opportunity to earn a role this week.”
▪ Van Ginkel: The rookie fifth-round pick from Wisconsin began practicing last week, and the Dolphins are eager to see a player who has been out since early August with a foot injury. He had 12 sacks during his final two seasons at Wisconsin and was used in an edge rusher role during the offseason program.
“We felt we were getting a young, physical smart tough, young player,” Flores said of the decision to draft Van Ginkel. “He can play a few different roles; he has some pass-rush and set-the-edge ability. He has some special team value. He did a good job early in training camp. Last week, he strung a couple of good practices together.”
▪ Jennings: The rookie receiver practiced here for less than two weeks after being claimed off waivers from Seattle. Miami liked him during the predraft process — he was brought to team headquarters for a visit — and still has high hopes for a player who caught 54 passes for 917 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior at West Virginia last season.
“He’s fast, got size, athletic ability,” Flores said, declining to confirm this week if the shoulder injury occurred during the touchdown celebration. “He made us feel he can play in a game. Coming back in the offseason, getting into that part of it will be good for him. He’ll be able to help us.”
Jennings is under contract for the next three seasons, with base salaries of $585,000, $675,000 and $765,000 in 2022.
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 9:47 AM.
