Dolphins make four roster moves, lose another starter for season, add two veterans
The Dolphins added a veteran receiver and running back off waivers on Tuesday and lost starting running back Kalen Ballage for the season with an Achilles injury.
Ballage, who was placed on injured reserve, finishes the season with a 1.8 per carry average on 74 attempts, the lowest for any NFL player (minimum 70 carries) since Phil Sarboe averaged 1.1 in 1936.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins claimed running back Zach Zenner off waivers from Arizona and receiver Trevor Davis off waivers from Oakland.
Zenner has 683 career rushing yards - mostly for Detroit - over five seasons while averaging 3.9 per carry. This season, he had two yards rushing on three carries for Arizona and New Orleans. But in 2018, he averaged 4.8 yards per carry for Detroit on 55 carries.
Davis, a former fifth-round pick of Green Bay, had seven catches for 83 yards and four rushes for 73 yards this season for Oakland, where he started four games after being acquired from the Packers Sept. 18 for a 2020 sixth-round draft choice.
Zenner joins Patrick Laird, Myles Gaskin and De’Lance Turner as running backs on the 53-man roster. Davis joins DeVante Parker, Allen Hurns, Albert Wilson and Isaiah Ford as receivers on the 53-man roster.
Miami also released safety Montre Hartage, who played 20 defensive snaps Sunday against Philadelphia after being promoted from the practice squad.
DEFENSE TALK
The Dolphins already can identify more than a half dozen players expected to warrant regular playing time next season, a group led by cornerback Xavien Howard, defensive linemen Christian Wilkins and Davon Godchaux, linebacker Jerome Baker and cornerback Eric Rowe.
Bobby McCain and Raekwon McMillan could be part of that group, and Vince Biegel and Nik Neeham might, too.
But for a bunch of other defensive players, the final four games could help determine whether Miami can reasonably project any meaningful role for them next. Among them:
▪ Safeties Adrian Colbert and Steven Parker: If Miami goes into next season with Rowe and McCain as their starting safeties - and take the huge cap savings by cutting Reshad Jones - then Colbert and Parker could be making their case to be Miami’s No. 3 safety next season.
On the addition of Colbert, who started against Philadelphia, safeties coach Tony Oden said: “He’s an excellent communicator. I’m glad we have him. He has decent size in the run [game], physical component to his game, cerebral component. Put those things together, you have opportunity to have a solid player.” And Parker? “We’re happy with the progression.”
▪ Cornerbacks Jomal Wiltz, Ken Webster and Ken Crawley: Wiltz and Webster will assuredly be with the team in the offseason. But will Wiltz return as the lead nickel back? He started the season poorly but has been better recently. Webster has had some good moments, while Crawley lasted only two weeks as a starter - after being released by the Saints - before an injury.
Cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer praised the tackling skills of Wiltz (who spent two years with the Patriots practice squad) and Webster (who spent four months with New England as a rookie seventh-round pick). Webster “has got a good coverage skill set,” Boyer said. And Wiltz “has been able to play multiple positions, which has been a real value, and his understanding defense from a conceptual standpoint has really benefited us.”
▪ Linebackers Sam Eguavoen and Andrew Van Ginkel: The rookie Van Ginkel very likely will be on the team in 2020, but his role is to be determined. He has played two games after missing the first 10 with a foot injury.
Asked Van Ginkel’s best NFL skill, linebackers coach Rob Leonard said: “You’re not going to be able to peg him down to one thing that he does well. His overall body of work is his value. He can play [special] teams, can drop into coverage, can rush, is smart. It’s the overall body of work that makes him valuable.”
Leonard said Eguavoen has “for sure” proven he’s an NFL player; he had a sack last week and “has gotten better,” Leonard said. “His coverage he’s done a good job. Explosive guy, good change of direction. He can run. He’s been OK in coverage for what we’ve asked him to do.
Charles Harris likely will compete for a backup job in the final year of his rookie contract, but the idea of Harris becoming a starter is highly unlikely.
▪ Defensive linemen John Jenkins and Taco Charlton: Jenkins has played generally well but said Miami hasn’t broached a contract beyond this year. Charlton has five sacks in nine games but hasn’t been consistent setting the edge in the run game.
Does Charlton have the physical tools to be an effective run defender? Yes, defensive line coach Marion Hobby insisted Tuesday.
“He’s beautiful, 6-6, 270 pounds, long arms,” Hobby said. “He’s got to be more consistent with it. There are times you see it and you say whoa, he blocked out a big lineman, handled big tight ends and throw your body in there and make the tackle. He does find a way to get to the football. He’s got to be more consistent.”
CLOWNEY SPEAKS
Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, in an interview with NFL.com, explained why he rejected a proposed trade to the Dolphins.
Back in August, “[Houston coach Bill O’Brien] called me and said, ‘You need to come in and talk to us,’” Clowney said. “When I got there they’re talking about me signing the tender and going to the Dolphins. They said, ‘It’ll be good for you and good for us.’ I’m like, ‘Good for me? They’re gonna tank the season for a damn quarterback! Find me a team that can win, and I’ll sign the damn tender.’
This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 5:18 PM.
