Dolphins keep three young players who ended season well and dispatch executive to Clemson
A six-pack of Miami Dolphins notes on a Thursday:
▪ The Dolphins took the necessary step to retain three young players who closed the season with encouraging performances: receiver Isaiah Ford, linebacker Trent Harris and defensive lineman Zach Sieler.
All three were exclusive rights free agents.
Any player who receives a team’s exclusive rights minimum salary tender - as those players received on Thursday - will not be able to negotiate with another team, and the player can only re-sign with his original team.
Ford, who was a seventh-round pick in 2017, missed his rookie season with a knee injury and did not catch a pass in 2018 while spending some time on the practice squad. He seized on an opportunity last year, catching 23 passes for 244 yards, including 21 receptions for 235 yards in the final four games.
Harris, the former Miami Hurricane who was claimed off waivers from New England on Sept. 1 last year, had 22 tackles, but 11 of them came during the final two weeks of the season, and he also had 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble over those two games.
Sieler, claimed off waivers from Baltimore on Dec. 5, had seven tackles, a sack and two passes defended in Miami’s penultimate game against Cincinnati before playing only 12 defensive snaps in the finale against New England.
Those were Miami’s only exclusive rights free agents aside from former UM defensive tackle Kendrick Norton, who had an arm amputated following a July auto accident, thus ending his football career, but remained around the team at times last season.
▪ The Dolphins have four restricted free agents: linebacker Vince Biegel, punter Matt Haack, safety Adrian Colbert and linebacker Deon Lacey. Miami, either in exit meetings or subsequently, has shown interest in retaining at least the first three of those players.
Miami’s unrestricted free agents: guard Evan Boehm, safety Walt Aikens,cornerback Aqib Talib, offensive tackle J’Marcus Webb, defensive lineman John Jenkins, tight end Clive Walford and receiver Trevor Davis. It remains to be seen if a single one of those players is retained.
▪ The Dolphins and several other teams have called their scouts and coaches off the road as a precaution amid the spread of the coronavirus.
But on the final day that team officials traveled on Thursday, Miami sent senior personnel executive and former Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie to Clemson to watch several of the Tigers’ draft prospects at their Pro Day.
That group of Clemson players included linebacker Isaiah Simmons (who would be an option with the fifth overall pick if Miami doesn’t take a quarterback at that spot), receiver Tee Higgins (likely top 15 pick, but Dolphins have told people they’re good at receiver), cornerback AJ Terrell (a potential second- or third-round option), guard John Simpson (“has the tools to become an early starter and a good NFL guard,” per NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein), safety K’Von Wallace and outside linebacker Tanner Muse (potential mid-round picks).
Many schools are expected to cancel their Pro Days in the coming weeks.
▪ After the release of safety Reshad Jones and center Daniel Kilgore and the tendering of the aforementioned players, the Dolphins will have slightly less than $100 million in cap space, which is the most in the league, when teams can begin contacting outside free agents on Monday. More can be created if the Dolphins restructure receiver Albert Wilson’s contract.
▪ The Dolphins are expected to sign multiple offensive linemen in free agency. Besides their widely expected interest in Patriots free agent center Ted Karras and Lions guard/center Graham Glasgow, there are other names on their radar, including swing tackle Brandon Shell, who started 11 games for the Jets at right tackle last season and has 37 starts over the past three seasons for New York.
Pro Football Focus rated Shell 51st of 81 qualifying guards last season; Jesse Davis, Miami’s starting right guard, was 63rd.
Davis is the one starter on last year’s Dolphins line who has a good chance of starting in 2020. But he said recently the Dolphins haven’t told him if he will play tackle or guard.
New Dolphins offensive line coach Steve Marshall coached Shell for two years with the Jets and made him a starter in his second season. The Dolphins have told people they believe they can find one longterm starting tackle in the draft. Keep in mind that the Jets’ other starting tackle - left tackle Kelvin Beachum - is also a free agent.
The Dolphins hold Patriots free agent guard Joe Thuney in high regard, but it remains to be seen if he’s too pricey for the Dolphins.
▪ The Dolphins know they need at least one veteran cornerback, perhaps two, and one of a bunch of names believed to be on their radar is Minnesota’s Mackenzie Alexander - who has started 10 games for the Vikings over the past two years and had a 90.2 passer rating in his coverage area last season.
Jets free agent Brian Poole would be the most logical slot option if Miami brings in competition for Jomal Wiltz, as expected; quarterbacks had a passer rating of 71.6 in Poole’s coverage area last season.
Though Miami has the money to spend, the question is whether one of the more expensive cornerbacks - such as Logan Ryan or Byron Jones or Chris Harris - would be too expensive for their liking.
From earlier today, here’s part 4 of my 7-part series with new details on every player on the Dolphins roster and where they stand. Today’s piece examines the safeties.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 6:08 PM.
