Miami Dolphins keep taking chances on players waived by other teams. The ones to watch.
One of the luxuries afforded the Dolphins during last year’s rebuilding season was greater flexibility to take a quick look at players dumped by other teams. If they worked out, great. If not, nothing lost.
The Dolphins announced 301 player transactions during the 2019 calendar year — a remarkably high number — and many of those were low-risk waiver claims or low-money deals for veteran free agents.
Many didn’t work out, a list including — among others — Tank Carradine, Nate Orchard, Jordan Mills, Adolphus Washington, Robert Nkemdiche, Gerald Willis, Ken Crawley, Linden Stephens and eight players from the shuttered Alliance of American Football.
A few proved fruitful for a time, primarily Taco Charlton (five sacks but then benched and ultimately released this spring) and Mark Walton, who led Miami in rushing at the time of his November arrest and release.
But here’s the thing: None of those failed experiments resulted in Miami losing anything of significance. All were low risk moves. And even though the roster is appreciably better now, the Dolphins continued to look for waiver-wire discards the past few days, claiming a rookie cornerback dumped by Kansas City (Javaris Davis), a second-year cornerback (Picasso Nelson) who spent some time on the Colts’ practice squad and a second-year defensive tackle (Ray Smith) who was cut by San Francisco.
Among the players claimed off waivers - or poached from another team’s practice squad - here are the ones that most bear watching heading into training camp:
▪ Defensive lineman Zach Sieler, claimed off waivers from Baltimore, on Dec. 5.
He’s on the COVID-19 list at the moment, meaning he either tested positive or was in close contact with someone who did. But he’s high on my list because there’s actual evidence from an NFL game that he can play at a high level.
The former Ferris State standout had seven tackles and a sack in the Week 16 win against Cincinnati before playing just 12 snaps (and registering one quarterback pressure) against New England.
He’s one of only three defensive tackles on the roster with NFL game experience, joining Davon Godchaux and Christian Wilkins. Second-round pick Raekwon Davis is probably the front-runner to be the No. 3 tackle — behind Godchaux and Wilkins — but don’t discount Sieler, who generated seven pressures in 50 pass rush chances and six stops in 57 plays defending the run after Miami signed him. That’s impressive.
Sieler went to Division II Ferris State because he liked their mechanical engineering program, walked on with the football program and had 19 ½ sacks as a junior.
“He’s big. He’s got length. He’s got athleticism,” coach Brian Flores said. “He plays hard. I think when you get a player like that, you just move him around and see the different things he can do.”
▪ Two smallish but athletic corners: Tae Hayes, claimed off waivers from Jacksonville on Dec. 13, and rookie cornerback Davis, claimed last Monday.
We’re eager to see more of Hayes because his body of work as a Dolphin - albeit very limited - was impressive.
Hayes had 16 passes thrown in his coverage area in his two games as a Dolphin. Only three were caught, albeit for 55 yards, per Pro Football Focus.
The undrafted rookie cornerback from Appalachian State had four interceptions each of his final two years in college and spent eight months with the Jaguars (appearing in only one game), before being released.
Hayes, 5-9, was around the ball a lot in Jaguars training camp last year - and had an interception in a preseason game — and Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said last August: “He’s gotten his hands on balls on the outside. He’s a guy who can also play nickel. A lot of players that maybe don’t have the ideal size have a competitiveness about them and a heart about them and [Hayes] is a guy that can make plays.”
Hayes told jacksonville.com that he had no Power 5 offers and “if I was two inches taller I would have been in the SEC. My size has always pushed me down a little in people’s eyes.”
Davis, a speedy 5-8 ballhawk, had eight interceptions over four years at Auburn. Miami - which tried to sign him after the draft - scooped him up after Kansas City waived him.
▪ Safety Adrian Colbert, claimed off Seattle’s practice squad on Nov. 19.
With Reshad Jones and Bobby McCain lost to injuries in the second-half of last season, Colbert started five games after being claimed by Miami and had 22 tackles, allowed two of three passes in his coverage area to be caught, for 11 yards (including one touchdown) and produced run-defense metrics that were below average, per Pro Football Focus.
But the former Miami Hurricane is a competent cornerback-turned-safety who started six games for the 49ers in both 2017 and 2018. He’ll compete with rookie Brandon Jones and veterans Kavon Frazier, Clayton Fejedelem and Steven Parker for the No. 3 safety job behind Eric Rowe and McCain.
But because Jones will be on the 53-man roster regardless (unless he’s seriously injured in camp), Colbert is essentially competing with Frazier, Fejedelem and Parker for one or two jobs. If McCain has more durability issues, Colbert could find himself starting at some point.
▪ Wide receiver Gary Jennings, claimed off waivers from Seattle on Nov. 6.
There was great anticipation when Miami signed Jennings just six months after Seattle drafted him in the fourth round. Seattle cut him after adding Josh Gordon to a crowded receiver room. But Jennings was injured in his first game with Miami and remains somewhat of a mystery because of the lack of an offseason program.
What we know is the 6-1 Jennings was highly productive in his final two years at West Virginia, ranking fourth in the country in 2017 with 97 receptions (for 1096 yards).
Jennings’ numbers were down from a catch standpoint in 2018 (54-917-17.0) but he had 13 touchowns in just 11 games. He was slowed somewhat by a high ankle sprain in the second half of the season.
Prominent local trainer Pete Bommarito said Jennings has been putting on a clinic in offseason workouts against top cornerbacks, including Indianapolis’ Xavier Rhodes.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein assessed Jennings this way before the 2019 draft: “Possession receiver with an impressive combination of size, speed and contested catch toughness. Jennings was one of the fastest players at the Senior Bowl, according to Zebra Technology tracking, and his 4.42 Combine time and huge numbers in explosive testing are sure to push him up draft boards. He needs to play faster and sharpen his routes to become more than a traits-based backup.”
The sense here is it will come down to Jennings, Allen Hurns and Isaiah Ford for two jobs behind DeVante Parker, Preston Williams, Albert Wilson and Jakeem Grant, with undrafted rookies Matt Cole and Kirk Merritt facing longer odds.
Hurns and Ford may have the edge, but Jennings is worth investing in if he impresses in training camp practices.
▪ Honorable mention: Parker, the safety who had two acrobatic interceptions after being claimed off waivers from the Rams on Sept. 1. The numbers work against him, but there’s something to work with… Cornerback Ken Webster, the Patriots’ 2019 seventh-rounder who was claimed off waivers Sept. 1 and allowed 15 of 26 passes in his coverage area to be caught for 215 yards and a touchdown (97.4 rating) before going on injured reserve in November…
The other waiver claims or practice-squad poachings still on the team: Linebackers James Crawford and Calvin Munson, cornerback Nate Brooks and offensive linemen Adam Pankey and Keaton Sutherland. All face uphill climbs to stick..
Some housekeeping for those who wondered: This list only includes NFL players poached off practice squads or claimed off waivers from other teams, not veterans whose contracts with other teams simply expired or undrafted players who surprised as rookies last season, such as Preston Williams and Nik Needham.
We should note that the Dolphins smartly signed Jesse Davis to their practice squad in 2016, two weeks after the Jets cut him, but he wasn’t a waiver claim. Nor was Allen Hurns, who was cut by Dallas last July, cleared waivers and then signed with Miami as a free agent.
Here’s my Monday piece with insight on five percolating Miami Hurricanes battles on offense.
Here’s my Monday piece, with Jordan McPherson, with Derek Jeter’s explanation for the Marlins’ COVID outbreak and more news.
This story was originally published August 3, 2020 at 7:37 PM.
