Free agent live blog: Dolphins - with 15 players agreed to deals - on lookout for more
The Dolphins have now agreed to contracts with six players over the first three days of free agency.
That includes seven new players: running backs Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert, fullback Alec Ingold, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, guard Connor Williams, receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. and special teams ace Keion Crossen.
They’ve also re-signed seven players whose contracts were up: defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, tight end Mike Gesicki, receiver Preston Williams, linebackers Elandon Roberts, Duke Riley, Sam Eguavoen and safety Sheldrick Redwine.
An eighth player, cornerback Nik Needham, was tendered and is expected to return to the team next season.
There’s still more to work, including upgrading at offensive tackle.
Presenting Day 4 of our Dolphins-flavored NFL free agent live blog. Keep checking back all day Thursday for updates:
8:45 a.m. update: A new coach always brings in players he has coached before, and Mike McDaniel has now brought in three of them, with receiver Trent Sherfield the latest, joining receiver River Cracraft and running back Raheem Mostert.
Of those three, Mostert is a cinch to make the team, and Sherfield and Cracraft are toss-ups. Those two receivers will be competing with Lynn Bowden Jr., Preston Williams, Allen Hurns and others for the fourth, fixth and sixth receiver jobs behind Jaylen Waddle, DeVante Parker and Cedric Wilson Jr.
Sherfield caught nine passes for 87 yards in 17 games and one start for the 49ers last season.
He played his first three seasons for Arizona, catching 28 passes for 340 yards and a touchdown and making four starts.
The 6-1, 219-pounder went undrafted out of Vanderbilt in 2018.
1:45 p.m. update: The Cowboys are releasing right tackle La’El Collins. The Dolphins are among teams that have shown interest, and Collins has interest in Miami. But there will be competition.
The Bengals also are interested, per NFL reporter Tyler Dragon. Beyond Cincinnati making the Super Bowl last year, Bengals OL coach Frank Pollack was Collins’ position coach his first 3 years in league. So Dolphins have serious competition here.
After missing the 2020 season with a hip injury, Collins started at right tackle last season – appearing in 12 games – and Pro Football Focus rated him the 15th best of 83 qualifying tackles. What’s more, PFF rated Collins the third-best run blocking tackle in football. As a pass protector, he allowed two sacks.
Collins was suspended by the league for five games last year; Collins alleged the league suspended him for missing tests of a substance no longer covered by the new collective bargaining agreement (2020).
ESPN reported he was suspended for trying to bribe the league’s drug-test collector, but Collins has vehemently denied that. Collins took his case to the court system but a federal judge upheld the NFL’s penalty.
“Just for me, personally, I felt like I had to, just because it was kinda unfair, being a guy that didn’t fail any drug tests last year,” Collins said after the suspension, which was originally for two games. “The bigger picture was, I didn’t feel like I did anything wrong. I missed a few tests here and there, but to everything that came along with that, I just felt like it wasn’t fair.”
Collins has started 71 games in his career.
Jesse Davis struggled at right tackle for the Dolphins last season.
Collins, , would join a tackle class including New Orleans’ Terron Armstead, New England’s Trent Brown, Seattle’s Orlando Brown and Indianapolis’ Eric Fisher.
2:30 p.m.: The Dolphins announced the signing of fullback Alec Ingold, who is coming off a torn ACL sustained in Week 10. The former Raider is considered among the NFL’s best blocking fullbacks.
Ingold is the first outside free agent signing announced by the team this week.
3 p.m.: The Dolphins announced the signing of guard Connor Williams. Williams is the second outside free agent signing announced by the team this week, following Ingold.
3:30 p.m.: The Dolphins announced the signing of running back Chase Edmonds. Here’s a bunch of nuggets about what the Dolphins are getting.
4 p.m.: The Dolphins announced the signing of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, a Miami native who’s expected to back up Tua Tagovailoa in 2022.
4:30 p.m.: The Dolphins agreed to terms with linebacker Brennan Scarlett on a one-year deal, meaning Miami has kept its entire front seven together. He appeared in 13 games and started four last season, contributing 19 tackles and playing 16 percent of Miami’s defensive snaps.
The Dolphins also announced the signing of receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr., running back Raheem Mostert and special teams player/cornerback Keion Crossen.
Defensive backs Justin Coleman and Jason McCourty are the only unrestricted free agent defensive backs who haven’t re-signed with Miami.
4:45 p.m.: Teddy Bridgewater’s deal as the backup quarterback also is official. “I’m happy to be back to the crib,” Bridgewater said. He played high school football at Miami Northwestern.
6:30 p.m.: La’el Collins - a player of interest to the Cowboys - will visit the Bengals, a source confirmed.
The Dolphins and Collins’ camp have been in contact, but the Dolphins haven’t been as aggressive as the Bengals to this point. NFL Network reports a deal might get with Cincinnati.
This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 9:15 AM.
