Category: Miami Dolphins

Blake Ferguson changing jersey number to give Chop Robinson No. 44

Chop Robinson will get his jersey number of choice after all.

Miami Dolphins long snapper Blake Ferguson announced he’s changing his jersey number to No. 48 after a conversation with first-round pick Chop Robinson, who wanted to wear Ferguson’s No. 44.

“I heard from Chop very early Friday morning as he was making his way to Miami Gardens and he was just expressing to me how important the No. 44 was to him and asked if I’d be willing to consider taking a different number,” Ferguson said in a video posted on social media.

“I found that the jersey number that I wore for my last two years in college, and that I was able to win a national championship in, was available. Jersey No. 48. So that’s the jersey I’ll be in moving forward, I’m super, super pumped about it.”

Ferguson also announced that fans who own his No. 44 jersey can send them to the Dolphins facility and he’ll replace it with an autographed No. 48 jersey.

Robinson wore No. 4 during his time at Maryland and then No. 44 in his two seasons at Penn State.

The pass rusher will be the 18th player in Dolphins history to wear the No. 44 jersey. Others include defensive back Paul Lankford, fullback Rob Konrad, and linebacker Elandon Roberts (who later switched to No. 52).

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

 

Stephen Ross turned down $10 billion for Dolphins, stadium, F1 race

Stephen Ross reportedly entertained a massive offer to give up control of the Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium, and the Miami Grand Prix.

Stephen Ross turned down a $10 billion offer for control of the Miami Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium, and the Formula One Miami Grand Prix, according to a report from Safid Deen of USA Today.

While Deen says Ross “entertained” the offer, he reportedly turned it down “because he wants to keep the assets in his family.”

Ross, 83, purchased 50 percent of the Dolphins franchise and the team’s stadium (then known as Dolphins Stadium) in 2008 for $550 million. A year later, he purchased 45 percent more of the team to bring the total investment to $1 billion.

The rejected $10 billion offer shows not only the rapidly soaring valuation of NFL franchises, but also the impact of investments made by the team. Hard Rock Stadium underwent a significant renovation in 2015 and 2016, the Dolphins unveiled a state-of-the-art training facility in 2021, and the Miami Grand Prix has proven to be a massive success.

“Miami joining Formula 1 has been huge for the sport in the United States, and the vision and enthusiasm Stephen Ross and [Dolphins CEO] Tom Garfinkel have for the event is incredible,” F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali told USA Today.

“The event has quickly established itself as a destination for our fans, as well as the biggest stars from across music, sport, and entertainment. We continue to see our fanbase grow across the country on all our platforms and standout events like the Miami Grand Prix are a huge driver of this.”

The third annual Miami Grand Prix is scheduled Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

WATCH: Highlights of Dolphins 6th-round draft pick Patrick McMorris

Dolphins general manager Chris Grier says members of the coaching staff were begging him to draft Patrick McMorris.

The Miami Dolphins entered the 2024 NFL draft without much safety depth on the roster. While they have a rising star in Jevon Holland and signed former Pro Bowler Jordan Poyer to start alongside him, the only other safety on the roster last week was Elijah Campbell, a career backup and special teamer.

So the team amended those issues by picking former San Diego State and Cal safety Patrick McMorris in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft.

McMorris, a two-time All-Mountain West selection during his time at SDSU, finished his collegiate career with 11 tackles for loss, six interceptions, two forced fumbles, and 252 tackles.

“[McMorris] was a player that the coaching staff and scouts have kind of identified, focusing on,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said Saturday. “So they were blowing up Mike [McDaniel] and I here before that pick like, ‘Get this guy. Get this guy.’ And they appreciate how he’s a smart player, he’s competitive, and plays hard.”

Those qualities show up on his highlights:

WATCH: Mohamed Kamara learns he’s joining the Dolphins

“It’s a dream come true.”

Mohamed Kamara was more than a little annoyed that 157 players were picked before him in the 2024 NFL draft. So it was a relief when the Miami Dolphins ended his wait and took the edge rusher in the fifth round.

On Saturday, the Dolphins released a video of their phone call with Kamara telling him he would be the fourth member of their rookie class.

“It’s a dream come true,” Kamara can be heard saying on the other line in a conversation with general manager Chris Grier.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel didn’t hide his excitement about the pick in his conversation with Kamara.

“I had a great time watching probably the most physical, dynamic edge setter from a place near and dear to me,” McDaniel told Kamara.

McDaniel was born and raised in Aurora, Colo., a little over an hour drive from Colorado State University where Kamara earned Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2023.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Draft day video shows Chop Robinson hoping to get picked by Dolphins

“Let [Pittsburgh] get a corner and come get me Miami, please.”

Chop Robinson has been one of the featured players on NFL Films’ annual “Hey Rookie: Welcome to the NFL” program, documenting his path from Penn State star to Miami Dolphins draft pick.

In a preview for an episode airing Tuesday night, a clip shows Robinson sitting on his couch with family waiting to see where he’ll begin his NFL career. In the video, one thing is clear: Robinson really hoped to wind up in Miami.

After the video begins with Jared Verse getting picked by the Los Angeles Rams, Robinson is shown brushing off the selection. “I didn’t want to pay them taxes anyway,” he tells a family member.

Up next in the order was the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 20 overall, followed by the Dolphins at No. 21.

“I need Miami. I want somewhere warm anyway,” Robinson said. “Let [Pittsburgh] get a corner and come get me Miami, please.”

The Steelers didn’t pick a cornerback, but instead addressed the offensive side of the ball by taking lineman Troy Fautanu. And that freed up the Dolphins to make Robinson’s wish come true.

“I feel like it’s a great fit for me,” Robinson told reporters shortly after he was picked Thursday night. “I know it’s beautiful weather in Miami. I don’t know much about the city because I’ve never been that way, but I know I’ll have a great time there just enjoying with my teammates and being part of the team.”

The newest episode of “Hey Rookie: Welcome to the NFL” is scheduled to air Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN2.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Dolphins pick up fifth-year options for Jaylen Waddle, Jaelan Phillips

The Dolphins made the easy decision to pick up the fifth-year options on the contracts of Jaylen Waddle and Jaelan Phillips.

Two weeks after Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier told reporters in no uncertain terms that the team planned to pick up the fifth-year options on the rookie contracts of Jaylen Waddle and Jaelan Phillips, the team made those decisions official Monday.

Both players were first-round picks in the 2021 NFL draft. Waddle was taken with the No. 6 overall selection and Phillips was taken with the No. 18 pick.

Waddle has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons with the Dolphins and has hauled in 18 touchdowns. Phillips has recorded 22 sacks with the team and was off to the best start of his career in 2023 with 6.5 sacks in eight games before his year ended due to an Achilles tear.

The fifth-year option for Waddle is set to pay him $15,591,000. For Phillips, it’s $13,251,000.

According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, an extension for Waddle is expected to be high on the team’s to-do list in the remainder of the 2024 offseason. Fellow 2021 draftees Devonta Smith and Amon-Ra St. Brown have already received pricy extensions from the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions, respectively.

Both Waddle and Phillips are now under contract through the 2025 season and tentatively set to become free agents in 2026.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

WATCH: Highlights of Dolphins 7th-round draft pick Tahj Washington

New Dolphins receiver Tahj Washington put up big numbers as Caleb Williams’ favorite target at USC last year.

The Miami Dolphins finished their 2024 NFL draft by double-dipping at the wide receiver position and taking USC’s Tahj Washington in the seventh round.

Despite taking a receiver named Washington a round prior (Virginia’s Malik Washington), the Dolphins added Tahj Washington in hopes of finally finding a reliable third receiving option for Tua Tagovailoa.

Both Washingtons could provide help on another unit too.

“Special teams has always been a part of my game,” Tahj Washington said Saturday. “Gunner on punt, corner on punt return, kickoff returner, [punt] returner, a lot of history in special teams. I love to compete. Anytime I get the opportunity to be on the field, I want to be out there.”

Those qualities are probably the reason the Dolphins picked him with the No. 241 overall selection. But his receiving skills are nothing to scoff at either. As Caleb Williams’ favorite receiver at USC, he put up big numbers in 2023:

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Dolphins projected to have 10 picks in 2025 NFL draft

The Dolphins haven’t had much draft capital in recent offseasons, but that’s set to change in 2025.

The Miami Dolphins haven’t had much draft capital in recent offseasons, but that should change in 2025. Even after trading away a future third-round pick on Saturday, the Dolphins are still projected to have 10 selections in the 2025 NFL draft.

For now, they officially own seven picks:

  • First round
  • Second round
  • Fourth round
  • Fifth round (via Broncos)
  • Fifth round
  • Seventh round (via Bears)
  • Seventh round

The Dolphins are expected to add three more when the NFL announces compensatory selections next year.

Losing Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt to nine-digit contracts in free agency will almost definitely result in a pair of extra third-round picks getting added to the Dolphins’ list of assets. General manager Chris Grier said the team made its trade for Jaylen Wright, in part, because it expects to get those two selections next year.

“You can’t use the compensatory picks until this time next year, so the ones we anticipate were all protected,” Grier said Saturday. “But it gave us some flexibility to move around, as we talked about us being active and trying to move up in the draft previously.”

While many of Miami’s other free agency losses were negated by a few of the team’s additions, Over The Cap projects the Dolphins will also get a seventh-round pick for the departure of safety DeShon Elliott.

The Dolphins haven’t received any compensatory selections since the 2020 NFL draft and haven’t had a third-rounder since 2017.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Patrick McMorris thought the Dolphins were a spam caller so he hung up

Dolphins sixth-round pick Patrick McMorris immediately hung up on the team when they called him Saturday.

Every prospective NFL draft pick waits for their phone to ring with a team on the other line. But when the Miami Dolphins called up Cal safety Patrick McMorris to tell him he’d be taken with one of their sixth-round picks, he immediately hung up.

“I’ve been getting spam calls, and I thought this was just another one because I picked up and nothing went through for a couple seconds so I hung up,” McMorris told reporters Saturday.

Fortunately, he was ready to pick up when the Dolphins gave his number another try.

“The whole phone call, it’s just so surreal,” McMorris said. “You watch it on TV, you watch these guys get picked year-in and year-out seeing those videos of them getting the call. Now you’re being in that moment, it’s definitely a crazy experience.

“It was a dream of mine to get drafted and be able to play in the NFL. So just kind of continuously living out that dream, it was definitely an exciting moment.”

Amazingly, McMorris wasn’t the only draft pick to hang up on the Dolphins on Saturday. The team’s very next selection, USC wide receiver Tahj Washington, was so excited to celebrate with his family that he hung up before general manager Chris Grier could pass the phone to head coach Mike McDaniel.

McMorris was a two-time First Team All-Mountain West selection during his time at San Diego State. After transferring to Cal for the 2023 season, he recorded an interception, 4.5 tackles for loss, and sack and 90 tackles for the Golden Bears.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

 

Mohamed Kamara is ‘very, very angry’ he was a 5th round pick

It’s safe to say new Dolphins pass rusher Mohamed Kamara is entering the NFL with a chip on his shoulder.

It’s safe to say new Miami Dolphins pass rusher Mohamed Kamara is entering the NFL with something to prove.

“I’m very excited, but I also am very, very angry going the round that I did,” Kamara told reporters Saturday. “That’s just my personality. I knew I could’ve went higher and I wanted to go higher, but the lovely team of Miami picked me up and I’m going to give them that burning desire. I have a chip on my shoulder, so it just got even greater.”

Kamara couldn’t have done much more on the football field at Colorado State. In his last three seasons with the Rams, the pass rusher racked up 29 sacks and 42.5 tackles for loss. In 2023, he was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.

But he had to wait until the fifth round in the 2024 NFL draft to hear his name called with the No. 158 overall selection.

The likely explanation for the long wait is his 6’1 stature, less much than ideal for an NFL pass rusher.

“If you want to call me short, watch out,” Kamara said. “If you didn’t believe in me, watch out. That’s just the type of person I am, that’s what keeps me going every day. I’m never going to be satisfied.”

In Miami, Kamara will join a crowded group of pass rushers with veterans Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, and Shaquil Barrett, as well as 2024 first-round pick Chop Robinson. Still, the Colorado State alum is confident he’ll see enough snaps to make the rest of the NFL regret passing on him.

“All 31 other teams, look out because the way I’m about to play against these guys, you should’ve picked me before,” Kamara said. “That’s just the type of person I am so respect to those guys and I’m grateful for Miami for picking me up, but I know what I’m going to bring to the field and every other team has to see me.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]