Dolphins impressive in conviction to move on from missteps

Dolphins impressive in conviction to move on from missteps

Say what you will about the Miami Dolphins’ decision to waive 2020 5th-round pick Curtis Weaver this week and his subsequent claim by the Cleveland Browns, but the Dolphins do deserve a little credit for their conviction. Because the Dolphins didn’t have to release Weaver and open up a roster spot. The team very easily could have withheld Weaver on the training camp roster and then, on September 5th after cutting down to 53 active players, placed Weaver on injured reserve and protected their rights to him as a player.

The Dolphins chose not to. Which means Miami, somewhere along the way these past few months, saw enough of Curtis Weaver to know he wasn’t a player they had keep around. Perhaps the untraditional pre-draft process helped hide issues that otherwise would have been sniffed out. Whatever the reason, the Dolphins weren’t afraid of the prospect of losing Weaver despite their recent investment in him.

And that’s been a common theme for the Dolphins — an admirable quality if we’re being honest. Because as the team collects more information on their players and evaluates who they’re becoming, holding on to someone for too long or putting too much value into a player because of his investment rather than his merits can create a logjam for improving as a team. The Dolphins have plenty of examples of this “lack of ego” in their decision making process since Chris Grier and Brian Flores paired up:

  • The team cut 2019 6th-round pick Isaiah Prince in December of 2019, he failed to make it through his rookie season
  • Miami waived safety Adrian Colbert this summer after resigning him in the spring — after they picked up several other safeties to help bolster the room
  • The Dolphins still drafted QB Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 overall pick despite the investment they made in QB Josh Rosen in the spring of 2019
  • Miami tripled down on offensive linemen in the 2020 offseason despite 2019 rookie Michael Deiter being a high pick in the 2019 draft

Things sure would be a lot easier if the Dolphins bat 1.000 on their decision making process, but that is an impossible expectation to hold any NFL team to. Acting without emotion and acting without ego is a great way to keep the roster fluid and, more importantly, keep the roster improving. The Dolphins, with their new investments on the offensive line, may wake up one day next summer and see Deiter has developed and suddenly this team has a slew of depth inside.

That’s how good teams and deep rosters are born. So yes, we can second-guess some of Miami’s personnel decisions based on how quickly the team has moved on from those players. But if you’re going to do that, be sure to put every other team across the league under the same microscope — you’ll find it’s a common occurrence for all 32 franchises. But what is not as common is the other quality the Dolphins have shown: the ability to emotionally detach themselves and move on/re-invest in those position groups quickly to avoid stuffing up the development of the team.

Browns claim rookie DE Curtis Weaver from waivers

Weaver was Miami’s fifth-round pick in April out of Boise State

The Cleveland Browns have claimed rookie defensive end Curtis Weaver off waivers from the Miami Dolphins. The NFL Network and Sirius XM NFL Radio both confirmed the initial report from Tom Pelissero. The move has yet to appear on the NFL’s official transactions, however.

Weaver was Miami’s fifth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Boise State. He was waived with injury designation on Monday. The Dolphins were hopeful Weaver would go unclaimed and revert to their injured list, but the Browns swooped him up instead. As Kyle Crabbs of Dolphins Wire noted,

Yes, Miami waived Curtis Weaver, but the team did so with an injury designation, meaning the team is intending to retain Weaver’s services but place him on the injured reserve list for the 2020 season. Weaver, who suffered a foot injury during Saturday’s padded practice, is the Mountain West career leader in sacks after his time at Boise State and was widely considered a top-100 prospect in April’s draft before tumbling down to pick No. 164.

The Browns had an open roster spot after officially placing safety Grant Delpit on injured reserve with his torn Achilles.

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Dolphins gamble backfires as DE Curtis Weaver is claimed on waivers

Dolphins gamble backfires as DE Curtis Weaver is claimed on waivers

Happy trails, Curtis Weaver! We barely knew ye.

The Miami Dolphins traded up to selection Curtis Weaver with the No. 164 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but that didn’t stop the team from rolling the dice to open up another roster spot while in training camp when it became apparent that Weaver, who was injured over the weekend, will not play this season.

The Dolphins surprised yesterday with their decision to waive Weaver with the intention of adding him back onto the practice squad today once the rookie pass rusher cleared the waiver wire — but Weaver in fact was claimed. The news has just come out that the Cleveland Browns are willing to invest a camp roster spot on Weaver between now and the cut-down date to active 53-man rosters before placing Weaver on the injured reserve list for the season.

The Dolphins initially surrendered picks No. 173 and 227 overall to trade up for Weaver, so it isn’t as though Miami has sunk a ton of cost into the player — but this marks the second consecutive season that Miami will cut and lose a player before the end of their rookie season. Miami made a decision to part ways with rookie OL Isaiah Prince last fall after drafting him on Day 3 and has now parted ways with Weaver after surrendering his rights.

If the Dolphins look to contend this season and getting Trent Harris or some other defender into the building as early as possible is the necessary route, so be it. But never the less it doesn’t ease the sting of knowing that Miami wasted a draft selection, especially when that player does come at a long-term position of need and was well regarded for his pass rush prowess while at Boise State.

Miami’s callous handling of Weaver seems to indicate that they aren’t quite as enamored with him as a long-term piece and that the team could “take it or leave it” as it pertains to keeping Weaver around. They gambled and they lost — and so now they’ll have no other choice but to leave Weaver in the history books as a former Dolphin draft pick, but never really a Dolphin player after strapping on the pads for just a week of practice before landing in Cleveland.

8 AFC East stories from last week for Bills fans to know

Stories from across the AFC East for Buffalo Bills fan to know from the past week.

You’re probably all on top of the latest news surrounding the Buffalo Bills and we hope Bills Wire helped you get there. But let us keep you up to date with the Bills news, just outside the Bills’ realm.

The upcoming 2020 NFL season has many thinking the Bills are the favorite in the AFC East. But Buffalo isn’t just going to stroll into that title. The Dolphins, Jets, and of course the Patriots, will all have something to say about that.

So let’s stay on top of some of the latest headlines surrounding the Bills’ divisional foes now. Here are eight news stories from the other three AFC East teams from the last week right here:

New York Jets

Jets kicker Sam Ficken. Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Kicking battle still up in the air

Sam Ficken or Brett Maher? The Bills have a kicking battle of their own going on in training camp, but its to be between two guys that are pretty talented. Drafted rookie Tyler Bass and long-time NFL kicker Stephen Hauschka. The Jets on the other hand have two lesser-known prospects going at it, Brett Maher and Sam Ficken.

In recent years, the Jets have had huge kicker struggles. Since releasing Nick Folks, Gang Green hasn’t figured that position out. So far through their training camp, who’s the front runner? Jets Wire reports things are “neck-and-neck” between the two at camp.

“Sam and Brett are doing a very nice job,” special teams coordinator Brant Boyer said. “I see this coming down to the end here.”

If you recall, now former Jets and Bills kicker Kaare Vedvik had a brutal Week 1 against Buffalo in 2019, handing the Bills the win. Who do the Jets play in Week 1 in 2020? The Bills… again.

Dolphins release 2020 5th-round pick Curtis Weaver

Dolphins release 2020 5th-round pick Curtis Weaver

The Miami Dolphins announced yesterday evening that they were releasing 2020 5th-round selection Curtis Weaver, a surprising move after what was generally perceived to be a great value pick by the Dolphins on Day 3 of the 2020 NFL Draft. On the surface level, Weaver being released by the Dolphins isn’t a very strong endorsement for what he was able to show during his time around the team this summer — but when you dig deeper there is a clear motive for the Dolphins’ decision.

Yes, Miami waived Curtis Weaver, but the team did so with an injury designation, meaning the team is intending to retain Weaver’s services but place him on the injured reserve list for the 2020 season. Weaver, who suffered a foot injury during Saturday’s padded practice, is the Mountain West career leader in sacks after his time at Boise State and was widely considered a top-100 prospect in April’s draft before tumbling down to pick No. 164.

Because Weaver has no NFL tenure, he must be exposed to waivers before getting placed on the injured reserve list if the Dolphins hope to avoid eating up an active roster spot for camp. Miami could have avoided the waiver process by retaining Weaver on their active roster until the team cut down to 53-active players. But in undertaking this process, it suggests two things — first and foremost that the Dolphins don’t believe Weaver is going to play any time soon but also that they aren’t enamored enough with his play to avoid taking risks to retain him.

But ultimately this move makes sense for Miami for the fact that Weaver, despite his pre-draft popularity, did indeed slip into the 5th-round of the draft and there is no practice tape or preseason reps for other teams to change their opinions on him. With Weaver now carrying an injury, Miami must feel it appropriate to roll the dice and hope that no one calls their bluff after placing Weaver on the waiver wire. We’ll know this afternoon if the bet pays off and Miami can keep Weaver on injured reserve and simultaneously pick up another roster spot or not.

3 candidates to fill the void left by injury to Dolphins’ Vince Biegel

3 candidates to fill the void left by injury to Dolphins’ Vince Biegel

The Miami Dolphins have absorbed their first significant loss to the roster during training camp practices — 2019 breakout defender Vince Biegel is presumed to be lost for the year with what is reported to be a torn left Achilles tendon. Make no mistake, the loss of Biegel hurts for the Dolphins. He served as one of the team’s spark plugs in the front seven and served as one of Miami’s best pass rushers on the roster.

All of that coming in a player swap with the New Orleans Saints to ship away LB Kiko Alonso has the makings of a good deal for Miami. But without Biegel in the fray this year, Miami is going to have to alter their script for what the base defense looks like this season.

As Miami looks to reshuffle the pecking order, we can be thankful that Biegel’s play didn’t lull the Dolphins into a sense of security with their personnel on the edge; the team brought in several prominent bodies to man the perimeter of the line of scrimmage for Brian Flores’ defense.

Who are the best candidates to step in and fill the void left with the loss of Biegel? Here are three Dolphins defenders who could get a look.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

OLB Andrew Van Ginkel

A fellow former Wisconsin Badger, Van Ginkel has two years of experience and exposure playing in the same college defense as Biegel did. The trade off between the two is simple — Van Ginkel is more athletic, Biegel is more stout at the line of scrimmage. At least that was the case at Wisconsin and was the case last year. We got a limited look at Van Ginkel in 2019 after an early season injury, but Brian Flores did offer some encouraging words of Van Ginkel this morning.

“I think he’s had a good offseason. He really works hard. His strength is up. I think the first to second year leap, as some would call it, is an important one,” said Flores.

“I think he’s kind of taken that seriously and made a lot of improvements, and you can kind of see it in his game right now. Whether or not that translates into on-field production, that remains to be seen; but I’m happy with where he is.”

Dolphins agree to terms with pair of 2020 draft selections

Dolphins agree to terms with pair of 2020 draft selections

The Miami Dolphins’ bid to lock in their 2020 NFL Draft class continues into the weekend. Fourth round selection Solomon Kindley was the team’s first signing this week, but the rest of the team’s draft class appears to be in hot pursuit. The Miami Dolphins officially signed 5th-round draft selection Jason Strowbridge of North Carolina yesterday while also agreeing to terms with 5th-round pass rusher Curtis Weaver out of Boise State.

Weaver was the subject of a trade-up in April’s NFL Draft, an indication that he was a priority player that late in the process and too good of a value to risk missing out on with their next selection. Weaver, who was one of the most decorated pass rushers in this year’s draft pool, logged 34 sacks and 47.5 tackles for loss over three seasons at Boise State — and will now look to pair with Strowbridge and other new additions on Miami’s defensive line to wreak havoc on opposing AFC East passers.

Both Strowbridge and Weaver will cost the Dolphins just south of $4 million each over the life of their respective four year deals — figures made very straight forward by the league’s rookie cap standards.

In the immediate future, Strowbridge figures to be more of a hybrid player, where as Weaver is likely to make his living on the edge. The Tar Heels featured Strowbridge a fair amount on the interior throughout his college career, a quality that likely boosted his value and appeal to the Dolphins. With this duo and Kindley now signed, Miami has eight rookies left to lock into place. And at the rate they’re moving, we may well see some more traction on finalizing deals between now and the end of the weekend.

Biggest steals of the 2020 NFL Draft

See who landed the best bargains across all seven round of the 2020 NFL Draft

After three days of telecasts, interviews, and 255 selections the 2020 NFL Draft is now in the books.

We were promised chaos, uncertainty and surprises throughout the entire process. After the first 10 selections that provided no trading, we started to see a little bit of that chaos.

Prior to the undrafted free agency rush, let’s take a look at the 10 biggest steals of the class:

Trevon Diggs | CB | Alabama

Dallas Cowboys | 2nd Round | No. 51 overall

Trevon was a converted wide receiver at Alabama and Nick Saban was able to mold him into one of the best ballhawks at the position among the NFL Draft hopefuls. Most draft boards, including Luke Easterling’s board, ranked him as a top-32 player in the draft. Now he joins a team that seemingly received steal after steal over the three-day event.

8 players the Philadelphia Eagles could target in round-4 of the NFL Draft

8 players the Eagles could target in round-4 of the NFL Draft

The Philadelphia Eagles are set to begin round four of the NFL Draft but all fans can think about right now is the No. 53 overall pick being used on a quarterback for development purposes.

The 2020 NFL Draft has put Rounds 2 and 3 in the books, and there are still a handful of talented players still available on the big board.

With 149 picks to go here are eight players that the Eagles could target with their three picks in round four.

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1. Curtis Weaver, EDGE, Boise State

Weaver (6-2, 265 pounds) is a high-energy pass rusher that has a huge upside and could help the Eagles transition into a new era when Brandon Graham is done. Weaver racked up 13.5 sacks in 14 games during his final college season.

POLL: Vote on who the Lions should select at pick No. 109 overall

Heading into Day 3 of the 2020 NFL draft, vote on who you would like the Detroit Lions to select at No. 109th overall

Heading into Day 3 of the 2020 NFL Draft, general manager Bob Quinn has done a great job so far at getting quality players at positions of need.

With the selections of Jeff Okudah, D’Andre Swift, Julian Okwara, and Jonah Jackson, the Lions addressed some of the major weaknesses that were plaguing this team and set them up for potential success.

The Lions will open the draft with the 109th overall pick, and there are still quite a few quality players available that Lions could consider at this selection.

Alight Lions fans, who would you like Bob Quinn to select at 109th overall?

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