3 Dolphins change jersey numbers ahead of 2024 opener

Three Dolphins players made number swaps now that training camp is over.

A lot of jersey numbers became newly available last week when the Miami Dolphins cut their active roster from 90 players to 53, and a handful of players pounced at the chance to make a swap.

At practice Monday, three Dolphins were spotted wearing new numbers:

  • DL Da’Shawn Hand changed from No. 91 to No. 90
  • S Marcus Maye changed from No. 46 to No. 26
  • OLB Emmanuel Ogbah changed from No. 51 to No. 91

Ogbah wore the No. 91 jersey in each of his first four seasons with the Dolphins. When he was released earlier this year, Hand inherited the number after giving up his No. 93 to the newly acquired Calais Campbell. For the second time this year, Hand accommodated a teammate by changing his number.

Maye wore No. 26 in his first two seasons with the New York Jets before swapping to No. 20 in his last three years. He later wore No. 6 with the New Orleans Saints.

When Maye arrived with the Dolphins in June, his three former numbers were occupied by Anthony Walker Jr. (No. 6), Jordyn Brooks (No. 20), and Salvon Ahmed (No. 26). Both Walker and Brooks still own those jerseys, but Ahmed was released by the Dolphins in August. The No. 26 then briefly belonged to Zander Horvath, who was waived Tuesday.

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Analyzing the terms of Dolphins DL Da’Shawn Hand’s new contract

Here’s what Dolphins DL Da’Shawn Hand’s new contract looks like.

With both Christian Wilkins and Raekwon Davis hitting the market this offseason, the Miami Dolphins needed to put forth a concerted effort to bring in veterans to play along the defensive line.

One of the moves that general manager Chris Grier made in the first week of free agency was re-signing defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand.

Hand, 28, agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.29 million to rejoin the Dolphins for his second season with the team.

According to Over the Cap, he will receive a $1.13 million base salary and a $167,500 signing bonus. His cap number for the 2024 season is currently set at $1.15 million.

This contract far from guarantees Hand a spot on the roster, as releasing him would save $985,000 while the team would incur a dead-cap hit of just $167,500 (the signing bonus).

Miami appears to be holding a competition for snaps next to and behind Zach Sieler for this upcoming season. Hand will have to beat out Benito Jones, Brandon Pili, Jonathan Harris, Isaiah Mack, Neville Gallimore and Daviyon Nixon to earn playing time.

It’s not impossible because he’s been here for a year, but he’s also playing in a new scheme after the team replaced defensive coordinator Vic Fangio with Anthony Weaver.

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Dolphins free agent profile: What does the future hold for Da’Shawn Hand?

Should the Dolphins try to bring back the depth defensive lineman?

The Miami Dolphins have a slew of players who are expected to hit free agency this month, including a defensive lineman who joined the team right before the start of the 2023 season – Da’Shawn Hand.

Hand, 28, was originally a fourth-round selection by the Detroit Lions in 2018 following a collegiate career at Alabama that included two national championships and Second-team All-SEC honors in 2016 and 2017.

Injuries slowed down his progression during his time with the Lions, as he appeared in just 29 games before being cut in the middle of his fourth year.

Hand joined the Tennessee Titans for the 2022 season, but he was placed on injured reserve just one game into the season.

Last year, the Dolphins signed Hand and brought him back on the practice squad after he failed to make the initial roster. He was eventually brought up to the 53-man roster and played in 16 games, recording 17 tackles, three quarterback hits, two passes defensed and one sack.

With Christian Wilkins and Raekwon Davis also set to be free agents in the coming weeks, Miami may need to look at some options at this position on the market and through the draft.

Hand played a limited role for the Dolphins in 2023 (just 17.9% of the team’s defensive snaps), but he seemed to hold his own at times. Considering he’ll be inexpensive, and the team absolutely needs some depth at the position, Miami should think about bringing him back on another one-year deal to compete with Brandon Pili (and whoever else the team brings in) for their offseason program.

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Grading the Dolphins defensive linemen after their 2023 season

A look at Miami’s defensive linemen, and the year they had in 2023.

The Miami Dolphins finished their 2023 campaign with an 11-6 record and made the postseason for the second time in as many years under head coach Mike McDaniel. Unfortunately, it came to an end with a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild-card round.

While other teams are in the midst of their playoff run, it’s time to do some reflecting on the team in South Florida.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be reviewing and evaluating different positions for the Dolphins in 2023. Today, we’ll look at the defensive linemen.

Miami Dolphins sign former Alabama DT Da’Shawn Hand

Former Alabama defensive lineman, Da’Shawn Hand, joins a strong Miami Dolphins defense late in the 2023 offseason.

The Miami Dolphins were searching for a veteran presence along the defensive line and found exactly that in former Alabama defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand. With roughly a month to go in the 2023 offseason, Hand lands with a team, his fourth in five years.

Hand, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2018 draft by the Detroit Lions, hasn’t seen the field much since the 2020 season. He has been riddled with injuries but was a contributing player when healthy.

He spent the last two seasons with the Tennessee Titans.

In his career, he’s appeared in 31 games, started 11 and recorded 54 total tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks.

He joins a Dolphins team that has one of the strongest defenses in the NFL. However, the team needed depth and experience. Hand can offer that to them on what will likely be a team-friendly deal.

On the other hand, Hand can utilize this opportunity to show teams around the league what he’s capable of. It could ultimately lead to future contracts for the 27-year-old defensive tackle.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Hand and other former Alabama players in the NFL.

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Keeping up with some former Lions around the league

Here are a few notable former Lions and what’s going on with them around the NFL

The NFL’s daily transaction wire has featured a few former Detroit Lions players in the last few days. A couple made the news feed, too. Here are a few notable former Lions and what’s going on with them around the NFL.

Former Alabama DL Da’Shawn Hand placed on Titans injured reserve

Former Alabama DL Da’Shawn Hand was placed on the Titans injured reserve. He signed with the orginzation during the offseason.

Former Alabama defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand was placed on the Titans’ injured reserve on Tuesday. According to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, Hand suffered a torn quad in Sunday’s opener against the New York Giants. He is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Hand spent four seasons in Tuscaloosa playing defensive end and defensive tackle. He was rated as the No. 5 overall recruit in the nation, according to 247Sports’ recruiting rankings. The hype was certainly there as he made his arrival on campus in 2014.

Hand went on to record 64 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks during his career at Alabama. As a senior, he would receive Second-Team All-SEC from coaches around the conference. After his senior season, he was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

He spent four seasons with the Lions before being released in 2021. He would then sign with the Indianapolis Colts practice squad. After spending ten days with the team, he was released by the Colts. In January, he was signed to the Tennessee Titans practice squad.

Unfortunately, he will have to wait a year in all likelihood before he records his first tackle with his new team. We certainly wish Hand a quick and smooth recovery moving forward.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Hand’s injury status as well as other former Alabama players in the NFL.

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Titans place A.J. Moore, Da’Shawn Hand on IR among 3 moves

The Titans’ injured reserve list is now up to seven players.

The Tennessee Titans announced three roster moves on Tuesday, two of which included the placing of players on injured reserve.

The team announced safety A.J. Moore and defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand have been placed on IR. According to reports, Hand suffered a torn quad in Week 1, while Moore has an unspecified ankle injury. Both are expected to miss the rest of the 2021 campaign.

In addition to those moves, the Titans signed defensive back Nate Brooks to the practice squad. Brooks has been with the Titans in training camp each of the past two years but failed to make the cut both times. He spent time on Tennessee’s practice squad in 2021, also.

The Titans did not make any additions to their active roster in the wake of putting Hand and Moore on IR, so the team has a pair of roster spots open.

With Hand and Moore on injured reserve, the Titans now have seven players on the list. Joining them are outside linebacker Harold Landry, cornerback Elijah Molden, wide receiver Racey McMath, linebacker Chance Campbell, and tight end Tommy Hudson. Landry is also expected to miss the season.

The walking wounded don’t stop there, though, as linebacker Monty Rice and kicker Caleb Shudak are on the physically unable to perform list.

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Titans’ Da’Shawn Hand out for season with quad injury

Hand is the second Titans player to suffer a season-ending injury in Week 1.

The Tennessee Titans have reportedly lost one of their defensive linemen for the season following the Week 1 loss to the New York Giants.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand suffered a torn quad on Sunday, which will end his 2022 campaign.

Hand is the second Titans player to come away with a season-ending injury after Week 1, with the other being safety A.J. Moore, who suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter.

Hand was signed to the Titans’ practice squad late in 2021 and appeared in one game. He was brought back on a futures deal in February and made the team’s 53-man roster out of training camp.

With Hand and Moore set to go on injured reserve, the Titans will have seven players on the list going into Week 2. That’s an ominous sign for Tennessee, a team that was riddled with injuries in 2021, leading to its fielding an NFL record 91 players.

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Titans sign DL Da’Shawn Hand to futures contract

The Titans now have 17 players signed to futures contracts.

The Tennessee Titans have signed defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand to a reserve/futures contract, the team announced on Tuesday.

A former fourth-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2018, Hand spent his first three-plus seasons with the team that drafted him before being waived in 2021. He played in 29 games (11 starts) for Detroit in that span.

After being waived by the Lions, Hand was signed to the Titans’ practice squad and appeared in the Week 18 win over the Houston Texans, seeing six snaps in the contest.

Hand joins 16 others who have been signed to futures deals by Tennessee so far this offseason. They are as follows:

S Jamal Carter

OL Christian DiLauro

TE Austin Fort

OL Derwin Gray

QB Kevin Hogan

WR Cody Hollister

LB Joe Jones

WR Mason Kinsey

OL Daniel Munyer

OL Jordan Roos

LB Tuzar Skipper

DB Shyheim Carter

DB Rodney Clemons

LB Nate Hall

LB Kobe Jones

DB Chris Williamson

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