Tag: DeShon Elliott

Dolphins currently projected to get 3 compensatory picks in 2025

While the Dolphins lost Christian Wilkins, Robert Hunt, and others in free agency, that should mean more draft capital in 2025.

It’s been a few years since the Miami Dolphins received a compensatory draft pick. The last time was in 2020 when the team received fourth- and seventh-round selections for losing Ja’Wuan James and Brandon Bolden.

Five years later, the Dolphins are in line to finally get some compensatory picks again.

According to Over The Cap’s projections, the sizable contracts that Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt signed with the Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers, respectively, are both likely to earn the Dolphins third-round picks in 2025.

While OTC also projects Miami will receive a seventh-round selection, that one is much less certain. For now, the additions of Jordyn Brooks, Aaron Brewer, and Kendall Fuller cancel out the losses of Andrew Van Ginkel, Raekwon Davis, and Brandon Jones. That leaves the contract signed by DeShon Elliott as just rich enough to earn a seventh-rounder.

But if the Dolphins make another move or just a few more free agents get deals elsewhere, that pick could disappear.

Either way, two third-round picks is quite a coup for Miami and will mean the Dolphins have a lot of draft capital to worth with next year.

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Steelers open to bringing back CB Patrick Peterson

Mike Tomlin said the team could bring Patrick Peterson back at some point.

One of the big offseason moves the Pittsburgh Steelers made was the release of veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson to help save the team money. When it first happened, we speculated that Peterson would be a prime candidate to return to the team at a later date and on a more cap-friendly deal.

On Sunday, head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the media about the offseason while attending the NFL Annual Meeting in Orlando and basically said the same thing.

Tomlin said the team was open to bringing Peterson back at a later date. Peterson’s best days as a shutdown cornerback may be behind him but when the team moved him to safety last season to cover injuries, he played well.

Pittsburgh signed safety DeShon Elliott as a free agent and should start next to Minkah Fitzpatrick but bringing Peterson back would give the Steelers a great three-man safety rotation.

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1 pending free agent Chargers should target: AFC East Edition

Listing one free agent from the Patriots, Bills, Jets and Dolphins who could be a fit for the Chargers.

The Chargers won’t be aggressive when it comes to signing free agents, as they’re currently $22.1 million over the projected salary cap.

While they’re cash-strapped, general manager Joe Hortiz will make some moves to have some spendings available to them so they can sign some.

That said, I will list one pending free agent from each team in the NFL that could be a realistic target for L.A.

Next up is the AFC East.

2024 NFL free agency: 30 potential targets for the Eagles

We’re looking at the top 30 potential NFL free agent targets for the Philadelphia Eagles

The 2024 NFL offseason is officially underway after the Chiefs’ 25-22 win over the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII from Las Vegas.

The league will take the next month to catch its breath, but the slowdown won’t last long, as potential free agents will face the franchise tag, and all 32 teams will head to Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine at the end of February.

The 2024 cap is expected to exceed $240 million, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, and where things currently stand, Philadelphia is expected to have roughly $20,284,984 in cap space.

The Birds are set to have 20 pending free agents, and with another likely retool schedule on defense, the organization could conjure up a scheme for more flexibility.

According to Over the Cap’s potential transaction chart, the Eagles can easily create $35.4 million in cap space by making these five moves.

With the new league year fast approaching, we’re looking at 30 potential free-agent targets for Philadelphia.

10 safeties the Colts should target in free agency

Taking a look at some safety options for Indy in free agency.

There are plenty of question marks that surround the safety group for the Indianapolis Colts entering the 2024 offseason.

The first is whether Chris Ballard will re-sign Julian Blackmon. He’s the proven player of the group and if he does depart this offseason, then it would leave a glaring hole on the defense.

There is promise with Nick Cross but it’s a bet on his development this offseason while Rodney Thomas II has to rebound to how he performed his rookie season or he could be fighting for a roster spot.

With or without Blackmon on the roster, a veteran option should be considered by Ballard. The good news is that there is a quality group of safeties set to hit the market.

We should note that we understand a handful of these players won’t even hit the market, but we’re working under the hypothetical scenario that they become available, regardless of how slim the chances are.

If Chris Ballard decides to add to the position group via free agency, here are 10 players that the front office should target.

Dolphins facing several free agent decisions in the secondary

Miami has decisions to make in the secondary.

The Miami Dolphins have a crossroads type of an offseason which officially begins in under a week when the franchise tag window opens on February 20 and goes through March 5. In previous pieces, this has been discussed regarding Christian Wilkins and whether or not he will be a Dolphin for at least one more year, long-term or not at all.

Once we flip the calendar, we look to March 11, when unrestricted free agents and their representation can begin discussing potential re-signing with their teams prior to their contracts officially expiring and hitting the open market on March 13 at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Also, a topic of recent conversation has been the free agency of edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel, center Connor Williams and right guard Robert Hunt. As important as these players are for Miami to negotiate with and hopefully retain, the Dolphins have well over 20 total unrestricted free agents, many key players, or at the very least, talented team veterans who could make an impact with a new defensive coordinator.

The Dolphins have several decisions in the next few weeks beyond those previously mentioned names, who, in a nightmare scenario, will all be gone within a month’s time. However, as former Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson once preached – Re-sign your own good players first.

Having said that, let’s look at a few Dolphins defensive backs who could return or be signed elsewhere next season.

Dolphins free agent profile: Should Miami re-sign S DeShon Elliott?

Should the Miami Dolphins re-sign DeShon Elliott?

The Miami Dolphins have a number of key players expected to hit free agency in March, and none of them played more defensive snaps in 2023 than safety DeShon Elliott.

Elliott, 26, signed a one-year, $1.77 million contract with the Dolphins last offseason after spending four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and one with the Detroit Lions.

With Brandon Jones coming off of a torn ACL, there was an expectation that Elliott was going to have to step up into a starting role in Miami as Jones worked his way back into shape, and that’s exactly what he did. Jevon Holland also missed time in 2023, allowing Elliott to play 84% of the team’s defensive snaps.

The former Texas Longhorn finished the year with 82 tackles, seven passes defensed, one interception and one fumble recovered.

Now that Elliott is expected to hit the market in just over a month, what should the Dolphins do?

Elliott’s performance in 2023 doesn’t put him in line to earn a huge payday this offseason. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him receive a bit of a bump, but he probably won’t command more than $5 million annually.

While Miami is in a tough cap situation right now, they don’t really have safety depth waiting to take over. Jones and Elijah Campbell are also set to hit the market, leaving Jevon Holland as the lone safety on the Dolphins’ roster for 2024.

General manager Chris Grier could simply use one of his allotment of picks to take one in this year’s draft, but for a team that’s in a win-now mode, re-signing a known commodity like Elliott on another short one or two-year deal might make some sense. Especially considering that, again, his contract likely won’t break the bank this offseason.

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Grading the Dolphins safeties after their 2023 season

A look at Miami’s safeties, 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 safeties.

Ranking the 10 most important Dolphins free agents they should re-sign

10 pending free agents the Dolphins should consider bringing back.

The Miami Dolphins have 29 players on their current roster who are going to be free agents in 2024. Many of the pending free agents played major roles in the regular season and wild-card game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

With the season ending in major disappointment, general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel must look ahead to what the near future holds for the aqua and orange. The team has already been in the news with the departure of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

The new NFL calendar begins with free agency opening on March 13. This is a free agency that will contain massive decisions for the Dolphins on offense, defense and special teams.

Here are the top 10 most important pending free agents that the Dolphins should consider re-signing.

6 Dolphins make PFF’s top 150 free agents for 2024

Miami has some of the best pending free agents in the league, according to PFF.

The Miami Dolphins have a ton of work to do prior to the start of the 2024 league year, and while they may currently be over the cap, they still have plenty of pending free agents that they may want to consider re-signing.

Pro Football Focus recently released their list of the top 150 free agents for 2024, and the Dolphins had six of their 29 pending free agents that made the cut.

Here’s a look at who they were and where they ranked on PFF’s list: