Tag: Dolphins

How new Dolphins EDGE Demeioun ‘Chop’ Robinson got his nickname

“Chop” might not be Demeioun Robinson’s legal name, but it’s what he’s been known by for his whole life.

“Chop” might not be Demeioun Robinson’s legal name, but it’s what he’s been known by for his whole life.

Before he was made the No. 21 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins, Robinson was 14 pounds at birth, and his mother gave him the nickname “porkchop” because of his size.

“I was heavy, I was huge,” Robinson said in an interview with the NFL. “I had no neck, no elbows, no knees. I had a whole bunch of fat on me.”

But over time, it was clear “porkchop” wasn’t going to last forever. As the new Dolphins pass rusher got older and slimmer, he figured it was time to change the nickname.

“I was like, I can’t have people calling me porkchop,” he said. “So I just took the pork out (and) kept the chop.”

Robinson chopped through offensive lines in college. He had 17.5 tackles for loss and and 9.5 sacks during his two-year career at Penn State and impressed during the pre-draft process.

He ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash, a 1.54-second 10-yard split, a 4.25-second 20-yard shuttle, and he jumped 128 inches in the broad jump. All of those were top-two measurements among defensive ends at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

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Dolphins pick Penn State EDGE Chop Robinson in 2024 NFL draft

The Dolphins added an edge rusher to the roster by picking Penn State’s Chop Robinson in the first round.

The Miami Dolphins picked Penn State pass rusher Demeioun “Chop” Robinson with the No. 21 overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft.

Robinson, 21, was a First-Team All-Big Ten selection in his final season with the Nittany Lions, recording 7.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles as a junior before forgoing his senior season.

While the Dolphins have a pair of star edge rushers in Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb, both suffered season-ending injuries in 2023. Phillips went down with an Achilles tear in November and Chubb suffered an ACL tear on New Year’s Eve.

Additionally, the Dolphins cut Emmanuel Ogbah to save cap space and lost Andrew Van Ginkel in free agency. While the team signed veteran Shaquil Barrett in free agency, the team had lackluster depth at the position and an uncertain situation heading into Week 1.

Other players on the board after the top 20 picks included Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton, Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy, and Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton.

The Dolphins are scheduled to make their next pick in the second round Friday at No. 55 overall. The team currently doesn’t own a third- or fourth-round pick after that selection.

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Former Saints GM Randy Mueller returns to help with 2024 draft prep

Former Saints GM Randy Mueller returned to help his old friend Mickey Loomis with 2024 draft prep:

It’s not often you see a team’s former general manager return to help out his successor, but that’s the unique position the New Orleans Saints took in  preparing for the 2024 NFL draft. Nola.com’s Jeff Duncan reported that former Saints GM Randy Mueller spent the last two weeks assisting with final evaluations.

Mueller earned recognition as the NFL Executive of the Year back in 2000, having overhauled the Saints’ roster and set them up on the road to recovery from Mike Ditka’s disastrous trade for Ricky Williams. But he was unceremoniously ousted by team owner Tom Benson just a few years later, and replaced by Loomis.

Those two go way back. Loomis followed Mueller to New Orleans from the Seattle Seahawks, and they’ve maintained a relationship even after Mueller was shown the door so many years ago. But Mueller isn’t the only former general manager that Loomis has added to the team’s war room.

Jeff Ireland is another. The former Miami Dolphins executive has ran the Saints’ college scouting department for nearly a decade, and he’s one of the most highly regarded talent evaluators in the league. And we shouldn’t overlook Dave Ziegler. The ex-Las Vegas Raiders general manager joined the Saints earlier this offseason and has been a big help on the pro day circuit helping to gather information.

So there’s really four general managers sharing their input as the Saints approached the 2024 draft: Loomis, Ireland, Ziegler, and Mueller. Hopefully their combined efforts result in some difference-making draft picks.

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Jevon Holland says new Dolphins jerseys are ‘on the way’

Jevon Holland says the Dolphins are getting new jerseys, which would be quite a surprise.

Less than an hour before the start of the 2024 NFL draft, safety Jevon Holland gave Miami Dolphins something else to be excited about too.

In a tweet, the rising star in Miami’s secondary told fans that “new jerseys are on the way.”

If true, it’s an abrupt reversal from a franchise that’s given zero indication that it plans to debut a new look any time soon. Holland hasn’t hid his hope for a jersey change.

He also hasn’t been afraid to troll from time to time.

The throwback uniforms that the team wore twice in 2023 — white against the New England Patriots and aqua against the Dallas Cowboys — are popular among Dolphins fans. But team owner Stephen Ross played a significant role in the team’s 2013 redesign and hasn’t shown signs that he wants to make another change.

While Holland’s tweet might get hopes up a bit, new jerseys for the Dolphins still don’t look likely any time soon.

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2024 NFL draft rumors: Dolphins could trade up for WR Xavier Worthy

According to one report, there’s a robust market for Xavier Worthy who is unlikely to escape the top 20 picks.

Last week, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer wrote that other NFL teams have Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy “circled” for the Miami Dolphins. With the first round of the 2024 NFL draft just hours away, another report stoked those flames.

According to SportsKeeda’s Tony Pauline, there’s a robust market for Worthy that could even see the Dolphins moving up in the draft order to secure the speed demon.

I mentioned the affection the Indianapolis Colts have for receiver Xavier Worthy earlier today after mocking to the team at the 15th pick yesterday. Word out of Detroit last night is the Colts may trade up for Worthy to ensure he’s on their roster as the franchise may have competition for the speedy wideout.

I’m told the Buffalo Bills will broach moving up for Worthy and he would also be a player the Arizona Cardinals target if they move down from the fourth spot. There is even some belief Worthy is a player the Miami Dolphins would consider moving up for. At this point, it would be a surprise if Worthy gets out of the teens.

If that report is accurate, it doesn’t sound like the Dolphins will even have the option to take Worthy if they sit back at No. 21 overall. Miami doesn’t have much ammunition to move up, though. The Dolphins own the No. 55 overall selection in the second round, but are without third- and fourth-round picks.

It’s not hard to understand why Miami is getting tied to Worthy, though. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel hasn’t hid his affinity for speedy players and Worthy is the fastest in NFL Scouting Combine history.

Worthy doesn’t seem opposed to the idea either.

The Dolphins have a star duo of receivers in place already with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. But Hill, who is now 30, may be nearing the end of his time in Miami with salary cap of $31.3 million, $34.2 million, and $56.3 million in the 2024, 2025, and 2026 seasons, respectively.

A third wide receiver could make an immediate impact too as the Dolphins struggled to find another option for Tua Tagovailoa in 2023. Tight end Durham Smythe was the team’s third leading receiver with only 366 yards.

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What time will the Miami Dolphins pick in the 2024 NFL draft?

The 2024 NFL draft will begin at 8 p.m. ET, but it’s going to be a little bit of a wait until the Dolphins are on the clock at No. 21 overall.

The 2024 NFL draft begins Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET, but it will be a while until the Miami Dolphins are on the clock.

As owners of the No. 21 pick, it will likely be at least a couple hours until the Dolphins have their turn to make a selection. Last year, the Los Angeles Chargers picked Quentin Johnston with the No. 21 selection at about 10:39 p.m. ET. In 2022, the Kansas City Chiefs moved up with a trade to get the No. 21 pick and took cornerback Trent McDuffie at 10:26 p.m. ET. In 2021, it was Kwity Paye to the Indianapolis Colts at 10:53 p.m. ET.

Of course, the pace of the draft depends on how the clock is used by the first 20 teams. And it’s also no guarantee the Dolphins will even make a selection at No. 21 overall. General manager Chris Grier hasn’t shied away from making draft day trades in the past and a trade even further down the order could make sense.

In all likelihood, the Dolphins will be on the clock at No. 21 overall around 10:30 p.m. ET. But for fans who are planning on tuning in just to see who is headed to Miami, it’d probably be a good idea to get to a television by at least 10:15 p.m. ET, just in case.

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Braxton Berrios ‘very excited’ about NFL’s new kickoff rules

Braxton Berrios says he and special teams coordinator Danny Crossman are already at work coming up with kick return strategies for 2024.

The NFL changed the kickoff rules earlier this offseason with the hope of revitalizing a portion of football that was slowly dying. Miami Dolphins return specialist Braxton Berrios couldn’t be happier about it.

“I love it. I think it brings back a really exciting play in a game where it was kind of eliminated the last few years,” Berrios told reporters Tuesday. “So I’m very excited, because I think it’s a big part of the game and a part that I love to do. So yeah, I want those [return] percentages as high as possible.”

In 2023, kickoffs resulted in touchbacks 73 percent of the time. In 17 regular season games, the Dolphins recorded only 18 kickoff returns.

That will likely change in 2024 with rule changes that incentive kicking teams to try to pin the opponent deep. Most importantly, if the kickoff reaches the end zone in the air, a touchback pushes the ball all the way to the 30-yard line.

Berrios, 28, earned All-Pro honors as a returner in 2021 when he averaged a league-best 30.4 yards per kick return while with the New York Jets. With the rule changes potentially making the return game much more valuable, Berrios said he and special teams coordinator Danny Crossman are already coming up with ideas for the 2024 season.

“[We’ve] just been bouncing off each other, strategies, what we think might happen, what we can see happening, what we think is the best way to go about it,” Berrios said. “I think Week 1 is going to be – that opening kickoff of the season is going to be very interesting all across the board.

“I don’t think we’ll see much in preseason. I think everybody is going to pop it up and let your cover guys cover and see who can block on the return team. And I think Week 1 is going to be … everybody’s going to think they have the ace of cards up their sleeves. So I really truly don’t know what to expect.”

Berrios averaged 24.5 yards on 18 kickoff returns in 2023 and 10.2 yards on 23 punt returns. In March, he re-signed with the Dolphins on a one-year deal.

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Teair Tart found Titans’ criticisms of his work ethic ‘really weird’

Teair Tart says the Dolphins don’t have to worry about his work ethic, which was questioned last year by the Titans.

Teair Tart rose from undrafted free agent to impact player during his first three seasons with the Tennessee Titans, but things went south between him and the franchise in 2023. When Tart was finally waived by the team in December, ESPN’s Turron Davenport reported it was “because of issues with his effort and attitude.”

Tart, who signed with the Miami Dolphins earlier this month, says he was puzzled by those criticisms.

“I was in Tennessee four years, I never had work ethic questions or work ethic issues until I asked for a release,” Tart told reporters Tuesday. “[With the Titans], you’ve got to play hard, you’ve got to practice hard – [so the criticism] I found really weird.

For the most part, that’s true. There’s little indication that the Titans had any issue with Tart’s effort level prior to 2023. The defensive tackle was even singled out a few times by then-head coach Mike Vrabel for extra work he put in during the offseason.

But talks of his effort and attitude also didn’t spring up when Tart and the Titans parted ways in December. The defensive tackle was kicked out of a training camp practice and frustrated coaches as the 2023 season went on. In October, Vrabel even called out Tart for “standing there watching while everyone else is playing” during a film breakdown segment on television.

“You can expect me to be competitive, spirited,” Tart said Tuesday. I’m not afraid to show emotion out there on the field and really get after it and compete. I’m really just excited for a new beginning honestly. Tennessee is the past.

“I think I just needed a culture change. I think it was just better to not be a part of that situation anymore.”

In 45 career games with the Titans, Tart recorded 16 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and one interception.

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Dolphins reportedly hosted Colorado State CB Chigozie Anusiem on visit

Chigozie Anusiem, a 6’1, 200-pound defensive back with 4.39 speed, visited the Dolphins last week.

The Miami Dolphins hosted Colorado State cornerback Chigozie Anusiem at their facility for a pre-draft visit last week, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Last week, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had Anusiem going to the Dolphins in the sixth round of his seven-round mock draft. Anusiem offers plenty of developmental talent at 6’1, 200 pounds with 4.39 speed and experience at both cornerback and safety.

While Anusiem wasn’t invited to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, his athletic profile suggests there’s a good chance he hears his name called Saturday.

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The Dolphins have a pair of starting cornerbacks in Jalen Ramsey and Kendall Fuller, as well as a couple veteran backups in Kader Kohou and Nik Needham. Miami also has 2023 second-round pick Cam Smith, who played just 20 defensive snaps in his rookie season.

Adding more to the secondary would make sense, but the Dolphins seem to be focusing on potential late-round draft picks, based off the players they’ve brought in for pre-draft visits.

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Alvin Kamara wins Florida sport fishing tournament

Alvin Kamara took some time off between Saints offseason workouts to get out on the water and reel in a tournament-winning sailfish:

Props to Alvin Kamara for making the most of his offseason. The New Orleans Saints running back headlined “The Catch” sport fishing tournament in Florida last week, teaming up with Miami Dolphins star Raheem Mostert to win the whole thing. They competed with other NFL players including Kamara’s former Saints teammates Trey Hendrickson and Jameis Winston.

One of the highlights of the fishing rodeo came when Kamara and two of his teammates hooked three sailfish at the same time. Kamara described it as “Chaos. Organized chaos … It was great. Lot of moving parts, but I think we did it effortlessly. Raheem was on there. He was fighting for his life. I was fighting for my life for a second. I got mine in first. We had to give Raheem some moral support.”

It was a fun time for all. With offseason training sessions ramping up as the summer approaches, it’s good to see veterans like Kamara making time to enjoy themselves before locking in for months of hard work.

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