Tag: Dolphins

Dolphins waive team captain, 2023 tackles leader

A couple weeks after benching him, the Dolphins parted ways with their 2023 tackles leader Wednesday.

The Miami Dolphins waived linebacker and defensive team captain David Long Jr., the team announced Wednesday.

Long, 28, signed a two-year, $10 million deal with the Dolphins in 2023 and lived up to the contract in his first season with the team. The former Tennessee Titans linebacker was Miami’s leading tackler in 2023 with 113, along with a forced fumble, a sack, and nine tackles for loss.

His 92.6 run defense grade on Pro Football Focus ranked second among all starting players in the NFL, behind only Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby’s 92.7.

But Long’s play dropped off this season as a poor fit in Anthony Weaver’s defense. He was a liability in coverage and eventually got benched in favor of 2024 acquisition Anthony Walker Jr.

Long, who was voted a team captain before the season, counted $6.71 million against the Dolphins’ salary cap. If he’s claimed on waivers, another team will take the remainder of the deal. If he goes unclaimed, Miami will eat $3.21 million in dead salary cap space for the rest of the 2024 season.

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Tyreek Hill, 5 other Dolphins sit out Wednesday practice

Tyreek Hill continues to miss practice time with the wrist injury he suffered in August.

Tyreek Hill was one of six Miami Dolphins players absent from practice Wednesday.

Hill, 30, is dealing with a wrist injury that was suffered in August, but re-aggravated last week. While he missed two practices ahead of a Week 10 game against the Los Angeles Rams, the receiver played in the contest and finished with three receptions for 16 yards and a touchdown.

Also absent Wednesday was cornerback Kendall Fuller, who has already been ruled out for Week 11 against the Las Vegas Raiders, due to his second concussion of the season.

Wednesday participation

DNP

  • OT Terron Armstead (rest/knee)
  • DT Calais Campbell (rest)
  • CB Kendall Fuller (concussion)
  • WR Tyreek Hill (wrist)
  • OG Robert Jones (knee)
  • S Jordan Poyer (rest)

Limited

  • FB Alec Ingold (calf)
  • OG Isaiah Wynn (quad/knee)

Full

  • OLB Tyus Bowser (knee/calf)
  • TE Julian Hill (shoulder)
  • S Jevón Holland (hand/knee)
  • CB Kader Kohou (knee)
  • S Patrick McMorris (calf)

Wynn and McMorris are both on injured reserve, but had their practice windows to return opened. They would each have to be moved to the active roster to be available to play Sunday.

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Dolphins bring back rookie TE to practice squad

A day after moving Tanner Conner to the injured reserve, the Dolphins reunited with a rookie they released three weeks ago.

Three weeks after the Miami Dolphins released Hayden Rucci from the practice squad, the rookie tight end is back on the roster.

Rucci, 23, first joined the Dolphins as an undrafted rookie after the 2024 NFL draft. The former Wisconsin Badgers tight end was waived at the end of training camp and added to the practice squad, but was cut near the end of October to make room for the additions of quarterback C.J. Beathard and wide receiver Tarik Black.

The decision to bring back Rucci comes after third-year tight end Tanner Conner was moved to the injured reserve Tuesday.

While Rucci hasn’t yet appeared in a regular season game in his career, the rookie was a preseason standout with seven receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown.

The Dolphins had a vacant spot on the practice squad after signing defensive tackle Neil Farrell to the active roster Monday ahead of a Week 10 game against the Los Angeles Rams.

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Dolphins starting OT expected to miss rest of 2024 after surgery

The Dolphins are turning to Kendall Lamm (or Patrick Paul) at right tackle for the remainder of the 2024 season.

Miami Dolphins starting right tackle Austin Jackson will have knee surgery and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2024 season, according to coach Mike McDaniel.

Jackson, 25, was placed on injured reserve earlier this week after McDaniel told reporters over the weekend that surgery was “not out of the question.” However, the coach added that he didn’t believe a procedure would sideline him for the rest of the season.

Instead, the Dolphins will turn to veteran offensive tackle Kendall Lamm, who started Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams, to take over on the right side of the offensive line. Behind Lamm on the depth chart is second-round rookie Patrick Paul.

On Wednesday, McDaniel said the team will stick with Lamm in the starting lineup, although he didn’t rule out Paul eventually taking over.

“You base those decisions off day in and day out work,” McDaniel. “I was happy with the way that Kendall [Lamm] played and, it’s really like all the positions on the football team, I look at it like, yeah, that’s his job. However, my job as head of coaching is that if somebody goes and takes that job somehow, some way, or deserves an opportunity, that’s when they get it.”

Jackson signed a three-year contract extension with the Dolphins in December 2023. In eight games, Pro Football Focus credited the right tackle with allowing 15 pressures and three sacks before his injury.

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Ex-Dolphins DB says team was ‘soft as [expletive]’ in 2023

A Steelers defensive back who spent 2023 with the Dolphins says he’s glad to now be on a team with “mentally tough guys.”

Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott only spent one season with the Miami Dolphins and apparently he wasn’t impressed with their mental fortitude.

“This will be very fun,” Elliott said of the Steelers’ upcoming game against the Baltimore Ravens on the Punch Line Podcast. “I haven’t been able to play against Baltimore the way I wanted to because last year I played for a team that was soft as [expletive]. … There were some guys that were tough, but the majority of the team, they were not mentally tough individuals.

“So to be on a full team of mentally tough guys going against another mentally tough team, AFC North ball, it’s going to be fun, man.”

It isn’t a new critique of the 2023 Dolphins. Elliott’s replacement in the starting lineup, Jordan Poyer, had a similar take on Miami in the offseason after joining the team as a free agent earlier this year.

“Playing against this team over the past few years, you kind of get a sense of, ‘OK, if you get on top of this team, they might fold,’” the former Buffalo Bills safety told reporters in July. “This is just being honest, so what is that that happens in those moments where we get hit in the mouth?”

Elliott, 27, began his career with the Ravens and made a one-year stop with the Detroit Lions before joining the Dolphins on a one-year deal in 2023. In his sole season in Miami, the safety made 15 starts and recorded one interception, one tackle for loss, and 82 total tackles.

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Dolphins claim ex-Seahawks, Bills LB off waivers

The Dolphins claimed Tyrel Dodson, who was the highest graded LB in the entire NFL last season on PFF.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

Former Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills linebacker Tyrel Dodson is the newest member of the Miami Dolphins after he was claimed off waivers Tuesday, according to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.

Dodson, 26, was a surprising release for Seattle after joining the team on a one-year, $4.26 million contract in the offseason. Through nine games with the Seahawks, he was the team’s leading tackler with 71 and he added two sacks, five tackles for loss, and two pass deflections. One of those two sacks was the hit that eventually sidelined Miami quarterback Skylar Thompson.

“It was the best thing for us to move forward [without Dodson],” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said of the decision. “We’re going to give the other [linebackers] an opportunity. I hope those guys grab the opportunity by the horns. This also gives Tyrel [Dodson] an opportunity to find another spot somewhere else so he can finish the season strong.”

Prior to joining the Seahawks, Dodson began his career with the Buffalo Bills. In his fourth and final season with the team, Dodson had a breakout campaign, finishing the year with 2.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, and a stellar 90.2 grade on PFF — highest in the entire league at the position.

So far this season, he has a 65.8 grade.

The Dolphins began the year with Jordyn Brooks and David Long Jr. in the starting lineup, but recently benched Long in favor of Anthony Walker Jr.

To make room for Dodson on the 53-man roster, the Dolphins moved tight end Tanner Conner to the injured reserve.

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Where the Dolphins landed in power rankings after Week 10 win

A long overdue win earned the Dolphins a bump in experts’ power rankings.

The Miami Dolphins earned their third victory of the season Monday night, and it came after a very favorable Sunday for the franchise.

With a 23-15 win against the Los Angeles Rams, the Dolphins climbed from last to second in the AFC East and they’re now just 1.5 games behind the Denver Broncos for the final spot in the AFC playoff race.

The lack of success from so many other teams floundering below .500 made for a lot of room for the Dolphins to climb in power rankings.

Here’s where experts now rank the Dolphins heading into Week 11:

Miami will face the 2-7 Las Vegas Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday in a Week 11 matchup.

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Jevon Holland channeled Uncle Iroh in Avatar-themed sack celebration

After Jevon Holland recorded his first sack since 2022, he showed off his lightning bending technique.

Safety Jevón Holland was one of four Miami Dolphins players to get a sack Monday night. While it was the fifth of his career, it was Holland’s first sack since the 2022 season. So what better time to bust out a lightning bending celebration?

On social media, Holland confirmed that he was paying homage to Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender with his celebration.

For those unfamiliar with the show, many characters are able to manipulate or “bend” elements. Uncle Iroh is a firebending character, who has mastered the art of lightning bending by absorbing and redirecting it. He then teaches this to his nephew, Zuko, who used the technique in the clip posted by Holland.

Holland, 24, hasn’t been shy about sharing his many anime opinions on social media, which has included some Avatar takes. Perhaps we can get a Toph-inspired earthbending celebration from Holland next time.

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Drew Brees on keeping playmakers like Michael Thomas engaged in games

Drew Brees joined ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown set and shared his experience in engaging hungry playmakers — like Michael Thomas:

Legendary former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees joined ESPN’s pregame set for Monday Night Countdown before kickoff between the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams, and a key point of discussion was the trouble offenses loaded with weapons like Miami experienced in spreading the ball around.

Tyreek Hill. Jaylen Waddle. De’Von Achane. Raheem  Mostert and Jaylen Wright. Those are just some of the playmakers clamoring for touches. And Brees knows a thing or two about keeping his superstars happy. He and Michael Thomas made a lot of history together with the Saints, and he shared some insight into managing that relationship with a player who has drawn so much attention — both from opposing defenses and spectators on social media.

“Look you’re always thinking matchups. And you’re always thinking we’ve got a lot of mouths to feed, how are we going to get all these guys opportunities, especially early in the game,” Brees said on the pregame show. He pointed to how opening scripts would set up the defense to tip their hand  and show who they’re focused on taking away, at which point he and the offense could counter.

It’s just an approach that took a lot of patience. Brees continued: “And a lot of times I’d come to the sideline after Drive 1, Drive 2, and I’d look at Mike Thomas and be like ‘Hey Mike T, stay patient. Alright? They’re going to be doubling you here for a while. Alright? Young bucks, alright, you guys are going to get the ball, you’re going to get the opportunities when we’re start to make them pay here, Mike T you’re going to get your opportunities.'”

Managing that relationship was something Derek Carr struggled with after taking the reins from Brees, which led to a messy divorce between Thomas and the Saints that has repeatedly spilled out onto social media. Thomas has joined dissatisfied fans in calling for Carr’s job, and when one of Brees’ co-hosts brought that up, he gamely laughed it off.

It’s a shame things have taken such a turn for Thomas and the Saints. But if teams like the Dolphins are going to get where Brees and New Orleans have gone (Miami hasn’t won a playoff game since before Brees was drafted by the San Diego Chargers way back in 2001), they’ll need to do more to follow in his footsteps. That’s true for Carr and the modern-day Saints, too.

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Dolphins saved the state of Florida from first ever winless weekend

NFL, FBS, and FCS teams from the state of Florida were 0-11 this weekend before the Dolphins got a win.

Football teams at the NFL, FBS, and FCS level in the state of Florida had a rough weekend. The Miami Dolphins didn’t, though.

Thanks to a 23-15 win against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, the Sunshine State avoided its first ever winless weekend. Prior to the victory, the state of Florida was 0-11.

  • East Carolina 49, Florida Atlantic 14 (Thursday)
  • Texas 49, Florida 17 (Saturday)
  • Georgia Tech 28, Miami 23 (Saturday)
  • Notre Dame 52, Florida State 3 (Saturday)
  • Navy 28, South Florida 7 (Saturday)
  • Arizona State 35, Central Florida 31 (Saturday)
  • Prairie View A&M 31, Florida A&M 12 (Saturday)
  • Southern 25, Bethune-Cookman 23 (Saturday)
  • Marist 40, Stetson 31 (Saturday)
  • San Francisco 49ers 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20 (Sunday)
  • Minnesota Vikings 12, Jacksonville Jaguars 7 (Sunday)

Perhaps the Sunshine State’s curse had a Sunday night expiration date.

Had the Dolphins been unable to beat the Rams, it would’ve been an 0-12 week of results for the state. It also would’ve been the third week of NFL action with the Jaguars, Buccaneers, and Dolphins all picking up losses — another potential first.

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