Tag: Elijah Campbell

Dolphins special teamer wants chance to be a defensive starter

Elijah Campbell told the Sun Sentinel that he doesn’t want to “just be a special teams player.”

Elijah Campbell has spent the last four seasons excelling on special teams with the Miami Dolphins. Now he’s hoping to do a little more.

“I’ve always had the talent,” the reserve safety told David Furones of the Sun Sentinel last week. “It’s just about getting more opportunity, so if that opportunity presents itself next year, I’m more than competent. I was just talking with coaches, like, I’m a starter. I have the ability to be a starter in the league, and I should be.”

Campbell, 29, has played sparingly on defense and logged 76 snaps at safety during the 2024 season. That pales in comparison to the 260 snaps he played on special teams, bringing his four-year total with that unit to 1,014 snaps.

With free agency a couple months off on the horizon for Campbell, the veteran may get a chance to see if there’s another team willing to give him a shot to start on defense. But fellow Dolphins safeties Jevón Holland and Jordan Poyer are also set to become free agents in March. That could make staying in Miami a logical move for Campbell.

“I have a good relationship with the Dolphins here,” Campbell told the Sun Sentinel. “So, obviously if I could stay here, I would like to. … If it’s right, I’ll stay here. I think they want me back, and I want to be back, but [the] contract will talk.”

Campbell, who first entered the NFL with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2018, didn’t make his regular season debut until 2020 while with the New York Jets. A year later, he was claimed off waivers by the Dolphins.

In four seasons with Miami, Campbell has recorded 40 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, one tackle for loss, and two passes defended.

Dolphins reportedly signing former Jets, Saints safety Marcus Maye

The Dolphins are reportedly adding veteran safety Marcus Maye to the mix in their secondary.

The Miami Dolphins are addressing their lackluster safety depth by signing veteran Marcus Maye, according to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.

Maye, 31, spent the first five seasons of his career with the New York Jets after he was picked in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft by the team. He started 60 games with the team before joining the New Orleans Saints as a free agent in 2022 on a three-year, $28.5 million deal.

While Maye only played two seasons on that contract, he was released after starting 17 games with the Saints. He finished 2023 on the team’s injured reserve due to a shoulder issue and served a three-game suspension earlier in the year due to a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

The Dolphins have a rising star at safety in Jevon Holland, but it’s been a revolving door next to him in the secondary. The team plugged DeShon Elliott into the starting lineup on a one-year deal in 2023 and signed Jordan Poyer earlier this offseason to take over in 2024.

Behind the starting duo of Holland and Poyer, the Dolphins have veteran special teamer Elijah Campbell and sixth-round rookie Patrick McMorris who will compete with Maye for snaps.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Analyzing the terms of Dolphins DB Elijah Campbell’s new contract

Here’s what Dolphins DB Elijah Campbell’s new contract looks like.

Before this year’s free agency period even began, the Miami Dolphins kept defensive back Elijah Campbell from reaching the market himself.

Campbell, 28, agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.51 million to remain in South Florida.

According to Over the Cap, he will receive a $1.13 million base salary ($230,000 guaranteed). The contract also comes with a $125,000 signing bonus and $255,000 in per-game roster bonuses. He’ll count for $1.48 million against the cap.

This deal is not a guarantee that Campbell will be on the team when September rolls around. Miami could release the defensive back and save $1.12 million in cap space while having just a $355,000 dead cap hit.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Report: Dolphins expected to finalize bringing back DB Nik Needham

The Dolphins keep another one of their DBs around.

Per Barry Jackson, the Dolphins are interested in bringing back defensive back, Nik Needham. An undrafted free agent in 2019, Needham re-signed with Miami last season, and clearly, the versatile boundary cornerback/turn slot-specialist/safety candidate’s work is not done in South Florida.

The potential deal will help maintain consistency in a secondary that will not have Xavien Howard, the longest-tenured defensive Dolphin from last year’s team. Connecting some dots, as a rookie, Needham subbed in for an injured Howard and performed well on the outside in 2019, playing in 12 games in which he started 11. He registered 11 passes defensed, including two interceptions in relief.

Needham followed his rookie year with two consecutive seasons in which he registered a pair of interceptions, and in 2021, he was considered a top-tier slot corner in the entire NFL. In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, his 2021 coverage grade from the slot was the best in the league (90.8), as he didn’t allow a single touchdown from that area of the field that season. 2022 was looking to continue that momentum until an Achilles injury occurred in Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings, ending his season.

2023 was essentially a wash, as Needham rehabbed his injury and returned to the 53-man roster yet didn’t have ample opportunity to show his skills to then-defensive coordinator Vic Fangio during OTAs and training camp. A new defensive coordinator in Anthony Weaver could create a chance for Needham to return to his 2021 form if utilized in the slot, or should he be a prime candidate to step in for Xavien Howard, as he has proven to handle that task as well.

Intriguing as well is the fact that Needham has safety ability, and Miami does have a few more unrestricted free agents in DeShon Elliott and Brandon Jones to think about. The move to retain Needham creates flexibility, and it’s a bit unknown how this Dolphins’ secondary will look in 2024. All-World defensive back Jalen Ramsey could be used a bit more as a chess piece with this new scheme, and like Needham, fellow defensive backs Cam Smith and Kader Kohou could be moved around to different spots in the defensive backfield.

Whatever happens with the rest of the secondary, the defense, and the Dolphins, as a whole, is still up in the air. However, as this week ends, re-signing Needham was a step in the right direction. His work ethic, overall knowledge of the game, and potential are all reasons he was re-signed yet again by the team that saw his ability as a college student and took a chance on him five years ago.

Over his five-season career with the Dolphins, Needham has recorded 199 total tackles, 25 passes defensed, six interceptions, a forced fumble, and a recovered fumble. He also took an interception to the house against the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football back in 2021, a “Nik-6” as some would call it.

EDIT: The deal has been agreed to, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

Dolphins re-sign DB Elijah Campbell

Miami retains a defensive back who was set to hit the market.

The Miami Dolphins have a number of players who are set to hit the market this offseason, but they’ve managed to keep one of their own before the new league year starts.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Dolphins are re-signing defensive back Elijah Campbell, who was set to be a restricted free agent, to a one-year deal.

Campbell, 28, was originally signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2018 following a collegiate career that took him from Iowa Western to Northern Illinois and then to Northern Iowa.

After failing to make the roster as a rookie, he joined the Birmingham Iron of the AAF in 2019 and played for the XFL’s DC Defenders in 2020.

He had a quick stint with the New York Jets before being claimed by the Dolphins in September of 2021.

Over the past three seasons with Miami, he’s recorded 29 tackles and two passes defensed while mainly playing special teams.

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.

Dolphins to release TE Cethan Carter, tender DB Elijah Campbell

One goes out, and one sticks around.

With the start of the 2023 league year right around the corner, the Miami Dolphins and the other 31 teams have begun making roster moves to ensure they’re ready to go.

After it was reported that the Dolphins would release cornerback Byron Jones early Tuesday afternoon, the team followed up with two more transactions that the team made. Miami announced that they’ve released tight end Cethan Carter and tendered restricted free agent defensive back Elijah Campbell.

Carter, 27, originally signed a three-year deal with the Dolphins in 2021 after a stint with the Cincinnati Bengals. During his time in South Florida, he was primarily a special teams contributor. Unfortunately, his 2022 season ended after just five total snaps due to a concussion sustained in the opener.

The tight end’s release frees up $2.3 million, leaving no dead cap penalty.

Campbell, 27, is entering his third season with Miami after spending time with the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns as well as a season in the AAF and another in the XFL. He appeared in 16 games for the Dolphins in 2022, mostly on special teams.

It’s unclear what tender the Dolphins are using on him, but it will likely be a right of first refusal tender, which, if signed, would pay him $2.63 million in 2023.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01gtysfne73xd9y0eeyw playlist_id=01eqbwhebtqp7ahdjt player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gtysfne73xd9y0eeyw/01gtysfne73xd9y0eeyw-5fa801624e4492175defb0c17ebb9752.jpg]

Dolphins may be without two defensive backs vs. Bills

Mike McDaniel said one is unlikely to play Saturday.

The Miami Dolphins have an extremely important prime-time matchup on Saturday night against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.

Unfortunately, they may be playing this game without two defensive backs, as Elijah Campbell remains in concussion protocol, and head coach Mike McDaniel stated that he believes Eric Rowe, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, is unlikely to take the field.

After losing cornerback Nik Needham to a torn Achilles and safety Brandon Jones to a torn ACL earlier in the season, Rowe and Campbell have had to step up and take on more responsibility in Josh Boyer’s secondary.

Rowe has played 56% of the defensive snaps this year, recording 45 tackles, one pass defensed, one sack and one forced fumble. Campbell has played just 7% of the defensive snaps, with a career-high 25 snaps against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Both have the ability to play cornerback and safety, so their potential losses will affect multiple positions.

Miami will have to rely more on guys like Justin Bethel, Noah Igbinoghene, Clayton Fejedelem and Verone McKinley III. On the practice squad, the Dolphins just signed Ka’Dar Hollman, and they also have Tino Ellis and Jamal Perry.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbwhebtqp7ahdjt player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[listicle id=456178]

Dolphins activate DB Elijah Campbell off non-football injury list

Byron Jones is now the only Dolphin on a list.

The Miami Dolphins have had some pretty decent luck with injuries through the early parts of training camp.

They entered camp with Elijah Campbell on the non-football injury list and Byron Jones on the physically unable to perform list. Since then, they released defensive tackle Adam Butler with a failed physical, and center Michael Deiter has been dealing with a foot injury that’s kept him sidelined.

On Wednesday, Miami got some good news, as they were able to remove Campbell from the NFI list. He can return to participate in practice, and that will give the defensive backs even more depth and competition.

Campbell has the potential to play both safety and cornerback for the Dolphins, and that versatility could help him earn a spot on the roster or practice squad over another player who can only play one spot.

With Jones still on PUP, that might mean more opportunities for Campbell to compete at cornerback with Noah Igbinoghene and Trill Williams for that fourth cornerback role.

[listicle id=451644]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbwhebtqp7ahdjt player_id=none image=https://dolphinswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Dolphins place Byron Jones on PUP list, Elijah Campbell on NFI list

Jones had surgery this offseason.

The Miami Dolphins are getting ready to begin their first training camp under new head coach Mike McDaniel, as rookies have already reported to the facility earlier in the week.

On Tuesday, veterans will report to Miami Gardens and training camp will begin the following day. However, the team will likely be without two of their returning defensive backs, as they’ve placed Byron Jones on the physically unable to perform (PUP) and Elijah Campbell on the active/non-football injury (NFI) list.

Jones had offseason surgery on his lower leg and is still recovering from that, so this is no surprise. A player can be removed from the PUP list at any time during training camp, but they are not allowed to practice until that happens. However, if he doesn’t return before Week 1, Miami could move him to the reserve/PUP list, forcing him to miss six weeks.

Being on the NFI list, Campbell could’ve suffered whatever injury is ailing him off the football field completely. Like Jones, he could return to practice when he’s cleared.

[listicle id=451113]