Tag: Isaiah Ford

Giants host several players for minicamp tryouts

The New York Giants have a trio of new players at minicamp who are trying out for a spot on the 90-man roster.

The New York Giants opened their mandatory three-day minicamp on Tuesday and to the surprise of many, there were a trio of new names on the field.

In a rare move, the Giants invited three players to minicamp on a tryout basis — something usually reserved for rookie minicamp. Those players were wide receivers Isaiah Ford and Keelan Doss, and tight end Jaeden Graham.

The 26-year-old Ford was originally a seventh-round pick of the Dolphins in 2017. He spent the first four seasons of his career in Miami before having a brief cup of coffee with the New England Patriots and then again returning to Miami.

In 32 career games (three starts), Ford has hauled in 63 receptions for 681 yards and two touchdowns. He’s also rushed the ball once for 11 yards and recorded one tackle.

Doss, 26, was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted rookie free agent out of UC Davis in 2019. He’s also made stops with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets, plus a second stint with the Raiders.

In nine career games (two starts), Doss has caught 11 passes for 133 yards.

The 26-year-old Graham was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent out of Yale in 2018. Over the course of 32 games (zero starts), Graham has hauled in 12 receptions for 174 yards and one touchdown. He’s also recorded nine special teams tackles.

Finally, defensive tackle Kobe Smith is also among the tryout contingent.

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7 players appeared on Dolphins first injury report of Week 18

One of the players got a veteran rest day.

In preparation for their Week 18 matchup with the New England Patriots, the Miami Dolphins held their first practice of the week on Wednesday.

Brian Flores’ team had seven players listed on the day’s injury report, however, one of them was wide receiver DeVante Parker who was just getting a veteran rest day.

Defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah (quad), defensive tackle John Jenkins (illness), and wide receiver Preston Williams (illness) were limited on Wednesday. All three players were new additions to the report this week, however, Jenkins and Williams were on the COVID list until Saturday.

Three other Dolphins were full participants, including right tackle Jesse Davis (knee/elbow), wide receiver Isaiah Ford (knee), and running back Phillip Lindsay (ankle). Davis was on the report last week with a knee, but his elbow injury is new. Ford is a new addition as well, but with both players practicing fully, they shouldn’t be anything to worry about.

New England had 11 players listed for their side on Wednesday.

via. Travis Wingfield (@wingfieldNFL on Twitter)

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5 highest-graded Dolphins in their Week 15 matchup vs. the Jets

Two guys finished with an 89.5.

The Miami Dolphins earned their sixth victory in six games when they beat the New York Jets on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. This victory moved Brian Flores’ team to 7-7, as they will continue to try and push toward the playoffs.

Their strong defensive performance, which has been a trend throughout this winning streak, kept the Jets’ offense out of the end zone in the second half. New York’s only points during the final two quarters came off of a pick-six from Tua Tagovailoa.

While the offense wasn’t great, their run game was the best they’ve been all season, and it could be argued that the passing game only struggled because they didn’t have their best wide receiver.

A win is a win, and these were Pro Football Focus’ five-highest graded Dolphins in the victory.

Isaiah Ford jokes that he gets compared to an ex-girlfriend in Miami

The wideout laughed about being back and forth with the Dolphins.

Not all NFL players have the same paths. Some are top picks who get playing time right away, while others have to grind to see the field. Isaiah Ford would be a part of the latter.

Since being drafted in the seventh round in 2017, the wideout has been part of a transaction around 20 times including moves back and forth from the practice squad.

Through all that, Ford is still a depth piece for the Dolphins who got the opportunity to catch his first NFL touchdown earlier this season.

During his media availability on Monday, Ford was asked if he felt like he had nine lives with Miami.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that a few times,” Ford said while laughing. “I’ve also heard the ex-girlfriend that keeps coming back. I’ve heard that too. I think it’s a testament to the way that I’ve carried myself and the way that I work when I’m on the field and in the classroom.”

It’s awesome to see an NFL player getting these opportunities after working so hard over many years. While he’ll likely never be a top receiver for Miami, he can certainly fill a role and help the team get back on track.

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Dolphins make three roster moves ahead of their Week 7 game vs. Falcons

The Dolphins might be preparing for key players to miss Sunday’s game.

Ahead of their Week 7 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons, the Miami Dolphins made a few moves on Saturday that might be telling for the game.

Brian Flores’ team promoted wide receiver Isaiah Ford to the active roster. He’s been elevated the last couple of games due to injuries to DeVante Parker, Will Fuller, and Preston Williams. With Parker and Fuller being questionable, and Fuller being on the injured reserve, this may point to one of them missing more time than expected.

To make room for Ford, the Dolphins waived third-string quarterback Reid Sinnett. The former San Diego Torero was originally on Miami’s practice squad but was signed to the active roster when Tua Tagovailoa went down with his injury. Now that the starter is back, the Dolphins will probably try to put Sinnett back on the practice squad if he goes unclaimed.

Miami also elevated center Cameron Tom from the practice squad. This is Tom’s third NFL season but first with the Dolphins, and he has yet to play in a game in 2021. With Michael Deiter on injured reserve and Greg Mancz questionable with a groin injury, it’s likely that Tom will serve as a depth player along with Austin Reiter if Mancz struggles.

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Dolphins activate Tua Tagovailoa, elevate two practice squad WRs

The quarterback can now play if he doesn’t have a setback.

The Dolphins officially activated quarterback Tua Tagovailoa from injured reserve on Saturday, likely giving him the opportunity to start Sunday against the Jaguars.

Tagovailoa was hurt during the Week 2 matchup with the Bills when he took a shot from defensive end A.J. Epenesa. In his absence, Jacoby Brissett led the team to three losses as the starter while playing through injury in Week 5 against the Buccaneers.

Miami also elevated two wide receivers from their practice squad on Saturday, as Isaiah Ford and Kirk Merritt made the jump to the active roster.

Ford was elevated last week and was in on just three snaps, bringing in one reception for three yards. Merritt has yet to be up this year and has just one career offensive snap that came last year against Arizona.

With DeVante Parker out and Preston Williams questionable, the elevation of these two receivers could be important, as they would be the fourth and fifth options if Williams can’t go.

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Dolphins elevate two from practice squad, activate Raekwon Davis from IR

One player makes his return from IR, and two will make the leap to the active roster.

All hands are on deck for this Week 5 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Ahead of the game, the Dolphins announced that they activated defensive tackle Raekwon Davis from injured reserve and called up wide receiver Isaiah Ford and defensive end Jabaal Sheard to the active roster.

Davis, who was injured early in the Week 1 contest against the Patriot, will likely return to his normal role in the middle of the defense. His run-stuffing ability has certainly been missed, as the Dolphins have allowed 136.8 yards per game on the ground, the sixth-most in the NFL.

Ford hasn’t played in any games yet this season but has seen small roles over his past two seasons with Miami, totaling 51 receptions for 520 yards. With Fuller out, DeVante Parker’s status in question, and Jakeem Grant recently traded, Ford could be asked to step up in a game against an injury-riddled secondary.

This will also be the first game for Sheard this year. He’s been in the league for a while now, having been drafted in 2011 by Cleveland. In his 10 seasons, he’s bounced around between five teams, the Dolphins being his sixth. He’s shown some pass rush ability in the past, so he may be brought up to get as much pressure on Tom Brady as possible.

With all of the challenges Tampa Bay will present Miami with, they’ll need all the help they can get.

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Miami Dolphins sign familiar face to 2021 practice squad

Miami Dolphins sign familiar face to 2021 practice squad

The Miami Dolphins practice squad has reached the maximum limit of 17 players. And, despite the additions to the group starting as early as mid-week last week, the Dolphins themselves have only now unveiled their choices and selections formally — with the biggest surprise to make the list being the most familiar name to Dolphins fans.

We’ve known that the practice squad would contain names like Reid Sinnett, Gerrid Doaks, Kirk Merritt and others for nearly a week now. But the team’s final addition to the practice squad brings an old friend back into the fray.

Wide receiver Isaiah Ford is, once again, a Miami Dolphin.

Ford’s journey as an NFL player has been a bumpy one. He’s been cut by the Dolphins numerous times. The Dolphins even traded Ford at last year’s trade deadline to the New England Patriots. And yet by the end of the year, Ford was back in South Florida and playing with the Dolphins.

Only to be cut again this offseason. And now, returned back to the practice squad.

Ford is a likable player. He’s not overly impactful in any dynamic of the game and he isn’t a threat as an athlete; at least not in the same sense as a lot of the new additions to the Dolphins’ locker room this past offseason. But he’s savvy against zone coverage and he’s clearly tough. And at this point it is safe to presume that the coaching staff likes him quite a bit.

How else can you explain this journey that has featured numerous cuts and even a trade; only to once again see Ford with the Dolphins? Here’s hoping Ford enjoys the season in South Florida while on the practice squad but never sees game action. Because if we get to that point, something went horribly wrong with Miami’s pass catchers in 2021.

Setting expectations for Dolphins’ training camp wide receiver battle

Setting expectations for Dolphins’ training camp wide receiver battle

The Miami Dolphins entered the 2021 offseason with a dire need at an upgraded wide receiver room. The team finished the year in 2020 running on fumes, with rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa struggling to find separation from his targets; which did not allow him to build confidence throughout the course of the team’s stretch run to close the year. And so Miami went to work. And they added piece after piece until we’ve reached the point in the road that we’re now at.

The Dolphins have more wide receivers than you can shake a stick at. Fourteen of them, to be exact:

  • DeVante Parker
  • Will Fuller V
  • Jaylen Waddle
  • Albert Wilson
  • Preston Williams
  • Lynn Bowden Jr. 
  • Mack Hollins
  • Jakeem Grant
  • Malcolm Perry
  • Isaiah Ford (signed this past weekend!)
  • Allen Hurns
  • Robert Foster
  • Kirk Merritt 
  • Kai Locksley

…you got all that? Add in the presence of TE Mike Gesicki, who takes approximately 80% of his snaps from a wide receiver alignment and you’ve suddenly got a very crowded room. Very crowded indeed.

So, with the team on the doorstep of training camp and kicking off the biggest positional battle on the roster, what can we expect? Miami surprisingly brought Ford back from the brink yet again after a number of cuts and even a trade in his lengthy history of transactions with the Dolphins.

Here’s how we shake things out at this point in time with Miami’s wide receiver battle and the race to fill seven spots (our guess for how many Miami will carry on the active roster):

Locks for offensive contributions

  • DeVante Parker
  • Will Fuller V
  • Jaylen Waddle

Go ahead and put this trio into the top three spots in the wide receiver room in Sharpie — Parker is an accomplished, if not frustrating, veteran. Fuller signed a one-year deal worth in excess of $10M and Waddle was the team’s No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft. This trio isn’t going anywhere.

Special teams appeal

  • Mack Hollins
  • Robert Foster
  • Jakeem Grant

Hollins and Foster are kick coverage players on special teams who can get down the field quickly and help play contain as “gunners”; that is a valuable skill and it is a role Hollins has filled for this team quite well since he got here. Foster may have some more ceiling as an offensive weapon; which will help him if he’s directly battling Hollins for a single spot out of the 7 slots we’re handing out.

Grant’s special teams contributions are totally different; he’s exclusive as a returner. But that’s also a negative relative to his complete body of work — he’s really only been effective in the NFL to this point as a returner and his offensive impact is marginal at best. He’ll need to blow the rest of the return candidates out of the water to comfortably make the roster; a tough chore when you consider his financial commitments this season.

The danger zone

  • Albert Wilson
  • Preston Williams
  • Lynn Bowden Jr. 
  • Allen Hurns
  • Malcolm Perry

Welcome to the party! This is where things get interesting; primarily because this group of players is an odd mix of potential, experience, youth, versatility and financial implications. We’re assuming that three seats at the table will be available to these five players once you account for Parker, Fuller V, Waddle and one of the three special teams contenders.

So how do you go about making cuts from here? Hurns feels like he’s an outlier relative to the physical skillsets of the other players; but eliminating him still leaves one unenviable decision to be made. Perry and Bowden Jr. showed some promise and versatility in 2020 as rookies, but Albert Wilson is a more experienced (but not durable) version of the type of player either could eventually become.

And then there’s former UDFA Preston Williams — who has the peaks and valleys of a talented player who desperately needs reps; but can’t stay healthy enough to collect them. But he’s also very cheap while on a UDFA contract.

Little to no chance 

  • Kirk Merritt 
  • Kai Locksley
  • Isaiah Ford

Merritt was carried with the team for the season last year as a practice squad player and called up on game day — a similar role could be in his future this upcoming season. The same can be said for Locksley, a former college quarterback. Ford, however, feels like he’s entering into a tough situation with all the new faces around him in the Dolphins’ receiver room. Consider Ford got bumped off the roster with last year’s group and now add in all the new faces? It’s hard to envision him commanding a spot in the top-7.

The final breakdown

Want the cheat sheet? Here’s how we’re stacking up the positional battle for the Dolphins’ training camp battle at wide receiver:

  1. DeVante Parker (Lock)
  2. Will Fuller V (Lock)
  3. Jaylen Waddle (Lock)
  4. Albert Wilson, Preston Williams, Lynn Bowden Jr., Allen Hurns, Malcolm Perry (WR depth)
  5. Albert Wilson, Preston Williams, Lynn Bowden Jr., Allen Hurns, Malcolm Perry (WR depth)
  6. Albert Wilson, Preston Williams, Lynn Bowden Jr., Allen Hurns, Malcolm Perry (WR depth)
  7. Mack Hollins/Robert Foster/Jakeem Grant (Primarily special teams)

Longshots: Kirk Merritt, Kai Locksley, Isaiah Ford

Dolphins sign WR Isaiah Ford, cut two from offseason roster

Dolphins sign WR Isaiah Ford, cut two from offseason roster

Every time it appears as though Isaiah Ford’s run with the Miami Dolphins is coming to a close, the football gods seem to align to provide Ford with another chance. Miami traded Ford to the New England Patriots last season at the trade deadline, a deal that seemingly signaled the end of the receiver’s run in South Florida. But before the year was over, Ford was cut from New England and back in South Florida with the Dolphins.

This offseason, Ford’s contract expired. And Miami added numerous new faces to the pass catching room, presumably ending any chance of Ford being back on the team for the start of camp — right?

Wrong.

The Dolphins announced this afternoon that they are signing Ford to the expanded offseason roster once more; releasing safety Brian Cole and center Tyler Gauthier in the process.

Ford’s appeal as a receiver has come in finding spaces against zone coverage — but his functional athleticism appears to put a glass ceiling on his play as a receiver; separation against man coverage has been hard to come by in the NFL for the former Virginia Tech Hokie. To date, Ford has played in 19 NFL games and logged 51 total receptions for 520 yards on 80 career targets. He has yet to reach the end zone in his NFL career — so while he’s another face for the competition, don’t expect Ford to force his way into any significant role for the Dolphins in 2021.