Tag: melvin ingram

The 20 best remaining players after Day 2 of NFL free agency

It’s Day 3 of free agency. A franchise LT and safety are somehow STILL available.

Fun fact: The NFL’s negotiation window might begin on Monday, with most free-agent players locked in immediately. But the new league year doesn’t actually start until today!

It’s wild to think about after seeing all these underrated trades and handsome contracts fly around, right? (Also, it’s funny knowing most of these moves aren’t 100 percent official and can technically fall through at any time.)

However, despite most of the free agent field being combed through this year, many franchise players and stars remain available. To be quite honest with you: I don’t know why. But I’ve never professed to know precisely how an NFL GM thinks.

As Day 3 of free agency rolls on, here’s an overview of the 20 top unsigned players left. (Note: I’ve said before they’ll likely not last much longer on the open market. But nothing seems assured anymore.)

Podcast: How to improve the Browns’ defensive line in free agency

Free agency could have some answers the Browns need.

It is not a secret that the Cleveland Browns need a lot of help on the defensive line, especially at defensive tackle. In this episode, I am joined by Dawgs by Nature’s Jared Mueller to talk about some options in free agency. The team needs to improve the basement of the roster, especially in the interior as bad as it was.

Jared makes a great point that Andrew Berry likes to double-dip with free agency and the draft when he tries to fix a position. So grabbing a couple of players on the line in free agency and the draft could play out this offseason. You can listen to the episode here or watch it here to see the video version of the show.

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5 free agents the Rams should consider signing this offseason

The free agency period of the offseason begins next month and here’s a list of 5 players the Rams should consider signing.

The Kansas City Chiefs are set to face the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl, which means that the bulk of the offseason is right around the corner. Following a disappointing campaign in 2022, the Los Angeles Rams will need to reshape their roster ahead of next season.

Before the Rams begin the new league year in nearly a month, they’ll have to get under the salary cap. The reigning Super Bowl champions are currently $14 million over the cap, meaning that they’ll need to restructure contracts, release players, or even conduct trades to free up money.

Even though the Rams likely won’t have an abundance of money to throw around this offseason, here are five free agents they should consider signing.

Grading the Miami Dolphins linebackers after their 2022 season

It was a bit of a mixed bag from the linebackers.

The Miami Dolphins have finished their search for a defensive coordinator, as Vic Fangio will officially take over once the Philadelphia Eagles’ season finishes in the Super Bowl.

Fangio will have a talented unit to work with, considering there will be a few from the 2022 team returning.

For now, we’ll keep reviewing the performances of different position groups from the last season.

After starting with the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen and defensive linemen, we’ll continue the defense with the second level. These are the grades for the Dolphins linebackers during the campaign.

Dolphins LB Melvin Ingram named AFC Defensive Player of the Month

He’s been worth every penny so far.

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When the Miami Dolphins opted to sign veteran linebacker Melvin Ingram to a one-year deal later in free agency, they knew that they would be getting a consistent player who brings great leadership.

Through three games, Ingram has been worth every cent of the deal that pays him up to $5 million in 2022, as he was named the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Month for September.

The 33-year-old has played 58% of Miami’s defensive snaps, recording seven tackles, three quarterback hits, two sacks, two fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown) and one forced fumble.

Without even discussing what he’s bringing to the team in terms of energy and experience to help some of the younger linebackers learn the game, Ingram’s impact is obvious in South Florida. If he can keep up this level of play, this defense will be in great shape for a potential run.

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News, notes ahead of Dolphins-Bengals matchup

A few things to know before the TNF battle.

Four days after an emotionally and physically draining AFC East slugfest at Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Dolphins will take their 3-0 record on the road to face off against the 1-2 Cincinnati Bengals.

The Dolphins beat the Buffalo Bills to stay unbeaten through their opening three games for the first time since 2018. The 21-19 victory certainly left the Dolphins banged up, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who left the game in the second quarter after a roughing the passer hit sent him landing hard on his back. It also looked like his head hit hard on the ground following the fall.

However, despite what many speculated, it’s a back injury that Tagovailoa confirmed was the cause of his stumble immediately following said hit. It was a scary moment, as it appeared he was concussed. He enters this week, not in concussion protocol but listed with a back/ankle on the team’s Tuesday injury report.

The Dolphins also had a laundry list of players who were limited Tuesday, and while a Monday injury report was produced due to league mandate, the Dolphins didn’t practice the day after their game. They held a walk-through on Tuesday in which Terron Armstead, Hunter Long and Raekwon Davis didn’t participate in.

Among the key players limited were Xavien Howard (groin/glute), Robert Hunt (shin), Brandon Jones (chest), Zach Sieler (hand), Jaylen Waddle (groin), and Kader Kohou (ankle). Jevon Holland and Greg Little were listed as limited Monday but were upgraded to full participants Tuesday.

A mix of the short turnaround time, the traveling training room heading to Cincinnati and travel plans to avoid a hurricane that adds to the plate of rookie head coach Mike McDaniel.

An early candidate for Coach of the Year, McDaniel has a pair of Super Bowl-winning coaches that he’s defeated, as well as one contender just a few days ago. His next opponent is last season’s AFC representative in the Super Bowl.

It’s those Bengals that the Dolphins have had recent success against, winning the last two matchups from 2019 and 2020. Ironically, it was that 2019 victory late in the season that all but solidified the Bengals’ ability to finish last and win the Joe Burrow bounty for the subsequent NFL draft in 2020.

At this point, it’s very fair to say that everything happens for a reason, and both fan bases are more than content, at the moment, with how history unfolded.

In terms of franchise series history, Miami leads this matchup 18-7. The Dolphins are 3-2 in their last five matchups, including a pair of overtime victories. The most notable was the 2013 Halloween Thursday night game in Miami, when Cameron Wake’s walk-off sack and safety gave the Dolphins a 22-20 victory. The other overtime game could be considered a win for each franchise, as that was the 2019 contest.

From a primetime standpoint, Miami has seen recent success, winning five straight games under the lights, while their overall record on Thursday Night Football is 5-6. They have a chance to even up that record with a win.

Here are some news and notes heading into Week 4.

These were PFF’s 5 highest-graded Dolphins vs. Patriots

Miami got some solid performances in their win.

The Miami Dolphins, led by new head coach Mike McDaniel, defeated the New England Patriots on Sunday 20-7 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

In the season opener, Miami had some impressive performances from veterans and some surprising ones from some of their young up-and-comers.

McDaniel’s team forced the Patriots to commit three turnovers, two fumbles and an interception, that led to either a score or the end of the game completely. Offensively, while there were a couple of mistakes that were close to turnovers, they were able to keep from giving the ball up.

Here were the five highest-graded Dolphins in their first win of 2022, according to Pro Football Focus.

Melvin Ingram with scoop and score for Dolphins

The Dolphins strip Mac Jones and pick up a touchdown

The Miami Dolphins have a new regime and they are out of the blocks fast in the Mike McDaniel era.

They sent the house after Mac Jones of the New England Patriots in the second quarter on Sunday and it led to the quarterback being stripped of the football.

Melvin Ingram was on the spot as the ball bounced into his hands and he took it 2 yards for 6 points.

Miami had a 10-0 lead after the turnover.

The Dolphins are looking to open their second consecutive season with a win over Bill Belichick and the Pats.

Dolphins defense primed for big 2022 as team heads to Tampa Bay

Notes and reminders regarding Josh Boyer’s unit.

The Miami Dolphins will kick off their preseason on Saturday, Aug. 13 in Tampa Bay against the Buccaneers. Miami’s new coach Mike McDaniel and his Dolphins traveled to Tampa early for what will be a series of joint practices leading into Saturday night’s preseason opener.

While this is McDaniel’s first season as a head coach, he has 16 years of NFL coaching experience, and since his first appearance in Miami has stated his version of the Dolphins will be “all about passion and energy.”

McDaniel is known for his offensive wizardry and schemes, as he coached the 2021 San Francisco 49ers offense to be the seventh-ranked unit in the NFL, averaging 375.7 yards per game. When McDaniel was brought on board back in February, he stated to the media, “You should be able to turn on the TV and know who the team is, even if the color is distorted, by the energy that they play with, by how they bond together.”

2022 will mark the 11th season the Dolphins begin with a new head coach. On four occasions, a first-year head coach led the Dolphins to the playoffs – Don Shula in 1970, Dave Wannstedt in 2000, Tony Sparano in 2008 and Adam Gase in 2016.

Helping McDaniel will be a Dolphins’ defense that returns 95% of their 2021 unit, a group that finished fifth in the NFL in sacks with 48. Despite a rough start to the season, the second half showed this defense’s potential, as in the final nine games, Miami ranked second in scoring defense, giving up just 15.6 points per game.

Additionally, during that span, they ranked third in total defense, allowing just 275.9 yards per game, fourth in passing defense, giving up 171.3 passing yards per game and 10th in rushing defense, where they allowed only 104.6 rushing yards per contest.

13 Dolphins defensive players started at least five games for Miami in 2021, and each of those core pieces is back for coordinator Josh Boyer’s crew. Boyer, who was an apprentice to Brian Flores and his defensive scheming and has stayed on with McDaniel. With Flores fired following the 2021 season, the blueprints were left for Boyer, and clearly, his manpower remains virtually unchanged.

To add to this impressive continuity, all 11 defensive players that Miami started during last season’s Week 18 win against the New England Patriots were under the age of 30, and eight of those 11 were drafted by the Dolphins. More so, Boyer will have several defensive coaching lieutenants return. Defensive line coach Austin Clark, linebackers coach Anthony Campanile and safeties coach Steve Gregory all return to Boyer’s and McDaniel’s defensive staff.

A major returning player is, of course, defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, who has led the Dolphins in sacks the past two seasons. Not only has he gotten to the passer, but he’s also set a mark of excellence in the passes defended category. His 12 batted passes were the highest in the NFL in 2021 and most by a defensive lineman in a single season since 2016. In total since 2016, Ogbah ranks second in the category among defensive linemen, behind only Carlos Dunlap.

Remarkably, Ogbah had a streak of seven straight games with a batted pass, which, according to FOX,  is the longest streak by an NFL defensive lineman in more than 20 seasons.

On the other side of the pass-rush, second-year rising star Jaelan Phillips looks to build off his 8.5 sacks, which was a Dolphins rookie record. Phillips had a stretch in 2021 where he became the first NFL rookie since Julius Peppers in 2002 to record at least six sacks in a three-game span. Phillips ranked behind only Micah Parsons last season in sacks, as the Dallas Cowboy recorded 13.

Andrew Van Ginkel, who finished with four sacks in 2021, actually was among the league leaders in quarterback knockdowns, ranking eighth, and set his teammates up on blitzes, finishing second in the league. Van Ginkel was sent on 115 blitzes last season, behind only Tampa Bay’s Devin White. In an interesting statistical trend, in Van Ginkel’s top seven games in terms of the amount the Dolphins sent him on a blitz, Miami was 7-0.

The Dolphins also add veteran pass-rusher Melvin Ingram, who spent 2021 in Pittsburgh as well as Kansas City. While the best years from his San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers days could be behind him, he’s just a few seasons removed from a Pro Bowl appearance (2019) which capped a three-year run of earning that honor. He brings 51 career sacks to a fearsome Miami front line, which also includes Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler.

Wilkins had a tremendous 2021, leading defensive linemen with 89 tackles, a mark he tied with Steelers’ All-Pro Cameron Heyward. That mark was actually the most by a defensive lineman since 2013, and it was the most tackles by a Dolphin at the position since Jeff Cross recorded 93 in 1993.

Jerome Baker and Elandon Roberts will man the inside of the Dolphins’ linebacking corps, giving Miami a formidable front-seven rotation mixed with young talent and veterans nearing or in their prime.

Speaking of prime, it’s arguable that Xavien Howard is one of, if not the best cover cornerbacks in the NFL. Since being selected by Miami in the second round of the 2016 draft, Howard leads the league with 27 interceptions, despite missing a total of 25 games due to injury in that span.

Opposite Xavien Howard long-term this season is PUP-listed Byron Jones. When healthy, he pairs with Howard to form perhaps the league’s top cornerback duo. Listed as cornerback two on this week’s initial depth chart is Nik Needham, who will return to his natural boundary corner position in Jones’ absence. Needham shifted to slot cornerback last season and adjusted into one of the league’s rising lock-down slot corners. According to PFF, Needham’s 272 slot coverage snaps in 2021, all without allowing a TD, were the most among all cornerbacks.

Rounding out the secondary, and defense as a whole, are the young safety duo of Brandon Jones and Jevon Holland. Miami selected Jones in the third round, 70th overall, of the 2020 draft and Holland in the second round, 36th overall, in 2021’s selection process. They started 11 games together last year, and Jones led all NFL defensive backs with five sacks. Holland was among just five safeties who graded at 75 or better in both passing and running plays last season, according to PFF.

Holland finished 2021 with 68 tackles, ninth among NFL rookies, and his 10 passes defensed were tied for fourth. He was the only AFC player with multiple sacks, interceptions and fumble recoveries last year.

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Dolphins LB Melvin Ingram is just as confident as ever

He’s ready for another challenge.

The Miami Dolphins signed linebacker Melvin Ingram to a one-year deal worth roughly $4 million after a 2021 season that saw the veteran split time between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers.

At 33 years old and coming off of a season where he only recorded two sacks, Ingram was itching to get to work in training camp, as he fought with the coaching staff to get work in team drills during the team’s first session.

After their second session on Thursday, Ingram spoke to the media and was asked if he’s entrenched in his new team, and the linebacker displayed some of his patented confidence.

“A thousand percent,” Ingram said. “Man, I’m me – I’m (going to) fit in anywhere. It’s just me, man. I’m different. I’m a special person. So I fit in no matter where I go. I’m going to come in and do whatever they ask me to do, how they want me to do it, when they want me to do it. So I’m going to fit in no matter where I go.”

With his age and production dipping a bit, Ingram was being asked about playing in a rotational role before he cut off the question.

“I’m (going to) still be me,” Ingram said. “Let me cut you off – I’m (going to) still be me.”

While the sack numbers are down, his pressures are still impressive. According to Pro Football Focus, Ingram created pressure on 11% of his pass-rushing snaps in 2021, which is roughly the same as Emmanuel Ogbah, who finished the season with nine sacks before receiving a large extension.

If Ingram is still creating pressure and forcing quarterbacks to make mistakes, that’s just as important as getting sacks. If he’s doing that, he proves that he’s still him.

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