Tag: Miami Dolphins

Ex-Titans OL shockingly lands ahead of Lloyd Cushenberry in center rankings

In a recent rankings of NFL centers, the Titans’ starter from last season was surprisingly ranked ahead of Lloyd Cushenberry.

The Tennessee Titans gave themselves a massive upgrade at the center position after the team didn’t re-up with Aaron Brewer, who ultimately signed with the Miami Dolphins, and signed Lloyd Cushenberry to a big free-agent deal.

To be fair, Brewer actually posted a better PFF grade than Cushenberry in run-blocking last season, with Brewer scoring 6.3 points higher than Tennessee’s new center.

However, the gap was much wider in pass protection. Cushenberry gave up just one sack and 14 pressures in 647 pass-block snaps, earning him a PFF pass-block grade of 76.4 in pass protection.

Meanwhile, Brewer surrendered six sacks and 34 total pressures in 622 pass-block snaps and finished with a PFF pass-block grade of 52.5, 23.9 points lower than Cushenberry’s.

Despite all that, PFF’s Thomas Valentine ranked Brewer three spots higher than Cushenberry in his center rankings ahead of the 2024 campaign. Brewer was 11th, while Cushenberry was 14th.

Here’s what Valentine said about Brewer:

Brewer spent one season as the Titans’ starting center before signing a three-year, $21 million contract with the Dolphins. He is known more for his run-blocking abilities, earning a sixth-ranked 78.7 run-blocking grade in 2023. The Dolphins will hope Brewer can improve as a pass-blocker.

And here’s his write-up on Cush:

Cushenberry had a career year in 2023 with the Denver Broncos before earning a payday with the Titans in free agency. The former third-round pick earned a 73.2 grade in 2023, ranking 10th among centers, and allowed just 14 quarterback pressures.

Now, this is not to say that Brewer is terrible, but anyone who watched him last season knows damn well he isn’t the 11th-best center in the league.

The eye test doesn’t bear that out, nor do the numbers. We haven’t had the pleasure of watching Cushenberry close-up yet, but even PFF’s numbers show he’s better than Brewer.

If you follow PFF at least somewhat closely, you’d know that the outlet tends to have a bit of a love affair with Brewer and often overrates him more than anyone else.

However, simply ranking him ahead of Cushenberry is downright egregious.

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Will Odell Beckham Jr. even matter in fantasy this season?

Does OBJ have one last worthwhile season left in the tank?

In terms of name value, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. still moves the needle. When it comes to production on the field, however, OBJ has had little impact since his first season with the Cleveland Browns, when he caught 74 passes for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns in 2019. That includes last season as Beckham posted a 35-565-3 line with the Baltimore Ravens.

There was some hope last offseason that joining forces with quarterback Lamar Jackson would usher in a statistical renaissance for Beckham, but he started slowly, suffered an ankle injury after just two weeks, and didn’t top the 50-yard mark in a game until Nov. 5. Even while Jackson played at an MVP level, it was rookie WR Zay Flowers who ended up emerging as the de facto WR1, though Beckham did finish second in yardage while averaging a career-high 16.1 yards per catch.

A free agent once again, Beckham landed a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins. Despite checking in as the No. 3 receiver behind receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the speed-oriented nature of head coach Mike McDaniel’s offense at least creates a level of intrigue for Beckham. As noted, the veteran hasn’t had much of an impact over the past four years, but the time he looked the most dangerous was during his postseason run with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021: 21 receptions, 288 yards, and two TDs in four games before tearing his ACL during the Super Bowl.

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Despite some lean years, it’s hard to argue that Beckham won’t have an opportunity here. Last season, the Dolphins led the NFL in passing offense, but only Hill (1,799 yards) and Waddle (1,014) finished in the NFL’s top-100 in receiving yardage. The rest of Miami’s receivers — Cedrick Wilson, Braxton Berrios, Robbie Chosen, River Cracraft, and Chase Claypool — combined for 66 receptions, 807 yards, and six touchdowns; none of them reached 300 yards on the season.

On paper, Beckham is an upgrade, and he brings a couple of silver linings from last year into his new role. First, there was his aforementioned 16.1 YPC, which speaks to some resurgent big-play ability, and second, he played in 14 games, matching his highest total since 2019. If he can stay healthy and develop some chemistry with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Beckham has a chance to emerge as a dangerous third option for the Dolphins.

Fantasy football outlook

The style and prolific nature of Miami’s offense dictates you at least keep tabs on the veteran, however, and if OBJ shows signs of being a meaningful contributor he could be worth scooping up as roster depth with a little upside. The likeliest path to fantasy production is an injury taking Waddle or Hill off the field for a long stretch of time.

Entering his age-32 season and four full years removed from his last semi-impactful effort, Beckham isn’t someone you can rely on.

Panthers reportedly expected to sign standout UFL WR

The Panthers are reportedly set to sign a member of the inaugural All-UFL Team.

The Carolina Panthers may finally be filling that empty spot on their current roster.

According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the team is expected to sign wide receiver Daewood Davis. The 25-year-old pass catcher is fresh off spending the 2024 United Football League season with the Memphis Showboats.

A Broward County, Fla. native, Davis split his collegiate career between the University of Oregon (2017 to 2020) and Western Kentucky University (2021 to 2022). He’d shine in his two seasons for the Hilltoppers, reeling in 106 receptions for 1,625 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Davis proceeded to sign with the Miami Dolphins after going undrafted in 2023. He was later waived with an injury settlement during the team’s roster cutdown in August.

The UFL’s Showboats came calling in October, signing the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder a few months after his release from Miami. He’d go on to amass the seventh-most receiving yards (446) and second-most receiving touchdowns (five) in the league, earning a spot on the inaugural All-UFL Team.

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Mike McDaniel says he chose his meeting times to serve as a reminder of the Dolphins’ playoff-win drought

It’s been 24 years since the Dolphins won a playoff game.

Football players and coaches come in every season with the main goal of competing for a championship. But if there’s ever a way to bring some extra inspiration, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is going to give it a try.

That apparently applies to the specific schedule of coaching staff meetings.

It has been 24 years since the Dolphins last won a playoff game. And despite an impressive start last season, the Dolphins lost, 26-7, to Kansas City in a historically cold wild-card round game at Arrowhead Stadium. McDaniel went into the offseason hoping to drive forward the Dolphins’ goal of breaking that drought. That meant scheduling offseason staff meetings at the 24th minute of an hour just so his coaches don’t forget that it’s been 24 years between playoff wins.

McDaniel said to reporters on Thursday:

“Why not have for half the offseason, you’re trying to have staff meetings at different times during the day … Every staff meeting I put at like 7:24 or 3:24 or 5:24 — the number 24. To you guys, it means nothing. That’s how many years it’s been since this organization has won a playoff game. We are going to hear about it come playoff time. You think? So to me, you do that to empower guys to know what’s coming to understand it, to not run from it.”

It doesn’t get any more Football Guy than that. But as far as motivational tactics go, McDaniel is known to take unique approaches.

Fans had thoughts on the explanation as well.

This was how Twitter/X reacted

Miami Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle lands three-year extension

Miami Dolphins lock former Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle up for three more years as part of $8475m deal

Two of the top priorities for the Miami Dolphins this offseason have been to sign former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receiver [autotag]Jaylen Waddle[/autotag] to contract extensions. While Tagovailoa’s deal is still a work in process, the Dolphins and Waddle were able to come to an agreement on a three-year deal worth up to $84.75 million with $76 million being guaranteed.

Waddle was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft and has been an absolute homerun for the organization and his former college QB. Through three years in the league, Waddle has appeared in 49 games, starting all of them, and posting 256 total receptions for 3,460 yards and 18 touchdowns.

In 2022, Waddle led the NFL in yards per reception with 18.1 ypc making him one of the most dynamic playmakers in the league.

Heading into the 2024 season, the Dolphins will have a real chance to win the AFC East after Stefon Diggs departed from the Buffalo Bills and Aaron Rodgers returns from a torn Achilles to the New York Jets.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football news as the 2024 offseason progresses.

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Brandon Aiyuk contract is going to be so much money

Brandon Aiyuk’s contract extension is about to be so expensive.

The 49ers do business by waiting until the soft deadline of training camp to start ramping up contract negotiations. Doing so may be costing them some money on Brandon Aiyuk’s extension.

Just two days after Nico Collins received a three-year extension worth up to $75 million with $52 million guaranteed from the Texans, Jaylen Waddle of the Dolphins got a three-year extension worth up to $84.75 million with $76 million guaranteed according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Collins’ $52 million guaranteed was the second-most among WRs behind Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill, who was just over $52 million. That was very likely going to be the guaranteed number Aiyuk’s camp was circling as a ballpark figure for what the All-Pro WR would want.

Now Waddle’s $76 million guaranteed sets a new standard.

Perhaps Aiyuk will allow the guaranteed money to come in lower than Waddle, who has three 1,000-yard seasons under his belt and 18 touchdown catches in three NFL seasons. Aiyuk is at two 1,000-yard seasons with 25 touchdown receptions in four years. Waddle has never earned an All-Pro nod. Aiyuk was a Second-Team All-Pro last season.

This is going to get sticky for the 49ers as they try and navigate the salary cap in a reality where they’ll eventually have a quarterback making top-of-market money. However, the Dolphins have now paid two top-flight WRs to help support their QB who is also expected to get a sizable contract this offseason. Pairing good WRs with young QBs is a quality team-building strategy the 49ers should certainly be looking to employ with Aiyuk and Purdy. It’s just going to be pricier than they might have imagined going into the offseason.

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Dolphins, Jaylen Waddle agree to $84.75M extension

Jaylen Waddle and the Dolphins have agreed to a 3-year deal worth $84.75 million – including $76 million guaranteed

The Miami Dolphins are making sure their tandem of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle stays intact for at least a few more years. On Thursday, the Dolphins and Waddle agreed to a three-year extension worth $84.75 million, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

The deal includes $76 million guaranteed and will make Waddle one of the five highest-paid receivers in the NFL.

Waddle is entering his fourth season in the league after being the sixth overall pick in 2021. He’s recorded at least 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons, including a career-high 1,356 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022. He led the NFL with an average of 18.1 yards per catch that season.

Incredibly, he’s the first player in Dolphins history to have at least 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first three seasons in the NFL and he also holds the franchise record for the most receptions (104) and receiving yards (3,385) in a player’s first three years.

Waddle’s new contract runs through the 2028 season, two years after Hill’s deal is set to expire.

Commanders will hold joint practice with Jets this summer

The Commanders will hold a joint practice with the Jets this summer.

The Washington Commanders have three preseason games this summer—all against the AFC East. They play the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets in the preseason.

Since the NFL adopted the 17-game schedule, the league cut back to three preseason games. While that was a popular move for everyone, it was one less opportunity for roster hopefuls to show they belonged in the NFL. That led more teams to seek out joint practices with their preseason opponents.

Earlier this month, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel revealed his team would have at least one joint practice with the Commanders. McDaniel worked for Washington head coach Dan Quinn in Atlanta.

On Wednesday, New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh met with the media and said his team would also hold joint practice with the Commanders. Saleh didn’t indicate if it was one practice or multiple practices.

Saleh also has a history with Quinn dating back to when he worked under Quinn with the Seahawks.

Last summer, Washington held a pair of joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens before the two played in the preseason. It will be interesting if the Commanders schedule anything with the Patriots, too.

Source: Miami Dolphins want to extend Tua Tagovailoa before Jaylen Waddle

The Dolphins want to pay both Tua Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle, but want to take care of Tagovailoa first.

The Miami Dolphins have several financial decisions to make in the near future, and it appears that their quarterback and star receiver are both part of their long-term plans.

A source tells Touchdown Wire that the Dolphins want to ink quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to an extension before doing the same with wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.

There has been a lot of speculation around if and when the Dolphins would pay the former first-round quarterback, especially after Jared Goff was given a four-year extension worth $212 million with $170 million fully guaranteed.

Tagovailoa is coming off a year in which he led the NFL in passing yards and led the Miami Dolphins to the playoffs, marking the first time since the 2000 and 2001 seasons Miami made the postseason in consecutive years.

Waddle has had 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first three seasons, and is due for an extension at the same time as other notable star receivers including Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, and CeeDee Lamb.

The Dolphins led the NFL in total touchdowns in 2023 in large part because of their dynamic passing attack led by Tagovailoa and Waddle, who are both very much in Miami’s long-term future plans.

Tua Tagovailoa is one of the NFL’s most important players in 2024

See why one NFL analyst argues Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa is one of the most important players in the league for the 2024 season.

Former Alabama Crimson Tide football quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is one of the most divisive players in the NFL. Since being drafted No. 5 overall by the Miami Dolphins, he has performed well and improved every year. His 2024 season will be an interesting one to watch for numerous reasons.

Tagovailoa is due for a contract extension as his rookie deal is almost up. There were concerns about his throwing ability, but those were alleviated as he has sat at the top, or near the top, in various categories. There were also worries about his durability, but he quieted those concerns with a fully-healthy 2023 season that had him play in every game without missing any time due to injury.

CBS Sports’s Zachary Pereles ranked the top 100 most important players for the upcoming 2024 season and listed Tagovailoa at No. 21.

“Tua Tagovailoa isn’t just one of the NFL’s most important players to watch once the season starts, but one of the most important players until then, too. He’s due for a contract extension … if the Dolphins want to give him one. Finally healthy for a full season, Tagovailoa threw for 4,634 yards, more in a single season than any Dolphin not named Dan Marino. Tagovailoa’s inconsistencies when playing off-schedule and his struggles late in seasons cast doubt.”

With the level of talent surrounding him on the offense, Dolphins fans have set their sights on a potential Super Bowl run, headlined by the abilities of Tagovailoa. However, Miami has gone decades without a playoff win. Changing that would be huge for Tagovailoa’s case to be the highest-paid quarterback in the league.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Tagovailoa and Alabama football news as the 2024 offseason progresses.

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