Tag: Miami Dolphins News

Key things to know about Chargers’ Week 1 opponent: Dolphins

Here are some important things to know about the Dolphins ahead of the Week 1 matchup with the Chargers.

The Chargers will open up the 2023 regular season at SoFi Stadium against the Dolphins on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 1:25 p.m. PT.

To get you prepped for the Week 1 bout, here are five key things to know about Los Angeles’ opponent ahead of the matchup.

The man under center

Tua Tagovailoa led all quarterbacks last season in several categories, including passer rating, yards per passing attempt and passing touchdown percentage, despite sustaining two concussions. To help avoid the injury scares going forward, Tagovailoa changed his diet and got into a strength training program, adding 10 pounds. Additionally, he took jiu-jitsu classes on a weekly basis to avoid harmful falls on the field.

Dynamic duo

The Dolphins have two of the NFL’s most prolific wide receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. In 2022, Hill caught a career-high 119 passes for a career-high 1,710 yards and seven touchdowns. He set an NFL record for most receiving yards recorded by a player in his first season with a new team. Conversely, Waddle led Miami last season with eight receiving touchdowns and an average of 18.1 yards per catch.

New defensive mastermind

The Dolphins’ biggest splash of the offseason was hiring defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Fangio succeeded Josh Boyer, who was fired after three seasons as Miami’s DC. Before taking the job, Fangio was recently the head coach of the Broncos (2019-21). During his three seasons, Denver had one of the top defensive units. Before being a head coach, Fangio oversaw the defenses of the Panthers (1995-98), Colts (1999-2001), Texans (2002-05), 49ers (2011-14) and the Bears (2015-18). Brandon Staley is a disciple of Fangio and his system, having spent time with him in Chicago and Denver.

Prolific pass rushers

Fangio will have a handful of weapons at his disposal, led by the edge defender tandem of Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips. When Chubb and Phillips were on the field together in 2022, the team had a 40% pressure rate against opposing quarterbacks. Chubb only finished with 2.5 sacks, which is lower than what he has compiled in previous seasons, but he dealt with a couple of injuries. On the other hand, Phillips totaled seven sacks and finished in the top ten of all edge defenders in pressures with 70.

Look out for…

Jevon Holland, a third-year safety from Oregon. Holland, a playmaker on the backend, has 165 tackles, four interceptions, four sacks and 17 passes defensed across his first two seasons. Given Holland’s versatility to play safety, corner and nickel, Fangio will use him in a lot of different roles in his two-high safety look.

Dolphins waive troubled OL Isaiah Wilson

The Miami Dolphins have waived former Tennessee Titans and Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Isaiah Wilson.

The Miami Dolphins have waived former Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Isaiah Wilson. Wilson had several off-field incidents during his rookie season with the Tennessee Titans. The trend showed signs of continuing into his time with the Dolphins.

The Titans were fed up with Isaiah Wilson’s inability to act like a professional and traded Wilson to the Miami Dolphins for an exchange of seventh-round picks.

In his brief stint with Miami, Isaiah Wilson showed up late to his physical, arrived late for orientation and missed voluntary workouts Wilson promised he would attend.

We hope Wilson can get some help in the coming months.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero detailed Wilson’s disappointing tenure with Miami:

The Tennessee Titans drafted the former Georgia football star No. 29 overall  in last year’s NFL draft, but Wilson played three snaps last season.

Wilson almost jumped off a two-story balcony to avoid police at a party in Aug. 2020. Next, Wilson was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list for a second time. He then crashed his car into a wall, receiving a DUI in the process.

In Oct. 2020, Wilson totaled his car in another car accident. On Dec. 2020, he was suspended by the Titans for violating team rules and was placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Illness list. Wilson was caught partying on a boat on New Year’s Eve leading up to a key Week 17 game with NFL postseason implications.

The Tennessee Titans look at Wilson as a first-round bust. The good news was Wilson had a chance to learn from his mistakes with the Miami Dolphins, but he immediately squandered that opportunity.

The Dolphins gave Wilson a shot and his behavior did not improve. Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who attended Wilson’s high school, was unable to fix Wilson’s issues.

What’s next for Wilson goes far beyond football and we wish him luck.

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What number will former UGA OG Solomon Kindley wear on the Dolphins?

Here is what number former Georgia football OG Solomon Kindley will wear on the Miami Dolphins.

Solomon Kindley will keep his #66 that he wore at UGA, the Miami Dolphins announced on Tuesday.

Kindley, a three-year starter at offensive guard for Georgia, was selected No. 111 overall in April’s NFL Draft by the Dolphins.

On Wednesday, the Dolphins announced the signing of Kindley as well.

Kindley was part of one of the best Georgia offensive lines in recent memory and helped lead the Bulldogs to three straight seasons of 11 wins or more.

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His fellow teammates Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson were also drafted this year. Thomas went No. 4 to the Giants and Wilson No. 29 to the Titans.

Kindley brings toughness and power at the guard position. At 6-foot-4, 340 pounds, the Jacksonville, Florida native is a force inside and is a linebacker’s nightmare when he moves to the second level.

Miami Dolphins sign former Georgia OG Solomon Kindley

The Miami Dolphins have signed former Georgia football OG Solomon Kindley, the 111th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Miami Dolphins have signed their fourth round draft selection, offensive guard Solomon Kindley.

Taken at No. 111 overall in April’s NFL Draft, Kindley signed a four-year deal that will pay him $4,079,572 in base salary and signing bonus, per the Orlando Sentinel. 

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Kindley, a three-year starter for the Bulldogs, will likely compete with Ereck Flowers, Michael Deiter, Danny Isidora, Shaq Calhoun, Adam Pankey, Keaton Sutherland and fellow rookie Robert Hunt for one of the two starting guard spots on Miami’s rebuilt offensive line.

As a freshman at Georgia, Kindley was named to the Coaches’ Freshman All-SEC Team and played in over 43 games during his collegiate career.

Kindley was part of one of the best Georgia offensive lines in recent memory and helped lead the Bulldogs to three straight seasons of 11 wins or more.

His fellow teammates Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson were also drafted this year and along with Kindley.

Kindley brings toughness and power at the guard position. At 6-foot-4, 340 pounds, the Jacksonville, Florida native is a force inside and is a linebacker’s nightmare when he moves to the second level.

His signing bonus is projected to be roughly $785,000.

 

Adam Schefter reveals two NFL teams that were most interested in trading for Todd Gurley

Adam Schefter of ESPN revealed two NFL teams that were once interested in trading for former LA Rams and Georgia football RB Todd Gurley.

Before releasing Todd Gurley on Thursday, the Los Angeles Rams were in discussions with multiple NFL teams about trading the one-time superstar running back.

No team was willing to take on Gurley’s contract, so the Rams were forced to release him.

However, before releasing him, two NFL teams reportedly showed interest in making a trade in the weeks leading up to Thursday.

Related: Todd Gurley: ‘I got fired on my day off’

Related: New Falcons DE Dante Fowler wants Todd Gurley to join him in Atlanta

According to this tweet from Adam Schefter, the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons were the two teams that expressed the most interest in Gurley.

Earlier this week, the Falcons released starting running back Devonta Freeman, meaning there is room for a ball carrier on the roster.

Falcons fans are getting more and more fed up with the franchise lately – the addition of Gurley could help to cool off some heated members of the fanbase.

Will the Falcons bring Gurley back to Georgia, where he played his college ball from 2012-14?

Related: Todd Gurley to the Chiefs? Twitter thinks it’s a good fit

Related: Twitter reacts to Todd Gurley being released

Then there’s the Miami Dolphins, a team that has been projected to select fellow Bulldog running back D’Andre Swift in April’s NFL Draft.

The Dolphins inked running back Jordan Howard to a two-year, $10m contract earlier this week and now find themselves with a backfield that includes Howard, Kalen Ballage, Patrick Laird, and Myles Gaskin.

Mel Kiper has two Georgia football players going early in 2020 NFL mock draft

ESPN’s Mel Kiper has two Georgia football players taken in first round of his 2020 NFL mock draft.

ESPN’s NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has two Georgia football players going in the first round in his most recent 2020 NFL mock draft.

With the No. 8 pick in the NFL Draft, Kiper predicts the Arizona Cardinals will bolster their offensive line by selecting Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas. Kiper has Thomas as the first left tackle off the board.

Kiper wrote:

This is about the range in which we could see a run on offensive tackles, and Thomas, who has played on both the left and right, is No. 1 on my board. I debated going with a receiver here; wouldn’t Kyler Murray’s former teammate CeeDee Lamb enjoy catching a few more long touchdown passes from his friend? But this comes down to protecting the franchise quarterback, and Arizona desperately needs help along its line, particularly at left tackle, where starter D.J. Humphries is a free agent. The Cardinals also have some defensive deficiencies, so keep an eye on a defensive back, too.

Running back D’Andre Swift is the second Georgia player that Kiper has going in the first round. He has Swift going to the Miami Dolphins, who possess three first round picks, at 26 overall. Kiper also has the Dolphins taking Too Tagovailoa with the fifth pick. What a tandem that would be.

On the prediction, Dolphinswire.com sounds content with the Swift selection.

Miami’s biggest area of need is improvement in the run game. Forget positional value — Miami has enough picks that they should be focused on finding difference makers for their team. Swift definitely fits the bill as a dynamic three down back.