Dolphins salary-cap restraints won’t keep them away from Odell Beckham Jr.

Miami’s HC says they gave star WR an offer.

This was a bit of a reset offseason for the Miami Dolphins.

That’s not much of a secret, considering they were unable to retain a number of key free agents, including Christian Wilkins, Robert Hunt and Andrew Van Ginkel, who all left for better deals that Miami was willing to offer.

At the annual league meetings, head coach Mike McDaniel admitted the team has been working within the parameters set by the league’s salary cap.

“It all comes back to the fact that there’s a finite salary cap,” McDaniel said (transcribed by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel). “And sometimes, we can’t be the kid spending the money. We have to be the parents that have to look at our budget and make sure we can pay the water bill.”

Still, the parents sometimes want to get that dessert or that new toy. For Miami, that luxury right now is wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who the team had in for a visit last week.

“Things went great with him,” McDaniel said on Monday. “We did make him an offer, and business takes time, especially with players such as Odell, who’s had a phenomenal career, still has really good football in front of him and has options. So, I think those conversations will be ongoing. We’ll see where they go.”

Behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the Dolphins lack experience at the position. At the moment, the rest of the room is filled by Braxton Berrios, River Cracraft, Erik Ezukanma, Braylon Sanders, Anthony Schwartz and Mathew Sexton.

Beckham, despite clearly not being the same player he was during his early years with the New York Giants partially due to age and injuries, could still bring a lot to Miami’s offense.

Last season, the three-time Pro Bowler recorded 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns. Cedrick Wilson Jr. held the third receiver role for the Dolphins last season and brought in just 22 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns.

The new NFL ban on the hip-drop tackle gives defenses a grim outlook

The NFL is playing a very dangerous game by outlawing the hip-drop tackle.

It was announced Monday that the NFL officially banned the hip-drop tackle via a unanimous vote by the competition committee.

This comes after several players have suffered serious foot and ankle injuries over the last handful of years due to that style of tackle. Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard suffered a fractured leg and high ankle sprain against the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs in 2023. Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews also suffered a serious ankle injury as the result of a hip-drop tackle in Week 11 of the 2023 season, which caused him to miss the rest of the regular season.

Several players have voiced their displeasures with the new rule change. Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen said via X that the league will be “2 hand touch” next.

Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland also weighed in on X, saying that tackling was now banned.

Defenders are angry, and rightfully so. The deck was already heavily stacked against them in terms of the rules, and the penalties that are handcuffed to them. If defenders make a play on the receiver who is seen as defenseless, they are penalized for unnecessary roughness simply for playing football and trying to break up a pass. Instead of a play like that being an incomplete pass and a fourth down, though, it is 15 yards and an automatic first down.

Pass rushers can’t land with all of their body weight on the quarterback when making a sack, which caused a loud outcry after several awful judgement calls on the rule. Specifically, Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips was flagged in 2022 against the Chargers after sacking Justin Herbert.

And of course there is the constantly-debated pass interference- the most frequently called defensive penalty that is always the subject of debate. If a defender is flagged for pass interference, it’s an automatic first down and spot of the foul penalty. However, if there is a call for offensive pass interference, the offensive player is flagged for only 10 yards from the previous spot.

And now there is this new hip-drop rule, which is incredibly subjective. The NFL is asking players to defy the laws of physics. If a player is running away from a defender, what else would the NFL like them to do besides grab them and pull them to the ground using their body weight? Well, I’ll tell you what they are going to do- there is going to be a lot more hits to the knee. If guys know that they’ll be penalized for wrapping a guy and dropping their body weight to make a tackle, they’ll avoid the penalty by simply diving at their opponents’ knees, which result in even more injuries. And then in two years, the NFL will ban hits to the knee, and the deck will be stacked against defenders even more.

This a dangerous game the NFL is playing. It’s one thing to want to eliminate shots to the head and neck. Everyone is for making the game safer in that regard. However, when the league continually refuses to remove field turf from the game and make all 32 stadiums have natural grass fields, which players have long called for, it’s hard to take them completely seriously when talking about player safety when they haven’t listened to their players about that nagging that has caused far more injuries than hip-drop tackles have.

This still football at the end of the day. No matter what happens, injuries are unfortunately a part of the game, and they can’t be completely eliminated. It’s a physical, contact sport. At least it was.

Breaking down the terms of new Dolphins LB Shaq Barrett’s contract

Here’s what new Dolphins LB Shaq Barrett’s contract looks like.

The Miami Dolphins needed some help on the edge this offseason with Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb recovering from season-ending injuries and Andrew Van Ginkel joining the Minnesota Vikings.

Miami added some veteran talent to the position early in free agency by bringing in Shaq Barrett.

According to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, Barrett’s deal is for one year (with four voidable years on the end) and is worth up to $9 million. He’ll receive a $7 million base salary ($1.46 million guaranteed), a $5.54 million signing bonus (prorated to $1.11 million per season due to void years) and $250,000 in per-game roster bonuses.

Considering the financial commitment, Barrett’s a lock to make the roster in 2024, but when the year is over the remainder of the prorated signing bonus ($4.43 million) will be left as a dead-cap hit in 2025 unless he’s extended.

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Panthers’ signing of Robert Hunt named amongst free agency’s riskiest moves

The 33rd Team listed the Panthers’ $100 million signing of Robert Hunt as one of the riskiest moves of free agency.

Protection these days isn’t cheap, and that could come back to bite the Carolina Panthers.

Two weeks ago, the Panthers agreed to terms with right guard Robert Hunt. Those terms, like the offensive lineman himself, were quite weighty—with the sides coming to a five-year, $100 million pact.

Hunt’s new contract, per Spotrac, makes him the second-highest paid guard in the entire league—as he sits behind only Atlanta’s Chris Lindstrom in total value, average annual value and guaranteed money.

So that, according to The 33rd Team’s Ian Valentino, is what makes the agreement one of the five riskiest of free agency. He writes:

Hunt, 27, played in 11 games in 2023 but ranked as a below-average pass blocker and run blocker in ESPN’s win rate metrics. Now, the 6-foot-6, 330-pounder is the league’s second-highest-paid right guard.

Carolina has two second-round picks and the top selections in the third and fourth rounds. Could they have found a serviceable guard instead of splurging on Hunt? Maybe not, given the franchise’s woeful offensive talent fielded in 2023.

But Hunt’s deal will almost certainly be an albatross if he doesn’t rapidly improve.

Unlike ESPN’s metrics, Hunt showed out rather favorably by Pro Football Focus’ standards. In an injury-shortened 2023 campaign, he earned career-highs in offensive and pass-blocking grades (77.1 and 74.5) along with his second-highest run-blocking mark (75.9).

So perhaps value, of multiple kinds, is just in the eye of the beholder.

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Former Dolphins CB Xavien Howard explains what it was like to play for Brian Flores

Former Dolphins CB shares what it was like to play for the team’s former HC.

For the first time in his NFL career, former Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard is a free agent and is looking for a new team to spend at least the next year with.

Howard, 30, played eight seasons for the Dolphins, making two All-Pro teams and four Pro Bowls during his time in aqua and orange. He’s also recorded the second-most interceptions in the league since he was drafted in 2016.

The former Baylor Bear did all of that despite playing for three different head coaches – Adam Gase, Brian Flores and Mike McDaniel.

Flores’ reign (2019-21) ended with some fireworks, as a lawsuit was filed against the team and the league citing discrimination which also led to the Dolphins losing multiple draft picks.

And, while there’s been much said about his attitude and relationships with his players and staff, Howard, who was in Miami for Flores’ entire tenure, recently called him a player’s coach.

“Brian Flores was like that,” Howard said on “The OGs” podcast. “He gets all of the this and that in the media, but he was a player’s coach guy. It was like, he came from the Patriots, so he’s seen greatness from the G.O.A.T. It’s his standard how he holds guys around, our team, the Dolphins at the time, he held everybody to a standard. Me and Flores probably weren’t buddy-buddy, this and that, but I respect him. How he came in there every day. He approached every day the same way. It doesn’t matter who you are, he’s going to chew your ass out if you aren’t doing something right. He isn’t going to dap you out if you’re doing something right. You’re supposed to do that.”

Flores spent the first 15 seasons of his career in professional football working for the New England Patriots under then-head coach Bill Belichick. There’s been a long list of former Patriots coaches who have gone elsewhere and have had their personalities clash with those around them.

This past season, Flores served as the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings and is set to return to the position in 2024. And, this offseason, he recruited one of his former Dolphins, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, to join him in purple and gold. Could Howard’s comments hint at him doing the same in the near future?

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Analyzing the terms of new Dolphins S Jordan Poyer’s contract

Here’s what new Dolphins S Jordan Poyer’s contract looks like.

The Miami Dolphins needed to add to the backend of their defense this offseason with both DeShon Elliott and Brandon Jones hitting free agency and eventually signing with new teams.

Miami acquired some help for new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s secondary when they signed safety Jordan Poyer.

Poyer, 33, agreed to a one-year deal worth $2 million to join the Dolphins after spending the first 12 years of his career split between the Philadelphia Eagles (2013), Cleveland Browns (2013-16) and Buffalo Bills (2017-23).

According to Over the Cap, Poyer will receive a $1.25 million base salary ($500,000 guaranteed). The deal also includes a $500,000 signing bonus and $250,000 in per-game roster bonuses. His cap hit for 2024 is set to be $1.99 million.

While Poyer is almost certainly in the team’s plans for the 2024 season, this contract doesn’t totally guarantee him a spot on the roster in September. If Miami were to cut the safety before the season starts, they’d save $985,294 while incurring a dead-cap hit of $1 million.

As long as the former Bill hasn’t fallen off of the proverbial cliff, he should be one of the main pieces in the Dolphins’ secondary alongside Jevon Holland and Jalen Ramsey.

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Breaking down the terms of Dolphins OL Robert Jones’ new contract

Here’s what Dolphins OL Robert Jones’ new contract looks like.

With a number of offensive linemen hitting the market from their 2023 roster, the Miami Dolphins went into the offseason knowing that they had to address the position by either re-signing their own guys or finding some capable veterans.

One move that general manager Chris Grier made before free agency was bringing back versatile offensive lineman Robert Jones.

Jones, 25, agreed to a one-year deal worth $2 million to rejoin the Dolphins for his fourth season with the team.

According to Over the Cap, he will receive a $1.1 million base salary ($700,000), a $500,000 signing bonus, $350,000 in per-game roster bonuses and another $50,000 in a workout bonus. He’ll count for  $1.84 million against the cap in 2024.

This contract makes it pretty likely that Jones will be on the roster when the season kicks off, as his release would save just $635,294 while incurring a dead-cap hit of $1.2 million.

At the moment, there seems to be an open competition for both guard spots in South Florida between Jones, Isaiah Wynn, Lester Cotton, Liam Eichenberg, Jack Driscoll and Chasen Hines.

Jones currently has the most NFL experience at guard with 874 snaps at the position. However, even if he doesn’t end up starting, his ability to play both guard and tackle makes him valuable as a backup.

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Best photos of new Dolphins S Jordan Poyer

Best photos of new Dolphins S Jordan Poyer.

The Miami Dolphins had two of their top three safeties hit the market this offseason, so they needed to add at least one to fill a starting spot for the 2024 season, and they found Jordan Poyer.

Poyer joins the Dolphins after playing collegiately for Oregon State and professionally for the Philadelphia Eagles (2013), Cleveland Browns (2013-2016) and Buffalo Bills (2017-23), making First-team All-Pro in 2021 and the Pro Bowl in 2022.

As Dolphins fans familiarize themselves with the team’s newest edge rusher, we’ve put together a gallery of photos from his time in Buffalo, Cleveland and Philadelphia.

Take a look:

ESPN lists AFC West team as best fit for former Dolphins CB Xavien Howard

ESPN gives best fit for former Dolphins CB Xavien Howard.

Just over a week ago, the Miami Dolphins officially released cornerback Xavien Howard, ending his eight-year tenure in aqua and orange.

During his time in South Florida, Howard was one of the most successful cornerbacks in the NFL, recording more interceptions than all but one player since he entered the league (former Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons, who is also a free agent, has one more interception in 18 more games).

Now, as Howard looks for his next opportunity, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell lists the Kansas City Chiefs as the best fit for the cornerback’s services this offseason.

Here’s what Barnwell had to say:

“I keep coming back to the Chiefs, who typically prefer younger cornerbacks but have a habit of signing overlooked playmakers in that spot. Howard’s ability to hold up in man coverage and create takeaways are skills that should appeal to them. This is less of a fit if L’Jarius Sneed comes back for 2024, but if the Chiefs trade their franchise-tagged cornerback, Howard could be one of the additions general manager Brett Veach makes to replace his top coverage guy from last season.”

Howard may not be playing his best football as he enters his age-30 season, but he can still be a difference-maker for the defending champions who are looking to become the first team to win three Super Bowls in a row.

Analyzing the terms of new Dolphins OL Aaron Brewer’s contract

Here’s what new Dolphins OL Aaron Brewer’s contract looks like.

The Miami Dolphins have signed many free agents already this offseason to fill some of the biggest holes on their roster heading into the 2024 season, including offensive lineman Aaron Brewer.

Brewer, 26, agreed to a three-year deal (with two void years tacked on the end) worth $21 million to join the Dolphins after spending his first four seasons with the Tennessee Titans.

According to Over the Cap, Brewer will receive base salaries of $1.13 million in 2024, $6.47 million in 2025 and $6.47 million in 2026. The deal also includes a $5.59 million signing bonus (prorated at $1.12 million each year), $1.28 million in per-game roster bonuses ($260,000 in 2024, $510,000 in 2025) and $75,000 in workout bonuses ($25,000 each year).

His cap hits are currently set to be $ 2.53 million in 2024, $8.12 million in 2025 and 2026 and $2.24 million in 2027.

Brewer’s contract is set to void at the end of the 2026 season, meaning that if, at that point, the team doesn’t extend him, they’ll have a $2.24 million dead-cap hit in 2027.

At this point, he appears to be the team’s starting center, but there’s a chance he could move back to guard if the team finds a more suitable option to man the middle of the line.

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