Tag: robert jones

Dolphins OL coach says guard won’t get starting job back upon return

Dolphins offensive line coach Butch Barry says the team won’t shake up the starting lineup up front.

Isaiah Wynn earned starting left guard duties with the Miami Dolphins in 2023, but it was short-lived. The former New England Patriots first-round pick suffered a season-ending quad injury in Week 7 and hasn’t yet played in 2024.

But with Wynn ready to make his return to the field as early as Sunday, Miami Dolphins offensive line coach Butch Barry told reporters Thursday that the veteran lineman won’t be walking back into the starting lineup.

“[Robert Jones] has done an excellent job for us,” Barry said. “[He] continues to hone in on his craft the way we ask them to do things. He’s a great leader in the room. He’s great on the field in terms of standard and how we want to work how we go about our business.”

Jones spent most of his first three seasons with the Dolphins as a reserve lineman, but has stepped into the starting lineup on a full-time basis in 2024.

According to Pro Football Focus, Jones has given up a team-high four sacks, but his 62.1 grade is higher than Liam Eichenberg’s 53.7 and Austin Jackson’s 60.0. During the 2023 season, Wynn earned a 47.8 grade before his season-ending injury.

The Dolphins re-signed Wynn in the offseason to his second one-year deal with the team, but it seems he’ll be a backup after he’s activated from injured reserve.

“He is a professional in his approach,” Barry said of Wynn. “He’s got a great relationship with everybody in the room so he does a great job with that. … He’s getting better every day and he’s working his tail off.”

Wynn returned to practice earlier this month, but kept him on injured reserve for a Week 11 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. They can keep him on IR for the next two games as well, but can activate him to the active roster anytime prior to that.

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Alec Ingold among Dolphins 7 inactive players vs. Raiders

The Dolphins will be without their Pro Bowl fullback again Sunday.

The Miami Dolphins will be without fullback Alec Ingold for the second straight week due to a calf injury.

Ingold was one of three Dolphins still listed as questionable entering Sunday morning after the team decided to leave Isaiah Wynn and Patrick McMorris on injured reserve. The other remaining two questionable players, offensive linemen Terron Armstead and Robert Jones, are both good to go in Week 11.

With kickoff 90 minutes away, here are the seven players ruled out by each team for Sunday:

Dolphins inactives

  • RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
  • CB Ethan Bonner
  • CB Kendall Fuller
  • FB Alec Ingold
  • LB Mohamed Kamara
  • OL Andrew Meyer
  • WR Dee Eskridge

Raiders inactives

  • RB Dylan Laube
  • S Trey Taylor
  • CB Nate Hobbs
  • G Cody Whitehair
  • C Andre James
  • TE Harrison Bryant
  • DT Zach Carter

The Dolphins elevated offensive lineman Jackson Carman from the practice squad for Week 11 due to their offensive line injuries, but the inclusion of Armstead and Jones in the lineup is huge for the team’s offensive capabilities.

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Cowboys predicted to replace 9-time Pro Bowler with this AFC veteran

The Cowboys front office needs to begin thinking about the future at several positions, including RG where Zack Martin could retire or leave the org. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys season is not going the way they planned, but the way many predicted. Sitting at 3-5 through what used to be the midpoint of the season, things are looking bleak considering the schedule they will face. Dallas is now without quarterback Dak Prescott for the foreseeable future, and the foreseeable future has them taking on the 6-2 Philadelphia Eagles, 6-3 Houston Texans and 7-2 Washington Commanders over the next three weeks.

So fans who were already disgruntled are becoming apathetic towards the 2024 season and have already started looking ahead. That vision probably needs to include an offensive line without staple Zack Martin, who is a 2025 unrestricted free agent and has already hinted at retirement this past offseason. Recently Bleacher Report tried to predict who could take Martin’s place, and they landed on current Miami Dolphins starter Robert Jones.

While it will be almost impossible to fill a future Hall of Famer’s shoes, the organization should at least be looking into this year’s free-agent class at guard. Jones is a decent option as he’s been solid so far this season, posting a 64.9 grade from Pro Football Focus and allowing just seven pressures heading into this past weekend.

Jones was an undrafted free agent from the 2021 draft class out of Middle Tennessee. He’s 6-foot-4 and weighs 321 pounds. Dallas has a handful of internal candidates as well, most notably T.J. Bass, a 2023 undrafted free agent out of Oregon.

The Cowboys have nine games remaining in their season to see if any additional options emerge.

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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Dolphins re-sign OL Robert Jones

Miami is bringing back the OL before he became a restricted free agent.

The Miami Dolphins were set to have a number of players hit free agency when the new league year opened up, but they’ve done a good job re-signing a few of them back before that happens.

On Sunday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Miami continued this trend, re-signing Robert Jones.

Jones, 25, was set to be a restricted free agent in just days, but he’ll now return on a new one-year deal.

He’s played both guard spots and some right tackle since being signed by the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2021 out of Middle Tennessee.

With all the injuries the offensive line has suffered in recent years, his number has been called quite a bit. It’s important that Miami’s shores up their depth along the line this offseason, and bringing back Jones is a good start to that initiative.

Dolphins free agent profile: Robert Jones should be back in 2024

Miami should bring Robert Jones back for 2024.

The Miami Dolphins have 29 players who are expected to hit free agency in March, including a versatile offensive lineman who is the team’s lone restricted free agent – Robert Jones.

Jones, 25, was originally signed by the Dolphins in 2021 as an undrafted free agent, following a collegiate career at Middle Tennessee.

Jones made the team out of camp as a rookie, appearing in eight games and starting one at right tackle. Over the last two years, he’s only played guard, but he has a fair amount of experience (24 games and 12 starts)for a backup due to injuries to Robert Hunt, Isaiah Wynn and others.

Dealing with his own injuries in 2023, Jones was Pro Football Focus’ 44th-best guard, receiving a 57.6 overall grade, and he was their 29th-ranked run-blocking guard, earning a 62.3 grade.

Miami has a ton of questions to answer on their offensive line this offseason. Hunt, Williams and center Connor Williams are all set to be free agents, meaning there could be three new starters in 2024.

Jones, as a restricted free agent, could be tendered this offseason. A first-round tender would cost $6.82 million, a second-round tender would cost $4.89 million and a right-of-first-refusal tender would equate to roughly $2.99 million.

The last tender would probably be the most fitting for Jones, considering other teams probably aren’t going to be signing him to an offer sheet. However, wouldn’t be surprising to see the Dolphins just give him a one-year deal before the start of the offseason just in case.

Versatility on the offensive line is always great to have, and Jones can play four spots, and he’s not terrible at any of them. For that alone, Miami should do what they can to get him back for at least one more year.

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Grading the Dolphins offensive linemen after their 2023 season

A look at Miami’s offensive linemen, and the year they had in 2023.

The Miami Dolphins finished their 2023 campaign with an 11-6 record and made the postseason for the second time in as many years under head coach Mike McDaniel. Unfortunately, it came to an end with a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild-card round.

While other teams are in the midst of their playoff run, it’s time to do some reflecting on the team in South Florida.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be reviewing and evaluating different positions for the Dolphins in 2023. Today, we’ll look at the offensive linemen.

WR Braxton Berrios leads list of Dolphins’ inactives vs. Raiders

Here’s who won’t play on Sunday.

The Miami Dolphins, after a week off, are set to play in the 10th game of their 2023 campaign on Sunday, as they return home to Hard Rock Stadium for an afternoon battle with the Las Vegas Raiders.

For the matchup, the Dolphins have listed seven players as inactive, including wide receiver Braxton Berrios.

Joining Berrios on this list are right guard Robert Hunt, running back Jeff Wilson Jr., tight end Durham Smythe, offensive lineman Robert Jones, wide receiver Chase Claypool and quarterback Skylar Thompson (emergency third QB).

Miami and Las Vegas kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS

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Mike McDaniel has injury updates on injured Dolphins at bye week

Updates on a ton of injured Dolphins heading into the week off.

The Miami Dolphins have had issues with keeping their players on the field throughout their 2023 campaign.

Luckily, Week 10 brings Mike McDaniel’s team some time off, so some of those players who are dealing with bumps and bruises can rehab, relax and recover before the home stretch of the season.

McDaniel spoke to the media on both Monday and Tuesday this week and provided updates on a number of his players before the team adjourns for the week.

Dolphins OL Robert Jones suffered hyperextended knee vs. Chiefs

Robert Jones’ agent provides update on his status.

The Miami Dolphins entered Sunday’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs without both of their starting guards with Isaiah Wynn on injured reserve and Robert Hunt battling a hamstring injury.

Then, in the middle of the contest, Robert Jones, who had been filling in on the left side for Wynn, sustained an injury and had to be helped off of the field before being carted back to the locker room.

While Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel had no updates to provide in his post-game media availability, Jones’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, provided some news on his client.

Rosenhaus told 7News’ Josh Moser that Jones suffered a hyperextended left knee, and he would receive an MRI on Monday. This is not the same knee that caused him to miss the first four weeks of the season on injured reserve.

McDaniel is scheduled to speak with the media at some point on Monday, so we should get some more information then.

Luckily, the Dolphins have their bye in Week 10, so Jones will have time to rest and recover, but if he can’t go the following week, Miami may have to roll with Liam Eichenberg and Lester Cotton as the starting guards.