Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson Still Prepared To Hold Out During Regular Season
We’ve heard it before; the Bengals do not typically give out third contracts to veterans. The exceptions they did make were on the defensive line, with players like Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins, but they just can’t seem to get across the finish line with star defensive end Trey Hendrickson. On a recent SportsCenter appearance, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler broke down the latest on the extension negotiations between the two parties. 
Back during voluntary workouts Hendrickson had expressed that things were starting to get personal. These sentiments seem to be echoed by the team’s most recent first-round pick, Shemar Stewart, who told the media that the Bengals prioritize winning contract arguments over winning games. Regardless, Hendrickson returned to the table in recent weeks, and the two sides have been communicating as they work towards an extension. While that’s all good news, it hasn’t yet led to Hendrickson putting pen to paper.
Per Fowler, Cincinnati wants desperately to get this done. They came into the offseason with the goal of extending its three stars. Wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins enjoyed their impressive new contracts together all the way back in March when a joint announcement delivered the news of both players’ extensions. Three and a half months later, and the team is still chipping away at that third star.
The big hurdle here, according to Fowler, appears to be structure. When structuring extensions, Cincinnati doesn’t typically spread guaranteed money evenly throughout the contract, preferring instead to focus guarantees mostly in Year 1 of the new deal, usually in the form of the signing bonus. This makes it easier for the team to back out of a long-term deal early without having to shoulder the burden of excessive dead money.
Teams that operate in this fashion are part of the reason we’ve seen a push from players who desire fully guaranteed contracts. As we saw in the recent NFLPA’s collusion grievance arbitration ruling, though, the NFL appears to be highly motivated to steer the league away from full guarantees.
Hendrickson feels as if he’s earned more long-term security, and it’s going to be hard to disagree. The 30-year-old appears to be aging like fine wine. After a quiet first three years in New Orleans, in which he only accumulated 6.5 sacks, Hendrickson exploded in a contract year with 13.5. The breakout season led him to Cincinnati on a four-year, $60MM deal, and he rewarded his new team with a new career-high 14.0 sacks. Only eight sacks in 2022 qualified that season as a “down” year for Hendrickson before he rebounded with another new career-high 17.5 sacks in 2023 and repeated that total in 2024.
After his first 17.5-sack season, Hendrickson held out in an effort to put pressure on the team’s front office for an extension. When a deal wasn’t reached, the Bengals added a one-year, $21MM extension to his contract to effectively kick the can down the road to this offseason, giving them a bit more time to work towards a deal. Hendrickson has made it clear this offseason that he has no intention of playing for the Bengals on his current contract. The one additional year will, apparently, not work a second time.
Hendrickson also threatened back in May that he was prepared to hold out into the regular season, if that’s what it takes. According to Fowler, he is still very willing to follow through on that threat. Hendrickson is looking for big money. for sure, but more importantly, he wants big money in multiple years. After putting forth his best seasons in Years 7 & 8 of his career, he wants the Bengals to have faith that he’ll be able to deliver into the later years of his contract.
Release Candidate: Jamel Dean
Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean has enjoyed an impressive career in Tampa Bay. Since the team drafted him out of Auburn in the third round of the 2019 draft, Dean has been a consistent, impactful presence in the Buccaneers’ secondary, starting 63 games in 82 appearances while recording eight interceptions, 52 passes defensed, and 313 tackles. He even won a Super Bowl in his second year with the team. Even so, it stands to reason that Dean’s time in pewter and red (and occasionally Creamsicle orange) could reasonably come to an end. 
To begin with, injuries have been starting to impact the 28-year-old lately. Now, Dean has never played every game in a season, missing at least two games each year, but 2023 saw Dean miss four games with neck, knee, and ankle issues and 2024 saw Dean miss five games, including four straight, with a hamstring issue and a knee injury. Ultimately, it’s understandable to a degree, given the nature of the sport, but as Dean’s salary ($12.5MM in 2025 and $13MM in 2026) and cap hit ($15.14MM in 2025 and $15.78MM in 2026) continue to increase each year of his second contract, those missed games hurt that much more.
That brings us to our second point to this theory. Dean’s second contract — a four-year, $52MM re-signing in 2023 — features a potential out after the 2024 season that would have allowed the team to terminate the deal with only $6.85MM of dead money and $8.29MM of cap savings. Now that we are post-June 1, that potential out looks even more tempting as it would leave Tampa Bay with only $2.28MM in dead money and $12.85MM in cap savings.
In order to cut a starter like Dean, though, they should be confident that they can replace him. That makes it interesting, then, to go back and see that the Buccaneers utilized two Day 2 picks on second-round Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison and third-round Kansas State cornerback Jacob Parrish.
Morrison was garnering plenty of first-round buzz before suffering a season-ending hip injury in mid-October. His film from his freshman and sophomore campaigns — showing fluidity, vision, and big play ability — was enough to land him in the second round. Parrish is an extremely quick and twitchy cornerback with balance and physicality that help him play much bigger than his actual size. When matched up against the Heisman-winning, No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter this season, Parrish limited the two-way player to only three catches for 26 yards and no touchdowns.
If all that’s been laid out here comes to pass, and the Buccaneers part ways with the veteran of six years, Dean should be fine. He’s only two years removed from having earned a significant second contract, and at 28, he still has plenty of tread on his tires. Not to mention, any team lucky enough to have a hole at cornerback and a healthy chunk of available cap would be getting a cornerback who has never ranked lower than 26th (he averages around 16th over six seasons) in Pro Football Focus’ position rankings (subscription required).
The Buccaneers may very well intend for Dean to see his contract through, or perhaps they may even restructure the deal or extend him on new terms. He’s been a consistent, impactful presence and could be for years to come in Tampa Bay. But should the team want to improve its cap space from an admittedly already healthy $26.63MM, per OvertheCap.com, to $39.48MM, moving them from 14th in the NFL to fourth, this would be a potential option.
Patriots Felt Need To Lock Down LS Julian Ashby In Draft
It’s not too often that a long snapper is drafted in the NFL. While the numbers are slightly skewed based on players in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s who would play other positions and also long snap, there have been, at most, 19 long snappers technically selected in the NFL draft, including two players drafted at other positions who transitioned to long snapper. So, what would’ve led the Patriots to make such a pick in the waning moments of this year’s draft? 
Tyler Schmitt (drafted in 2008) is considered the first pure long snapper to be drafted, and since him, only nine pure long snappers have been drafted from 2015 to today. Of those nine, only one is still on a team today — Blake Ferguson (2020) could make it two, but he’s still a free agent at the moment. That player was also the first of those nine, Joe Cardona, whom the Patriots selected in 2015. Cardona had been New England’s longest-tenured player and was made a team captain last year after also being made the highest-paid long snapper in the NFL.
New head coach Mike Vrabel came into New England set to overhaul the team’s roster. ESPN’s Mike Reiss puts the turnover ratio at nearly 50:50. That included the release of Cardona just a year after his big payday. Cardona has since rebounded, signing with the Dolphins just a week and a half later. To replace him, the team drafted Julian Ashby out of Vanderbilt, just one round after drafting Miami (FL) kicker Andy Borregales. With the Patriots having drafted punter Bryce Baringer two years ago, they are the only team in the NFL with three drafted specialists. But why draft Ashby?
Ashby transferred to the Commodores after four seasons at Furman. Vanderbilt special teams coach Jeff LePak saw Ashby as a true specimen. In addition to his ability to consistently snap with velocity and accuracy, at 6-foot-1 and 231 pounds, Ashby has a unique athleticism for the position that he amplifies with work ethic and a team-first approach, per LePak. His ability to consistently deliver in a way that gave the other specialists ample time to work with helped elevate the Commodores kicker and punter, as well.
While the Patriots could’ve taken their chances vying for Ashby’s signature as an undrafted free agent, having worked him out privately, Ashby worked out privately for nine other teams and took a pre-draft visit to Chicago. While there don’t seem to be any reports detailing exactly which teams were including in the nine that worked him out, one would assume that at least one of them stood between the Patriots’ 251st pick and their 257th pick, forcing them to pull the trigger early instead of making Ashby Mr. Irrelevant.
Regardless, New England landed its guy, and though, as we pointed out before, only one long snapper drafted from 2015 to now is still playing in the NFL, the fact that that long snapper was drafted by the Patriots may be a good sign for Ashby. Ashby, Borregales, and Baringer will form a young specialist trio of drafted pedigree in 2025 and, potentially, if they prove to be worth that pedigree, for several more years to come.
Browns S Ronnie Hickman Could Earn Starting Job
Early this morning, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal previewed some opinions of players who could have breakout seasons for the Browns in 2025. One of these players was third-year safety Ronnie Hickman, whom Easterling believes has a chance to lock down a starting job in training camp. 
Hickman came to Cleveland as an undrafted free agent out of Ohio State after forgoing his senior season with the Buckeyes. Despite his undrafted status, Hickman made the initial 53-man roster as a rookie and started four games in place of an injured Juan Thornhill late in the year. Last year, Hickman led the Browns in snaps aligned at safety, starting five more games for an injured Thornhill and getting plenty of time on the field in games he didn’t start.
Thornhill is gone now, having departed for Pittsburgh in free agency, so naturally, it seemed like there was going to be an opportunity for Hickman to firmly take the starting job. That was before the team signed two safeties on May 12 with extensive starting experience. Damontae Kazee signed with 63 starts in eight years with the Falcons, Cowboys, and Steelers. He’s also tallied 17 interceptions over that time, including a seven-pick performance that led the league in 2018. Rayshawn Jenkins comes in with 89 starts in eight years with the Chargers, Jaguars, and Seahawks, including five seasons in which he served as a full-time starter.
It would certainly make perfect sense for either veteran to fill in the starting role next to Grant Delpit in the upcoming season, but Hickman comes in with plenty of familiarity of the role, having shared it with Thornhill for much of last year. So far, it seems as if it’s his job to lose, forcing Jenkins and Kazee to beat him out of the spot.
The three other players highlighted by Easterling were wide receiver Kaden Davis, defensive tackle Michael Hall, and defensive end Isaiah McGuire. While Jerry Jeudy is obviously stealing the spotlight at workouts in Cleveland, Davis has been taking advantage of the absences of Cedric Tillman and Michael Woods II, catching the eyes of head coach Kevin Stefanski and wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea. The coaches have praised his work this offseason, and even if Tillman and Woods are back for training camp, the four-man quarterback race should still afford Davis several opportunities to be seen.
Hall’s rookie campaign was limited by a five-game suspension resulting from a domestic violence arrest and injury. As last year’s top draft pick in Cleveland, the Browns will be expecting a big jump for Hall in Year 2, and he should be running in the interior two-deep with rookie No. 5 pick Mason Graham, Maliek Collins, and Shelby Harris. After earning three starts in 16 appearance last year, McGuire is an easy pick to break out. With a strong sample of play in his time last year, the coaching staff thinks “very highly” of McGuire entering training camp, and he could end up with a starting job.
CB Kaiir Elam Expected To Play Big Role In Dallas
The Cowboys’ front office has been busy during the offseason, sending away lots of draft capital to bring in players like George Pickens, Kenneth Murray, Joe Milton, and Kaiir Elam. Pickens was clearly brought in to be WR2 across from CeeDee Lamb, Murray will fill in for the loss of Eric Kendricks, and Milton will be QB2 behind Dak Prescott. Elam, though, comes into an interesting situation. While he was never a full-time starter during his three years in Buffalo, Elam is expected to have a significant role on the Cowboys defense, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. 
While Elam never quite lived up to his first-round status with the Bills, he put forth fairly consistent performances each season. Though injuries have caused him to miss significant time (22 of a possible 51 games) in Buffalo, Dallas will be hoping he can come through during a time when injuries are hitting the team hard.
Last season, the Cowboys saw both Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland miss significant amounts of time. Bland quickly got back up to speed and began to show signs of returning to the All-Pro greatness he displayed in 2023. Diggs, though, is working his way back from knee surgery, and while he is aiming for a return by the time the season opener rolls around, his timeline for return is certainly in question. Mix in the loss of Jourdan Lewis to Jacksonville in free agency after a strong year in the slot, and the team has several questions to answer at the cornerback position.
Part of the solution could be third-round draft pick Shavon Revel, who was receiving first-round buzz prior to suffering a torn ACL early into his final season at East Carolina. Revel should be ready to play by the time the regular season begins, but he’s not projected to return until sometime mid-training camp.
With things the way they are, Machota makes it clear: “Bland is one starter, Elam is another.” As we discussed at the end of May, Bland has been working more this offseason in the slot. He’s excelled both inside and outside during his short time in Dallas, which makes him extremely valuable to the team in this situation. In a contract year, Bland likely isn’t going to want to establish himself as a nickelback, considering the highest-paid nickelback in the NFL (Taron Johnson, $10.25MM per year) makes just over half the salary of the highest-paid outside cornerback (Denzel Ward, $20.1MM per year). He’ll need to hope, instead, that the Cowboys will reward him for his flexibility and versatility.
So, Bland and Elam are starting, then when an additional cornerback comes on, it could be Revel that comes in, shifting Bland inside. Or it could be Israel Mukuamu coming into the slot, keeping Bland out wide. Mukuamu has never really played significant snaps in any season, but last year, he saw more time at nickelback than he did at any other secondary position.
When Diggs comes back, things will be clearer. He and Bland will start together, and Bland can shift inside whenever Elam or Revel come in for sets that require more defensive backs. Until then, though, Elam is expected to play a major role in stabilizing the position group to open up the season.
Colts Rookie CB Justin Walley Could See Field Early
Last year, the Colts fielded a strong trio of cornerbacks in Jaylon Jones, Samuel Womack, and Kenny Moore. The team then added Charvarius Ward on a three-year, $54MM contract in free agency. That made it all the more shocking when Indianapolis selected a cornerback — one with a Day 3 grade, mind you — in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Well, according to Stephen Holder, that selection stands a strong chance of contributing to the defense as a rookie. 
The Colts cornerback trio was extremely impressive in 2024. Though the defense struggled as a whole, they ranked sixth in interceptions with Jones, Womack, and Moore combining to contribute eight interceptions and 28 passes defensed. The three players accounted for 92 percent of the team’s snaps at outside cornerback, while Moore doubled as the primary nickelback, as well, and all three defenders graded out in the top 45 players out of 116 at the position, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Then, the team added Ward to the mix. Ward had a bit of a down year in San Francisco last season, but he has been a consistently strong starter in every other season of his career. In 2023 alone, he reeled in five interceptions and led the NFL with 23 passes defensed. Ward’s presence likely pushes Womack down to CB4, granted he returns to his usual quality of play. So, with four strong cornerbacks in rotation, what could’ve prompted the Colts to use their second Day 2 pick on Minnesota cornerback Justin Walley?
A three-star recruit out of Mississippi, Walley started in six games as a rookie with the Golden Gophers and served as a full-time starter for the rest of his collegiate career. In four years, he tallied seven interceptions and 34 passes defensed. His speed and aggression put him on scouts’ radars, but his undersized frame had scouts thinking that he would be easily overpowered in that aggression against NFL competition. This led to projections of him being picked late on Day 3 of the draft in the last three rounds.
Per Holder, though, Walley has more than proved to be worth his draft stock so far in Indy. He’s reportedly been turning heads throughout the offseason, continuing his aggressive coverage while showing impressive instincts, as well. Head coach Shane Steichen noted that Walley “has been making a ton of plays through OTAs,” calling him “really sticky in coverage.”
With so many strong players at his position, he likely won’t be earning a starting role, but he’s looking to be too talented to keep off the field. The Colts are expecting for him to be part of their dime package and a frequent rotation in nickel, as well. He could end up being well worth the third-round pick used on him.
Texans Offensive Line Positions Starting To Settle
A week ago, we dove into some speculation about the potential starters that could emerge from several position battles along the offensive line in Houston. According to DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN, roles are “starting to sort themselves out for a completely revamped unit.”
To review, the departures of Laremy Tunsil, Shaq Mason, and Kenyon Green left the Texans with three vacant starting positions: left tackle, left guard, and right guard. Of the two positions with returning starters, the presumed right tackle starter could be moved elsewhere on the line, while the center position will likely have to be won through competition regardless of returners.
Nothing has changed on the situation at left guard. Veteran free agent addition Laken Tomlinson comes to Houston with 10 years of starting experience, all at left guard. He took the most reps at the position throughout the spring, and it appears to be his job barring injury. Similarly, there’s still a strong feeling that Tytus Howard will be a starter on the offensive line, though the team doesn’t know where. Over his six years in Houston, Howard has started 48 games at right tackle, 27 games at left guard, and four games at left tackle. Most of his time in the spring, though, was split between right tackle and right guard, so with Tomlinson at left guard, he’s likely pinned at the two spots on the right side of the line.
At left tackle, the Texans have been shuffling veteran free agent addition Cam Robinson and rookie second-round pick Aireontae Ersery on the first team. Robinson is likely the expected starter on the blindside, while Ersery appears to cross training at both tackle spots. This means Ersery is also rotating first-team snaps at right tackle. His competition on that side is last year’s second-rounder Blake Fisher, but Zachary Thomas is a new name Bien-Aime throws into the mix here.
Thomas joined the Texans last years after spending half the season in New England and two years before that with the Rams. He doesn’t have any starting experience in the NFL, so it’s interesting to see him getting rotated in with the two youngsters for first-team snaps. Whether they’re just checking every possibility or they lack confidence in their first- and second-year options remains to be seen, but it appears that Thomas has put himself in the conversation. If none of the three work out, Howard can always man the spot, and the new important position battle will be at right guard.
To look for who may start at right guard if Howard isn’t there, one must look to the position battle at center. Jarrett Patterson split time at the position with Michael Deiter in 2023 and then did the same with Juice Scruggs last year. Patterson and Scruggs return for another competition, but they’re now joined by Jake Andrews, a center that Houston claimed off waivers from the Patriots. Any of the three could win the job, and one may assume the best loser will have a good shot at filling the right guard spot, should Howard move back to tackle.
Elsewhere on the offense, Bien-Aime comments on the preferred wide receivers in Houston at the moment. With Nico Collins firmly atop the pecking order and with Tank Dell‘s prospects for playing in 2025 still uncertain, rookie second-round pick Jayden Higgins and veteran trade acquisition Christian Kirk have emerged as likely key contributors.
Higgens, a big-bodied pass catcher out of Iowa State, has reportedly been making plays on some of the Texans’ defensive starters as he develops a new chemistry with quarterback C.J. Stroud. After a down, injury-ruined year, Kirk is hoping his move to Houston will be fruitful. Kirk had already earned the nickname “slot demon” by the end of minicamp by the defense, and he seems to be establishing himself as a reliable safety blanket for Stroud, who was sacked last year more than every other quarterback in the NFL (except Caleb Williams).
With a new group of weapons on the offense establishing themselves and a re-tooled offensive line starting to figure out where everyone fits, the Texans are making quick and necessary progress on their new-look offense full of questions marks. They’ll hope to put together a group that can win its third straight division title and earn its third straight playoff appearance.
NFL Staff Updates: Chargers, Bills, Saints
Here are a few recent staffing updates to front offices in the NFL:
- According to ESPN’s Seth Walder, the Chargers are losing a member of its analytics staff. Senior analyst Alex Stern will be leaving the team in order to take a position with “Teamworks Intelligence (formerly Zelus Analytics), a major third-party sports analytics company with NFL clients.” After being named a finalist in the 2019 Big Data Bowl and concluding an analytics and research internship with the University of Virginia, Stern joined the Chargers as a research analyst in 2021. He was promoted to senior analyst last June.
- Where one team loses an analyst, another team gains one. Walker reported this week that the Bills are hiring a new football research assistant. Cole Jacobson makes his NFL debut in the position after years of doing freelance, seasonal, and part-time work with NFL Media, MLB Media, FOX Sports, Stats Perform, and Championship Analytics. He and his team were named finalists in this year’s Big Data Bowl.
- Lastly, the Saints have hired an operations admin out of Boise State in Garrett Holle to serve as their new director of rehabilitation, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. Holle heads to New Orleans after a quick rise through the collegiate ranks. Following an internship at Arizona State in 2023, Holle joined Boise State in the same season, rising from assistant athletic trainer and rehabilitation coordinator to assistant athletic director of sports performance and health and wellness in 2024. He fills the role vacated by Johnathan Gress, who left for the University of Oklahoma after six years in the position with the Saints.
QB Joe Flacco Has Support From Browns Veterans
With Deshaun Watson looking like a long shot to play in the 2025 NFL season at all, veteran quarterback Joe Flacco is emerging as the favorite to open the season as the Browns’ starting quarterback when they host the Bengals in Week 1. The coaches are starting to feel that way, but he’s getting support from some veteran teammates, as well, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. 
Per Cabot, when the Browns traded for Kenny Pickett early in the offseason, they had visions of the 27-year-old blossoming into a breakout star à la Sam Darnold. Throughout the spring, though, Flacco seemed to prove more capable of a starting role. The 40-year-old veteran shined as the “best pure thrower” of the football out of the four active passers on the roster, including rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
That arm, combined with “his intimate knowledge of (head) coach Kevin Stefanski‘s offense,” has put Flacco securely in the lead for the starting job at the moment. That experience saw him go 4-1 late in the 2023 season as a starter and lead the Browns to the postseason for only the second time in the 20 years prior. Gabriel and Sanders haven’t been ruled out as potential Week 1 starters yet, but Cabot posits that they stand a much better chance of earning starting time later in the season.
It’s not just the coaches who see the experience and talent of Flacco, he “has the full support of big-time veterans such as All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett,” as well. Before agreeing to an extension this offseason, Garrett expressed interest in playing for a playoff contender elsewhere in large part due to the team’s handling of the quarterback position. As a result, his endorsement of Flacco speaks volumes, along with the support of other veterans.
Elsewhere in the competition, we learned a bit more on Sanders’ driving history recently. After initially reporting on a speeding incident in mid-June that saw the 23-year-old cited at 101 mph on a 60-mph road, we saw ESPN (in conjunction with the Associated Press) report that this was the second such speeding incident Sanders had been involved in that month. Reports show that Sanders was pulled over on June 5 for going 91 mph in a 65-mph zone.
Sanders, reportedly, “failed to appear for an arraignment for that citation and faces $269 in fines and court costs” as a result. He faces a $250 fine for his most recent citation, a fourth-degree misdemeanor. His second ticket was received as he was pulled over alongside his girlfriend, who was driving 92 mph in a separate car. Despite the two traveling together at high speeds in separate vehicles, reports claim that there is “no suggestion that the two may have been racing,” according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports.
Following an unprecedented draft slide that resulted from character concerns for the Colorado alumnus, speeding incidents are not a great sign of development early in his professional career. Repeated offenses look even worse for the young passer, and if any suggestions of racing do emerge from his driving citations, things could go from bad to worse.
Dolphins Feeling Positive Effects From Trading Jalen Ramsey
It’s no secret that today’s big trade was the result of a bit of bad blood between veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey and the Dolphins. While it can be tough for fans to watch their favorite players depart for greener pastures, the trade is ultimately a net positive for both Ramsey and Miami. 
According to Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier made it known that “Ramsey did not ask for a salary adjustment or a trade.” He did make it clear, though, that he thought it was in the best interest of both parties to part ways. In that sense, Ramsey got his wish today, and per Louis-Jacques, so, too, did the Dolphins.
Louis-Jacques reports that, following a disappointing 8-9 campaign in 2024, the relationship between Ramsey and the team “soured.” Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald echoed this sentiment today, saying that “Ramsey was unhappy in Miami for reasons that he never fully explained,” though Ramsey implied that, in his view, the Dolphins harbored a “willingness to accept mediocrity.”
Regardless, the team was looking for a culture change in the building, and when searching for names that could add to the team through their subtraction, Ramsey’s came up. So, in the end, both parties got what they wanted today.
Miami likely also feels accomplished in what they returned by offloading Ramsey. After throwing in tight end Jonnu Smith as a sweetener, the Dolphins were able to exchange two of their older contributors for a younger one that filled a major position of need. Jackson pointed out how, in the aftermath of the news breaking, several teams were surprised to see Miami get the value it did out of difficult situation. Now, doing so certainly made them extremely thin at the cornerback and tight ends positions, and the team has already begun to address that, but it also provided them some flexibility that they can now use to help fix those problem spots.
The Dolphins made an offer to veteran free agent cornerback Rasul Douglas back in May, per Jackson, but Douglas rejected the offer. Similarly, they inquired about Asante Samuel Jr. after his rookie contract with the Chargers expired. Jackson adds that the team told another free agent cornerback that they were hoping to gain “clarity on (Ramsey’s situation) before moving forward with anyone expecting a sizable contract.” They kept in contact with Douglas, and Samuel remains unsigned as he recovers from neck surgery. Other veteran cornerbacks, like James Bradberry, Stephon Gilmore, Mike Hilton, and C.J. Henderson, remain on the market, as well.
And, now, with the clarity and cap relief from this trade, the Dolphins have a bit of breathing room they can utilize to fill these holes. Instead of shouldering Ramsey’s $16.7MM cap hit, they only have to stomach $6.7MM of dead money. Even after Minkah Fitzpatrick‘s cap impact is factored in, the team is left with over $15MM in cap space. Even better, any of that unused cap can be rolled over into next year, when the Dolphins have to contend with $18MM in dead money from Ramsey’s contract, though that figure also improved from $25MM as a result of the trade.
So, with no negative implications, we can see where the Dolphins could be happier having parted ways with Ramsey. They gave Ramsey the change of scenery he desired, initiated a change in culture in their building, and did so in a way that allows them to try and build a better team.