Dolphins Rumors

Dolphins Submit Offer To Odell Beckham Jr.

A report from last week indicated Odell Beckham Jr.‘s Dolphins visit went well, and that both player and team were interested in working out a deal. Head coach Mike McDaniel spoke on the matter at the annual league meetings, and he confirmed an offer has been made.

“Things went great with him,” McDaniel said, via the Miami Herald’s Daniel OyefusiWe 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.”

Beckham will not return to the Ravens, with whom he spent the 2023 campaign after a full season out of the league. Upon return from an ACL tear, the 31-year-old posted 565 yards and three touchdowns, production which could line him up as a third receiver option in the Dolphins’ offense. Miami already has Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle atop the depth chart, one which also includes Braxton Berrios and River CracraftThe team has been connected to the pursuit of a more experienced WR3, though, and Beckham would certainly fit the bill.

The latter drew interest from the Jets last offseason before his Ravens agreement (one year, $15MM guaranteed). New York has added Mike Williams this year, however, likely removing a potential Dolphins competitor from the equation. Miami led the league in passing last season, and the return of Hill, Waddle and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will give the team’s offense the chance to replicate its success in 2024.

Beckham could serve in a complementary role with the Dolphins, something which would be expected if any eventual Miami agreement was worth less than his previous Ravens one. With $10.3MM in cap space, the Dolphins have less spending power than most other teams at the moment, and the upcoming draft will provide the team with opportunities to add a younger receiving option. Beckham could very well already be in the fold by the time the draft begins, however.

Dolphins Restructures: Ramsey, Armstead, Sieler, Ingold, Smythe

The Dolphins were in a dangerous situation working with quite a precarious cap number. In an effort to get within compliance, Miami reworked the deals of several players in order to lessen their respective salary cap impacts.

One of the biggest deals to get done was the restructure of star cornerback Jalen Ramsey. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the team converted $13.89MM of Ramsey’s 2024 base salary (now only $1.21MM) and an $11MM roster bonus into a signing bonus while adding an additional void year to the two already in existence at the end of his contract.

The work put in by both sides resulted in a cap clearance of $19.91MM.

Here are a few other restructured deals the Dolphins utilized to increase their available cap space:

  • We mentioned after the re-signing of offensive guard Robert Jones that an adjusted contract was on the way for left tackle Terron Armstead. Lo and behold, per Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald, Armstead will accept a $4.25MM pay cut in 2024 while bringing in $10MM of guaranteed salary. His new deal includes a $7.29MM signing bonus, as well. The adjustments cleared another $10.29MM of cap space for the Dolphins.
  • It was Michael Ginnitti at Spotrac.com who informed us of the remaining adjustments. Defensive lineman Zach Sieler contributed by agreeing to convert $7.01MM of his 2024 base salary (now only $1.13MM) into a signing bonus while adding two void years to the end of his deal, resulting in the clearance of $5.6MM of cap space. Fullback Alec Ingold chipped in by agreeing to convert $2.08MM of his 2024 salary (now also $1.13MM) into a signing bonus while adding two void years to the end of his contract, as well, resulting in $1.66MM of cap space clearance. Finally, tight end Durham Smythe agreed to convert $2MM of his 2024 base salary (now also $1.13MM) into a signing bonus while adding three void years to the end of his current deal, resulting in $1.6MM of new cap space. Oyefusi points out that the addition of all those void years speaks to the dire nature of the team’s salary cap position. They ended up finding cap compliance in time for the new league year, but the cap hits of those void years will find them eventually.

Mutual Interest Between Dolphins, Odell Beckham Jr.

The Dolphins have arguably the NFL’s premier wide receiver tandem, rostering Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. But the team is interested in adding a key auxiliary piece to this receiving corps. Odell Beckham Jr. is squarely on Miami’s radar.

Beckham visited the Dolphins today, and the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson reports the meeting went well and involved the sides talking terms. Strong mutual interest exists between the parties, per Jackson, though no deal has been agreed to.

OBJ’s free agency dragged into late March last year, and the high-profile wideout’s run of 2022 visits never produced an agreement. But Beckham did show he remains capable of providing support as a tertiary target, totaling 35 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns with the Ravens. Despite the Ravens being interested in multiple receivers — Michael Gallup, Josh Reynolds thus far — Beckham has already effectively confirmed he will not be back in Baltimore next season.

The Jets were believed to be interested in OBJ, once again, but they have since signed Mike Williams. OBJ’s 2023 form will likely draw interest from other teams, though his injury past and age (31) places a lower ceiling on his market compared to 2023. The Ravens gave Beckham $15MM guaranteed to sign; that ended up nixing his Jets visit.

For procedural purposes, the Ravens designated Beckham as a post-June 1 cut. While Baltimore could circle back to the former Pro Bowler, OBJ already bid the team farewell. This opens the door to a veteran weapon becoming available — on a market that has already seen the top receiving talent land gigs. Gallup and Reynolds join Tyler Boyd, Hunter Renfrow, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Michael Thomas and DJ Chark as notable receivers available. The Dolphins do already roster Braxton Berrios and River Cracraft, but it appears they intend to aim higher for their WR3 role.

While the Dolphins are looking for help here, Jackson adds another free agent receiver gave the indication the team is not looking to spend much at the position. With Hill tied to a receiver-record $30MM per year, Waddle extension-eligible and Tua Tagovailoa in play to receive an upper-crust QB deal this offseason, it makes sense the Dolphins would want to keep costs low for a WR3. They did not benefit much from an $8MM-per-year Cedrick Wilson Jr. pact. The team also just watched high-level free agents Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt leave; the two interior linemen followed cap casualties Xavien Howard and Emmanuel Ogbah out the door.

Beckham played a major role in the Rams reaching Super Bowl LVI (over Mike McDaniel‘s 49ers) and then winning it, and while his second-quarter ACL tear changed his 2022 market and led to him sitting out the season, the ex-Giants superstar did show with the Ravens he could remain a usable target. Beckham may qualify as a part-time player at this stage of his career; the Ravens used him on just 50% of their offensive snaps last season. But given the Dolphins’ receiver setup, that type of role may work for McDaniel’s team.

Free Agency Notes: Giants, Vikings, Jets, Hawks, Huff, Commanders, Ekeler, Raiders, Dolphins, Jacobs, Rams

The Bryce Huff market did not reach the level of Jonathan Greenard‘s, and Danielle Hunter also scored a better guarantee compared to the Jets‘ contract-year breakout pass rusher. But the Eagles needed to give Huff a three-year, $51.1MM deal with $34MM guaranteed. That came about because, per Huff, the Commanders, Giants, Seahawks and Vikings joined the Jets in pursuing him. The Jets had expressed interest in keeping the former UDFA, who led the team in sacks last season, but their 2023 Will McDonald draft choice appeared to point Huff elsewhere.

Minnesota came in early with its Greenard signing (four years, $76MM, $38MM fully guaranteed), while Washington turned to one of Dan Quinn‘s ex-Cowboys charges — Dorance Armstrongsoon after. The Giants made a bigger splash hours later by trading for Brian Burns, in a deal that involved a second-rounder going to the Panthers and fifth-rounders being swapped, while the Seahawks devoted their funding to fortifying their interior D-line (via the Leonard Williams deal). Huff, 26, led the NFL in pressure rate last season but was not used as a full-time D-end. It should be expected the Eagles, who have Haason Reddick in trade rumors, will up Huff’s usage.

Here is the latest free agency fallout:

  • As Lloyd Cushenberry and Andre James scored nice contracts, the center market has not seen Connor Williams come off the board. It should be a while on that front. Rehabbing an ACL tear, Williams is not expected to sign anywhere anytime soon, agent Drew Rosenahus said during a WSVP interview (via the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson). Williams going down in Week 14 certainly has impacted his market. Pro Football Focus graded the two-year Dolphins blocker as a top-five center in each of his two Miami seasons. Ahead of his age-27 season, the ex-Cowboys draftee will probably need to show teams he is healthy or on track to full strength before a deal commences.
  • The Raiders lost their starting running back in free agency, seeing Josh Jacobs join the Packers. Zamir White is tentatively in place as Las Vegas’ starter, but the now-Tom Telesco-run club did show interest in Austin Ekeler, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweets. Telesco was with the Chargers when they signed Ekeler as a UDFA and when they extended him, but the GM did not greenlight a second extension last year. That led to trade rumors and a small incentive package. Ekeler signed a two-year, $8.43MM Commanders deal, indicating (via the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala) the NFC East team showed the most interest. Despite leading the NFL in TDs in 2021 and 2022, Ekeler received only $4.2MM fully guaranteed — ninth among FA backs this year.
  • As for Jacobs, his guarantee fell well short of Saquon Barkley‘s and shy of the Bears’ commitment to D’Andre Swift. The Packers signed Jacobs to a four-year, $48MM deal, but Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes only the $12.5MM signing bonus is guaranteed (plus a $1.2MM 2024 salary). Beyond 2024, this is a pay-as-you-go deal. Jacobs is due a $5.93MM roster bonus on Day 5 of the 2025 league year, creating a pivotal date for Green Bay’s backfield. The Packers are known for shying away from guarantees beyond Year 1, in most instances, but it is interesting to see the gap between guarantees Barkley could secure ($26MM) and Jacobs’ locked-in money.
  • The gap between Xavier McKinney‘s Packers deal and the Ramstwo-year Kamren Curl pact ended up wider than the aforementioned RBs. Curl agreed to a $9MM accord, per the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala. Curl, 25, has two seasons to show he can command a more lucrative contract. But McKinney (four years, $68MM) showed how valuable an age-25 offseason can be for earning power, making the Curl contract look quite Rams-friendly.
  • Jonnu Smith‘s two-year Dolphins deal came in at $8.4MM, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Miami will guarantee the former Tennessee, New England and Atlanta tight end $3.96MM. No guarantees are present beyond 2024, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets. Miami’s three-year Jordyn Brooks accord lands slightly lower than initially reported, with Wilson adding the ex-Seattle linebacker signed for $26.25MM. Brooks’ contract features $16MM guaranteed; just $9.5MM of that sum is guaranteed at signing.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/20/24

Wednesday’s minor transactions:

Houston Texans

Miami Dolphins

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Sims was not tendered by the Texans as a restricted free agent, but Houston found a way to bring him back on a new deal regardless. Sims is now five years removed from his rookie year in Washington, in which he caught for 310 yards and four touchdowns.

Dolphins Rumors: OBJ, Chubb, Wilson

The Dolphins’ efforts to bring in another receiver have taken an interesting turn today. According to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is planning to visit Miami tomorrow. Miami Herald writer Barry Jackson has been reporting on the Dolphins’ interest in the veteran wideout.

The team’s wide receiving corps will continue to be dominated by Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Miami re-signed return specialist Braxton Berrios, and a tweet today from River Cracraft seems to indicate that the team was able to re-sign the depth piece, as well. Over two years with the Dolphins, Cracraft was 18 catches for 223 yards and three touchdowns.

After that, the only available receivers on the roster are Erik Ezukanma, Anthony Schwartz, Braylon Sanders, and Mathew Sexton. The team has inquired with a couple of receivers on the free agent market, and their inquiries into Beckham appear to have resulted in tomorrow’s visit.

Last year with Baltimore, Beckham didn’t quite reach the heights of his early-career success, but he still looked like himself at times as he received for his highest yardage total since 2019. He also found himself taking a backseat in targets to rookie Zay Flowers, so there shouldn’t be much of an issue with losing targets to Hill and Waddle. Tomorrow will determine if Beckham is willing to join the fray in Miami on a reasonable deal.

Here are a few other rumors coming out of South Beach:

  • The Dolphins were able to agree to a restructured deal with pass rusher Bradley Chubb today, per ESPN’s Field Yates. The team converted $13.75MM of Chubb’s 2024 base salary into a signing bonus while adding a void year to the end of his contract. The move frees up $11MM of cap space for a team that may be looking to add a weapon like Beckham in the near future.
  • Running back Jeff Wilson also reportedly agreed to a restructured deal, according to Jackson. Wilson has accepted a pay cut in 2024 from $2.6MM to $1.13MM, helping to lower his cap hit by $1.32MM. In exchange, the team added $400K of guarantees to his deal and made available a $100K workout bonus, a $255K incentive if he is active for every game, and a $550K incentive based on combined rushing and receiving yards and team performance.
  • In addition to the two restructures above, Jackson suggests that Miami could attempt to open up some cap space by signing Hill to a new extension or giving quarterback Tua Tagovailoa a long-term contract.
  • Lastly, Jackson reports that former Seahawks offensive guard Phil Haynes visited Miami on Monday. With veteran guard being listed as an item on the team’s wish list, the Haynes visit makes plenty of sense, though he departed before the two sides could come together on an agreement. Haynes earned the starting right guard job for Seattle last year before suffering a season-ending toe injury after eight games.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/18/24

Today’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Seattle Seahawks

Dolphins Re-Sign G Isaiah Wynn

Isaiah Wynn‘s debut season with the Dolphins was cut short, but he will remain in place for the 2024 campaign. The veteran offensive lineman has inked a new one-year deal with Miami, per his agents (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).

Wynn came to Miami on a one-year deal last offseason following the end of his Patriots tenure. He was moved to left guard after splitting time on the inside and at tackle with New England. That decision proved to be a sound one given the way Wynn played to start the year. PFF charged the former first-rounder with no sacks and four pressures allowed in pass protection in 2023.

While his run blocking evaluation was much worse (a career-low 48.2 mark), Wynn’s injury dealt a notable blow to Miami’s O-line. The Georgia alum suffered a season-ending quadriceps injury in Week 7, leaving the team without a starter on the inside in a season which featured multiple other ailments up front. Center Connor Williams suffered an ACL tear, something which has hindered his free agent market. Left tackle Terron Armstead, meanwhile, continued his career trend of dealing with multiple injuries.

The latter will remain in place for next season, giving Miami stability on the blindside. Wynn’s return will provide continuity on the left side of the offensive line and ensure one guard starter will be retained. The other – Robert Hunt – landed a $20MM-per-year deal with the Panthers in free agency, creating a major vacancy at that position. A number of internal candidates to fill the spot are in place, and the draft looms as an option to add a rookie blocker.

Long-term investments up front will no doubt be a priority for Miami given Armstead’s age (32) and injury history. The 28-year-old Wynn faces similar concerns given the way his 2023 campaign came to an end. If he can remain healthy in 2024 and replicate his play from last season, though, he could land a pact better than the ‘prove-it’ accord he signed in 2023 (and which he has likely inked this time around) with the Dolphins or another team in free agency next year.

Dolphins Looking To Add At WR

The Dolphins have been extremely active in free agency, both losing and attaining several players with expired contracts. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, after all their recent developments, wide receiver has become a position of focus.

The Dolphins are by no means short of talent at the wide receiver position. Between Tyreek Hill‘s incredible season in which he hit over 1,800 total yards and caught 13 touchdown passes and Jaylen Waddle hitting the 1,000-yard receiving mark with four touchdowns of his own, Miami has more receiving talent in those two alone than many other NFL teams have on their roster right now.

Beyond Hill and Waddle, though, the statistics drop off dramatically. After those two, the receivers with the next most yardage were Cedrick Wilson with 296, Braxton Berrios with 238, Robbie Chosen with 126, River Cracraft with 121, and Chase Claypool with 26. All five of those receivers hit free agency when the new league year began. Wilson is headed to New Orleans on a new two-year deal, while Berrios recently re-signed with the Dolphins on a one-year contract. Currently, Hill, Waddle, and Berrios are the only three wideouts on the roster who caught a pass for the Dolphins in 2023.

The team does have interior options on the roster, but they aren’t necessarily experienced and have yet to show they can step up. Erik Ezukanma, a fourth-round pick out of Texas Tech from 2022, is also under contract. Former third-round speedster Anthony Schwartz and undrafted receivers Braylon Sanders and Mathew Sexton all signed reserve/futures contracts with the team, as well.

Still, Miami desires a bit more upside and experience behind its elite duo. One name that Jackson reports they’ve inquired about is former Eagles wide receiver Quez Watkins. Watkins served as WR2 for Philadelphia in the year before they acquired A.J. Brown but has since taken a back seat. 2023 saw his worst season since his rookie year, but in both of those years, he missed several games. He dealt with hamstring issues last year that held him to only nine game appearances.

Whether Watkins is the guy or they continue exploring other options, it’s clear that the Dolphins need more behind Hill and Waddle. They will continue shopping the free agent market and are likely to target the position through the draft, as well. For now, though, Hill, Waddle, and Berrios represent the totality of their experience.

Return Specialist Braxton Berrios Re-Signs With Dolphins

The Dolphins have re-signed wide receiver and return man Braxton Berrios to another one-year contract. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Berrios is back on a deal that could pay him up to $3MM in 2024.

Berrios returns to a wide receivers room that was utterly dominated by Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in 2023. While both receivers surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving mark and combined for 17 touchdowns, with Hill absolutely dominating his share of the statistics with 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns, the next closest receivers on the field didn’t nearly sniff the success of those two.

Despite only catching 27 passes for 238 yards, those numbers were good for third in the receivers room for receptions and fourth in receiving yards, just falling short of Cedrick Wilson‘s 296 yards. Berrios’ bigger impact came in the return game, where he served as the team’s primary option for both punt and kickoff returns. While not quite posting the averages of his first-team All-Pro season with the Jets, Berrios put up the second-best kickoff return average in his career (24.5 yards per return) while still delivering a reliable 10+ yards per return average on punts.

He’ll slide right back into his returner role in 2024 and may even get a chance at more receiving opportunities. Wilson is currently sitting on the free agent market, and Miami signed a pass-catching tight end in Jonnu Smith to supplement the receiving game. Affordable free agents or late-round draft options may join the fray, but Berrios should stand to see more looks from Tua Tagovailoa in 2024. It also helps Berrios that he already has a year of experience working under wide receivers coach Wes Welker, the former Patriots legend whom Berrios changed his number from 83 to 8 in college to avoid being compared to.

Under his new deal, Berrios stays close to his alma mater, playing in his college homefield for another season. He gives the Dolphins security in the return game and a solid WR3 option.