Jamaree Salyer To Compete For Starting Guard Job In Miami
The 2025 season was one of the healthiest in recent memory for the Dolphins’ offensive line.
Four players played over 800 snaps, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required): left tackle Patrick Paul, left guard Jonah Savaiinaea, center Aaron Brewer, and right guard Cole Strange. Austin Jackson held the starting right tackle job in Week 1, but injuries resulted in Larry Borom finishing the year with 11 starts.
Borom left in free agency, but Jackson agreed to a revised contract and will likely enter the season as the starting right tackle once again. Strange’s departure to Los Angeles will force new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik to find a new right guard, and after ranking as the NFL’s lowest-graded starting offensive lineman in 2025 (via PFF), Savaiinaea’s starting job may not be secure, either.
New free agent signing Jamaree Salyer is expected to factor into the starting guard competition in Miami this summer, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. In fact, such an opportunity was among the reasons he opted to take an inexpensive deal in Miami over better offers from other teams.
The 2022 sixth-round pick took over as the Chargers’ starting left tackle four games into his rookie year but was replaced by Rashawn Slater after he was drafted the following spring. Salyer played almost every snap at right guard in 2024 and has spent the last two years as a versatile backup. That skillset came in handy amid the Chargers’ offensive line injuries, with Salyer starting nine games and taking snaps at every position except center.
His competition for a starting guard gig will include Savaiinaea and Andrew Meyer, per Jackson, and the team could also augment the position with another veteran signing or a draft pick in April. Kion Smith, who started two games last year, could also get a look, though he struggled mightily in his limited playing time.
Dolphins Sign OLB David Ojabo
The Dolphins continue to shape their roster under a new decision-making tandem. David Ojabo is Miami’s latest arrival. 
Ojabo was signed on Monday, per a team announcement. The fifth-year edge rusher hit the market once his Ravens rookie contract expired. A change of scenery may prove to be a welcomed development in this case, given how Ojabo’s Baltimore tenure played out.
The Michigan product suffered an Achilles tear during his Pro Day leading up to the 2022 draft. His stock fell as a result, and Ojabo remained on the board until the second round. His rookie season was limited to just two games, and a rebound from a health perspective did not prove to be possible the following year.
Knee and ankle ailments led to Ojabo being shut down after only three games in 2023. Through his first two NFL campaigns, therefore, he had only managed a pair of sacks in very limited action. Ojabo managed to turn a corner with respect to injuries afterwards, logging 13 games in 2024 and another 14 this past season. Over that span, however, he was unable to emerge as a full-time defensive presence. Ahead of roster cuts in the summer, his Ravens future was far from certain.
Ojabo totaled 2.5 sacks across the past two years. He will look to improve in that department on a new team. Miami’s edge rush depth chart was topped by Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips entering 2025, but it will look much different next season. Phillips was traded away at the deadline, while Chubb was one of many veterans cut by new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. He and first-year head coach Jeff Hafley have been busy adding new roster pieces since free agency began.
Miami’s new-look pass rush will no doubt include a notable workload for 2024 first-rounder Chop Robinson. The team has also added Josh Uche and Robert Beal in free agency while retaining Cameron Goode. At least one notable draft investment next month would certainly not come as a surprise. Ojabo will spend training camp looking to carve out a role with the Dolphins once their EDGE setup becomes clearer.
Entering Monday, Miami was near the bottom of the NFL in terms of cap space. Like the Charlie Heck signing from earlier today, though, this Ojabo deal will not be an expensive one. The Dolphins should still have a degree of financial flexibility moving forward as a result.
Troy Aikman To Stay With Dolphins In ‘Some Capacity’
Two months after parting with general manager Chris Grier, the Dolphins brought in Hall of Fame quarterback and career-long Cowboy Troy Aikman to consult in their GM search. Former Cowboys and Dolphins head coach Jimmy Johnson, who won two Super Bowls with Aikman in Dallas, recommended him to Miami.
A little over a week after Aikman joined the Dolphins, they tabbed former Packers executive Jon-Eric Sullivan as their GM. With the team still in need of a head coach to replace the fired Mike McDaniel, Aikman remained on board in an advisory role. The Dolphins went on to hire ex-Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to replace McDaniel.
Miami’s new leadership has been in place for approximately two months, but Aikman has not gone anywhere. The 59-year-old told the Rodeo Time podcast that he will stay with the franchise in “some capacity” (via Jayna Bardahl of The Athletic).
It is unclear how involved Aikman will be with the Dolphins, but continuing to work with them will not affect his status as the color commentator on “Monday Night Football.” Aikman and play-by-play man Joe Buck are set to announce their seventh Super Bowl as a duo next February.
“It’s been awesome,” Aikman said of his 22-year run as a broadcaster. “I don’t know how much longer that will go — hopefully, a long time — but yeah, life’s good right now.”
Aikman and fellow Hall of Fame QB Tom Brady are in the unique positions of assisting with teams while also serving as broadcasters. As the highly influential part-owner of the Raiders, Brady has more responsibilities than Aikman. Although there have been conflict-of-interest concerns with Brady, he is on track to return as Fox’s lead color commentator for a third season in 2026.
Dolphins Sign OT Charlie Heck
After playing for the Buccaneers in 2025, offensive tackle Charlie Heck is moving to one of Florida’s other franchises. The Dolphins have signed Heck, per a team announcement.
A 2020 fourth-round pick from North Carolina, Heck spent the first four years of his career in Houston. He totaled a career-high 13 starts in his second season. Since the Texans released him in August 2024, Heck has gone through short stints with the Cardinals, 49ers and Bucs. The 29-year-old has started in 29 of 67 games, including six during a full campaign in Tampa Bay.
Heck lined up for 458 snaps at right tackle in 2025 while subbing for the injured Luke Goedeke. Pro Football Focus was unimpressed with Heck, whom it ranked 82nd among 84 qualified tackles.
Almost all of Heck’s work in the NFL has come at right tackle, where he will back up the oft-injured Austin Jackson in Miami. Jackson dealt with a toe issue that limited him to six games last season, the second straight year in which he missed significant time. The Dolphins relied on Larry Borom to fill in for 11 starts and 664 snaps in Jackson’s place in 2025, but he left for the Lions’ one-year offer last Monday.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/13/26
Here are Friday’s minor NFL moves as free agency continues into the weekend:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed: WR Simi Fehoko
Baltimore Ravens
- Re-signed: G Corey Bullock
Carolina Panthers
- Re-signed: LB Claudin Cherelus
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: CB Jaylon Jones
Cleveland Browns
- Re-signed: CB D’Angelo Ross
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: TE Princeton Fant
Denver Broncos
- Signed RFA tender: CB Ja’Quan McMillian
Houston Texans
- Waived: DT Kurt Hinish
Miami Dolphins
- Signed ERFA tender: CB Ethan Bonner
- Signed: P Seth Vernon
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: C Zeke Correll
New York Giants
- Signed: S Elijah Campbell
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: TE Ko Kieft
After making the call not to tender him as a restricted free agent, the Panthers were able to come to an agreement to re-sign Cherelus. The undrafted linebacker has started six of 27 game appearances in his last two years with Carolina, logging 60 total tackles.
Unlike Cherelus, McMillian did get tendered in Denver. With 16 starts in 51 games appearances over four years with the Broncos, McMillian’s tender is worth $5.77MM for the 2026 season, per Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette.
The Texans signed Hinish to a one-year deal last year, but the Notre Dame product spent the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list. Instead of holding on to him for the upcoming season, they’ve decided to cut him from the roster.
Falcons Sign QB Tua Tagovailoa
MARCH 13: Like Russell Wilson in 2024 and Kyler Murray on Thursday, Tagovailoa agreed to a veteran-minimum contract following a high-profile release. The former Dolphins starter, who will compete with Penix for the Falcons’ QB1 gig, will do so for barely $1MM, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones confirms. This will cut into Miami’s historic dead money bill, but not by much.
Exercising Tagovailoa’s 2026 option bonus before his release (per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson), the Dolphins will be tied to a $55.4MM dead money hit this year. That breaks Wilson’s single-season record ($53MM). Tagovailoa will count $43.8MM against Miami’s 2027 cap.
MARCH 9: The Dolphins are planning to release Tua Tagovailoa, and just a few hours later, he has found a new team. The 28-year-old quarterback will be moving one state north to join the Falcons, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
As expected, Tagovailoa will receive a one-year, veteran-minimum deal in Atlanta, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, as Miami is still paying him $54MM this season. He will join fellow lefty Michael Penix Jr. in a Falcons quarterback room that will likely soon lose Kirk Cousins.
In fact, Tagovailoa projects as the team’s bridge starter as Penix works his way back from knee surgery, filling a role that could have kept Cousins in Atlanta. Instead, the veteran should now get the opportunity to pick a new team that he did not receive last offseason.
Considering Tagovailoa’s drastic fall since his 2023 Pro Bowl nod, Atlanta is a fine landing spot for the former first-round pick. The Falcons have been non-committal on Penix’s status as their franchise QB, and his injury will give Tagovailoa an opportunity to rebuild his stock surrounded by a strong supporting cast.
The Falcons have a solid offensive line and exciting young skill position players like Drake London, Bijan Robinson, and Kyle Pitts. But Tagovailoa’s struggles over the past two seasons will still give him an uphill battle in convincing Atlanta’s new leadership that he, not Penix, is the quarterback to steward the team’s offense into the future.
Finding no trade takers, the Dolphins will designate Tagovailoa as a post-June 1 cut Wednesday. That comes as little surprise, as it will allow Miami to spread out the record-breaking $99.2MM dead money charge in this case over two years. Thanks to Tagovailoa’s guarantees on his contract, he could account for $67MM a dead cap charges in 2026 as the Dolphins move forward with their full-scale roster reset.
Benched before Week 16 last season, Tagovailoa would welcome a fresh start. His four-year, $212.4MM extension — which included a $54MM 2026 option bonus that shifted from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee in March 2025 — backfired quickly. Still, Tagovailoa played well for much of the 2022 and ’23 campaigns.
Tua, 28 in May, led the league in yards per attempt and passer rating in 2022, passing yards in 2023 and completion percentage in 2024. Concussion concerns resurfaced in 2024, and Tagovailoa missed six games that year. His 2025 season continued a downward trajectory. But at the veteran minimum, the Falcons will take a flier.
If Tagovailoa were to make that a serious consideration later this year, it would create a fascinating dynamic in Atlanta. The Falcons surprised many by selecting Penix with the No. 8 pick in the 2024 draft weeks after signing Cousins to a four-year, $160MM deal with $90MM guaranteed. Cousins started the regular season strong, but struggled with turnovers down the stretch and was replaced by Penix. He went into 2025 as the unquestioned starter with Cousins trying to force his way out of Atlanta. But Penix did not inspire much confidence himself before partially tearing his ACL, leaving the Falcons in a tricky spot this offseason.
Normally, a quarterback’s third season (second as a starter) is a good litmus test for their long-term capabilities. But Penix will not get that type of opportunity, as he is expected to miss offseason practices as the team transitions to Kevin Stefanski‘s coaching staff. Instead, Tagovailoa will have the first opportunity to impress the new regime on the field.
Dolphins, WR Jalen Tolbert Agree To Deal
The Cowboys franchise-tagging George Pickens gives them two high salaries at wide receiver. A four-year CeeDee Lamb supporting-caster will now relocate.
Jalen Tolbert is joining the Dolphins, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, who adds the parties agreed to a one-year deal. Pickens’ Dallas arrival cooled the momentum Tolbert established as Lamb’s top sidekick in 2024, and he will attempt to rebound as one of Malik Willis‘ targets in Miami. As Schultz points out, Tolbert and Willis have been close since playing in the Senior Bowl together four years ago.
In 2024, Tolbert broke through with a 49-reception, 610-yard season that produced seven touchdowns. That is an outlier on the former third-round pick’s resume, however. Tolbert has not eclipsed 300 yards in another season, and he combined for just three TDs between the 2022, 2023 and 2025 campaigns.
Dallas saw little from Tolbert in 2022 and ’23, but he moved into the starting lineup in 2024. His breakthrough receiving season came in a year in which Dak Prescott missed extensive time with a hamstring injury. Tolbert teamed with Cooper Rush down the stretch, catching a touchdown pass in three straight games. He then closed that season with four receptions for 98 yards in Trey Lance‘s only start. Tolbert, 27, will be working with a similarly unseasoned QB in 2026.
After the Dolphins cut Tyreek Hill, they have an opening for a No. 2 receiver alongside Jaylen Waddle. The team has added two NFC tertiary targets in Tolbert and Tutu Atwell, each likely representing low-cost additions for a team set to carry a single-year dead money record (Tua Tagovailoa‘s $55.4MM) to go with dead cap from the Hill and Bradley Chubb cuts. Malik Washington, a 2024 sixth-round pick, remains on the roster as well. Washington averaged just 6.9 yards per reception last season.
Dolphins Sign OL Jamaree Salyer
The Dolphins have been busy adding a number of defenders early in free agency. Miami still has a number of unanswered questions along the offensive line, however, and a move is being made to help address that.
An agreement has been reached with Jamaree Salyer, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. This will bring about a change of scenery for Salyer, who played out his rookie contract with the Chargers. He amassed 40 starts over that period. The Dolphins have since announced the signing.
As a rookie, Salyer operated as the Bolts’ starting left tackle. He remained a first-team regular the following year but did so at the right guard position. The former sixth-rounder logged over 1,100 snaps during his second season but his PFF evaluation left plenty to be desired. Over the past two seasons, Salyer only totaled nine starts, seeing action at both guard spots but also left tackle in 2025 due to the injuries suffered by Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt.
With Mekhi Becton having been released and Zion Johnson departing on the open market, losing Salyer will leave the Chargers in need of multiple O-line moves. One guard addition has already been lined up, with an agreement being reached with Cole Strange. For Miami, meanwhile, this signing may yield a starting presence at guard. Salyer, 25, could replace Strange (especially since Daniel Brunskill is a pending free agent); alternatively, he could serve as competition for 2025 second-rounder Jonah Savaiinaea.
The Dolphins have lost Strange as well as Larry Borom during the opening stages of free agency. The team still has right tackle Austin Jackson in the fold, though, after he accepted a pay cut ahead of his contract year. Depending on how Miami’s offensive line maneuvering shakes out, Salyer could find himself occupying a starting gig along the interior. At a minimum, he will serve as experienced depth up front.
Dolphins To Sign Tutu Atwell, Marco Wilson
After four years with the Rams, wide receiver Tutu Atwell is headed to South Florida. The Dolphins are adding the Miami native on a one-year deal, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
In addition to Atwell, the Dolphins are bringing in cornerback Marco Wilson on a one-year pact, according to Schefter. The Fort Lauderdale native and former Florida Gator spent the past year-plus with the Bengals.
The value of Atwell’s contract is unknown, but it is unlikely to approach the $10MM guarantee the Rams handed him a year ago. At the time, Atwell was coming off his first 17-game season and one in which he set career highs in receptions (42) and yards (562). The 26-year-old was unable to build on those numbers during an injury-shortened 2025. Atwell missed seven games as a result of a hamstring injury. During the 10 Atwell played, he did not offer a strong complement to the all-world Puka Nacua–Davante Adams duo. Atwell caught just six of 15 targets and one touchdown, though he did average a robust 32.0 yards per grab.
As a 2021 second-round pick, Atwell likely did not develop into the type of impact receiver the Rams thought they were getting five years ago. The Louisville product had a catch-less, eight-game rookie season that ended with a mid-November trip to IR. The Rams won the Super Bowl without him just under three months later. Atwell went on to total 105 receptions for 1,535 yards (14.6 YPC) and five TDs over his last four years with the Rams.
The 5-foot-9, 165-pound Atwell will now have a chance to earn a roster spot on a Miami team that needs capable complements to No. 1 receiver Jaylen Waddle. The Dolphins released Tyreek Hill, leaving new quarterback Malik Willis with Atwell, Malik Washington, Terrace Marshall and Theo Wease behind Waddle.
Wilson is the latest in a long line of defenders to reach short-term agreements with the Dolphins this week. Like Atwell, Wilson entered the league as a member of the 2021 draft class. The Cardinals used a fourth-rounder on Wilson, who lasted two-plus years in their uniform.
Although Wilson started in 37 of 43 games and intercepted three passes in Arizona, the team cut him in December 2023. Wilson has played a combined 21 games with the Patriots and Bengals since then, but he has not gotten another start or added any more picks. The 27-year-old appeared in four of Cincinnati’s games in 2025 before succumbing to a season-ending hamstring injury in late November.
Chiefs To Sign CB Kader Kohou
The Chiefs are signing former Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Kohou, 27, missed all of the 2025 season due to a torn ACL suffered in training camp. He served as Miami’s primary nickel for the previous three seasons with 47 appearances, 38 starts, and more than 2,500 defensive snaps. He only played sparingly on special teams with no involvement in 2024.
Kohou arrived in Miami in 2022 as an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M-Commerce. He was targeted more than any other defender in the league as a rookie, but allowed only 6.1 yards per target and three touchdowns. He regressed in 2023 with 7.7 yards per target and eight touchdowns but returned to his 2023 numbers the following year. That earned him a $3.26MM restricted free agent tag last offseason, though he will likely earn significantly less with the Chiefs.
In Kansas City, Kohou will look to prove his health and compete for a role in the Chiefs’ secondary, which has already lost three cornerbacks this week, including Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, two of their starters in 2025. Joshua Williams, who played key snaps in the previous three seasons but not 2025, is also gone, so the Chiefs will need to find new options on the boundary in 2026.
Kohou has played a majority of his career snaps in the slot, but 2023 fourth-rounder Chamarri Conner will likely keep that role next season. But his 743 snaps of experience on the boundary could help him compete for a job in a Kansas City pass defense that will look very different relative to last year’s unit.