Dolphins To Sign CB Jason McCourty
Jason McCourty is switching AFC East squads. The veteran cornerback is signing with the Dolphins, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter). Ian Rapoport tweets that it’s a one-year deal for the 33-year-old.
Earlier this offseason, McCourty made it clear that he intended to continue his playing career, with the Giants being mentioned as a potential suitor. Instead of heading back to New Jersey (where he played both college and high school football), he’s heading to Miami. On the Dolphins, he’ll be reunited with head coach Brian Flores, who served as McCourty’s defensive coordinator during their lone season together in New England.
Besides the familiarity between the vet and the head coach, there could be another reason for the signing. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald wonders (on Twitter) if the McCourty signing is “insurance against a Xavien Howard contract issue.” Howard is seeking a raise, and Salguero seems to imply that the cornerback could miss time due to the negotiations. Even if Howard is in the lineup, McCourty is still a savvy veteran who the coaching staff can safely rely on. The defensive back could also be an option at safety.
The Patriots had one of the NFL’s best cornerback contingents last season, and McCourty was one of the captains of the defense. However, he saw a reduced role in 2020, as the 33-year-old (34 in August) played on 65% of the Pats’ defensive snaps and started eleven games. Pro Football Focus placed him outside of the top 75 at his position — a significant drop from 2018 (No. 6) and 2019 (No. 18) rankings. The veteran ultimately finished the campaign having compiled 42 tackles and three passes defended.
McCourty accomplished his goals of playing alongside his brother, Devin McCourty, and winning a Super Bowl during his three-year stint in New England. The former sixth-round spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Titans before a one-year stint with the Browns in 2017.
Dolphins Sign TE Jibri Blount
The Dolphins added an interesting UDFA Thursday, coming to terms with former North Carolina Central basketball player Jibri Blount. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound football convert is the son of Steelers Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Blount.
Jibri Blount began his hoops career at Cleveland State, after playing at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, but did not break out until his transfer to North Carolina. With the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference program, Blount played a centerpiece role. As a senior, he scored 19.1 points per game and pulled down 9.3 rebounds per contest. This earned Blount MEAC Player of the Year acclaim. Jibri, however, did not play football in college.
This marks the second of Mel Blount’s sons to sign with the Dolphins. The team added Akil Blount as a UDFA in 2016. Akil did not play in a regular-season game but did have a football background, having played linebacker at Florida A&M. Jibri is attempting to make a basketball-to-football crossover, a move a few tight ends have completed over the past several years. Jibri will play tight end, according to the Dolphins.
Linked to Kyle Pitts ahead of the draft, the Dolphins were not in position to select the Florida star. They did add Boston College tight end Hunter Long in Round 3, however. Long joins Mike Gesicki on Miami’s roster. Jibri Blount certainly qualifies as a developmental player, but with practice squads expected to remain at or near the 16-player limit from last season, such gambles make sense.
Dolphins To Cut Bobby McCain
The Dolphins have informed safety Bobby McCain that he’ll be released today (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). By cutting the team captain, the Dolphins will nix the final two years of his four-year, $27MM deal. 
McCain was set to count for $7.14MM against the 2021 cap. The Dolphins will be left with just $1.48MM in dead money while saving $5.66MM on the books. At least, that’ll be the breakdown if he’s formally released. NFL teams will occasionally leak word of an impending release in order to stir up trade talks. That could the case here, with the Dolphins aiming to get something in return for McCain before the end of the business day.
McCain, a 2015 fifth-rounder, has been a staple of the Dolphins’ defense over the last six years. All in all, he’s started in 55 of his 87 games, collecting seven interceptions and four sacks along the way.
Last year, McCain was first-string for 15 of his 16 games, notching one INT, 46 stops, and five passes defensed. However, his performance left something to be desired — he ranked just 55th out of 94 qualified safeties, per Pro Football Focus. Ultimately, the Dolphins chose to go younger and cheaper. One way or another, they’ll shed McCain’s contract while working third-rounder Jevon Holland into the rotation.
Without McCain, the Dolphins project to use Eric Rowe, Brandon Jones, and Holland as their top safeties.
Dolphins Meet With Malik Hooker
Former Colt Malik Hooker will visit with the Dolphins on Tuesday (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). This marks the first known visit in a while for the one-time first-round safety. 
Now that May 3rd has come and gone, teams will no longer be docked in the compensatory pick formula for signing veterans. Teams have been waiting patiently for that deadline to pass, so players like Hooker are bound to be scooped up in the coming weeks. The Ravens, for example, had been eyeing offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva for weeks. Still, they waited until Tuesday morning to finalize his new two-year deal.
Hooker played out his rookie contract with the Colts, but he’s been plagued by injury trouble throughout his career. He did manage to bounce back from a seven-game rookie season to suit up for 27 regular-season contests from 2018-19, but he was limited to just two games last year. Now, he’s believed to be mostly recovered from his September Achilles tear.
If signed, Hooker will join third-round pick Jevon Holland in the Dolphins’ safety group. For now, the ‘Fins project to start Eric Rowe at strong safety and Bobby McCain at free safety.
2021 NFL Draft Results By Round
The 2021 NFL Draft is here! We’ll be keeping tabs here, from pick No. 1 through No. 259:
Round 1
1) Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB (Clemson)
2) New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB (BYU)
3) San Francisco 49ers (from Texans via Dolphins): Trey Lance, QB (North Dakota State)
4) Atlanta Falcons: Kyle Pitts, TE (Florida)
5) Cincinnati Bengals: Ja’Marr Chase, WR (LSU)
6) Miami Dolphins (from Eagles): Jaylen Waddle, WR (Alabama)
7) Detroit Lions: Penei Sewell, OT (Oregon)
8) Carolina Panthers: Jaycee Horn, CB (South Carolina)
9) Denver Broncos: Patrick Surtain II, CB (Alabama)
10) Philadelphia Eagles (from Cowboys): DeVonta Smith, WR (Alabama)
11) Chicago Bears (from Giants): Justin Fields, QB (Ohio State)
12) Dallas Cowboys (from 49ers via Dolphins via Eagles): Micah Parsons, LB (Penn State)
13) Los Angeles Chargers: Rashawn Slater, OT (Northwestern)
14) New York Jets (from Vikings): Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL (USC)
15) New England Patriots: Mac Jones, QB (Alabama)
16) Arizona Cardinals: Zaven Collins, LB (Tulsa)
17) Las Vegas Raiders: Alex Leatherwood, OL (Alabama)
18) Miami Dolphins: Jaelan Phillips, DL (Miami)
19) Washington Football Team: Jamin Davis, LB (Kentucky)
20) New York Giants (from Bears): Kadarius Toney, WR (Florida)
21) Indianapolis Colts: Kwity Paye, DL (Michigan)
22) Tennessee Titans: Caleb Farley, CB (Virginia Tech)
23) Minnesota Vikings (from Seahawks via Jets): Christian Darrisaw, OT (Virginia Tech)
24) Pittsburgh Steelers: Najee Harris, RB (Alabama)
25) Jacksonville Jaguars (from Rams): Travis Etienne, RB (Clemson)
26) Cleveland Browns: Greg Newsome II, CB (Northwestern)
27) Baltimore Ravens: Rashod Bateman, WR (Minnes0ta)
28) New Orleans Saints: Payton Turner, DE (Houston)
29) Green Bay Packers: Eric Stokes, CB (Georgia)
30) Buffalo Bills: Gregory Rousseau, DL (Miami)
31) Baltimore Ravens (from Chiefs): Jayson Oweh, DE (Penn State)
32) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Joe Tryon, LB (Washington)
2021 NFL Draft Results: Team By Team
The 2021 NFL Draft has arrived! As the picks come in, we’ll keep track of each team’s haul right here:
[RELATED: 2021 NFL Draft Order By Round]
Arizona Cardinals
Round 1: No. 16 Zaven Collins, LB (Tulsa) (signed)
Round 2: No. 49 Rondale Moore, WR (Purdue) (signed)
Round 4: No. 136 (from Ravens) Marco Wilson, CB (Florida) (signed)
Round 6: No. 210 (from Ravens) Victor Dimukeje, LB (Duke) (signed)
Round 6: No. 223 (from Vikings) Tay Gowan, CB (Central Florida) (signed)
Round 7: No. 243 James Wiggins, S (Cincinnati) (signed)
Round 7: No. 247 (from Bears through Raiders) Michal Menet, C (Penn State) (signed)
Atlanta Falcons
Round 1: No. 4 Kyle Pitts, TE (Florida) (signed)
Round 2: No. 40 (from Broncos) S Richie Grant (Central Florida)
Round 3: No. 68 Jalen Mayfield, OT (Michigan) (signed)
Round 4: No. 108: Darren Hall, CB (SDSU) (signed)
Round 4: No. 114 (from Broncos) Drew Dalman, C (Stanford) (signed)
Round 5: No. 148 Ta’Quon Graham, DT (Texas) (signed)
Round 5: No. 182 Adetokunbo Ogundeji, DE (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 5: No. 183 Avery Williams, CB (Boise State) (signed)
Round 6: No. 187 Frank Darby, WR (Arizona State) (signed)
Baltimore Ravens
Round 1: No. 27 Rashod Bateman, WR (Minnesota) (signed)
Round 1: No. 31 (from Chiefs) Jayson Oweh, DE (Penn State)
Round 3: No. 94 (from Chiefs) Ben Cleveland, G (Georgia)
Round 3: No. 104 Brandon Stephens, CB (SMU)
Round 4: No. 131 Tylan Wallace, WR (Oklahoma State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 160 (from Cardinals) Shaun Wade, CB (Ohio State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 171 Daelin Hayes, LB (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 5: No. 184 Ben Mason, FB (Michigan) (signed)
Buffalo Bills
Round 1: No. 30 Gregory Rousseau, DL (Miami) (signed)
Round 2: No. 61 Carlos Basham Jr., DE (Wake Forest) (signed)
Round 3: No. 93 Spencer Brown, OT (Northern Iowa)
Round 5: No. 161 (from Raiders) Tommy Doyle, OT (Miami (Ohio) (signed)
Round 6: No. 203 Marquez Stevenson, WR (Houston) (signed)
Round 6: No. 212 (from Saints via Texans) Damar Hamlin, S (Pittsburgh) (signed)
Round 6: No. 213 Rachad Wildgoose, CB (Wisconsin) (signed)
Round 7: No. 236 (from Panthers) Jack Anderson, G (Texas Tech) (signed)
Carolina Panthers
Round 1: No. 8 Jaycee Horn, CB (South Carolina) (signed)
Round 2: No. 59 (from Browns) Terrace Marshall Jr., WR (LSU)
Round 3: No. 70 (from Eagles) Brady Christensen, OT (BYU) (signed)
Round 3: No. 83 (from Bears) Tommy Tremble, TE (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 4: No. 113 Chuba Hubbard, RB (Oklahoma State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 158 Daviyon Nixon, DT (Iowa) (signed)
Round 5: No. 166 (from Titans) Keith Taylor, CB (Washington) (signed)
Round 6: No. 204 (from Bears) Shi Smith, WR (South Carolina) (signed)
Round 6: No. 222 Thomas Fletcher, LS (Alabama) (signed)
Round 7: No. 232 (from Titans) Phil Hoskins, DT (Kentucky) (signed)
Giants Trade No. 42 To Dolphins; Dolphins Pick OT Liam Eichenberg
Dave Gettleman just can’t stop trading back. After getting dragged this cycle for seemingly never trading down, the Giants GM has now done it in the first and second-rounds. New York has traded the 42nd overall pick to the Dolphins. Miami used the pick on offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg from Notre Dame.
Here’s the breakdown of the trade:
Dolphins Receive
- No. 42
Giants Receive
- No. 50
- 2022 third-rounder
Not a bad deal for the Giants. They got an extra 2022 first-rounder on Thursday, and now picked up a free third-rounder for moving down eight spots. Gettleman is quieting the critics in a hurry.
Eichenberg is continuing what appears to be the start of a run on offensive linemen, as the Bears just drafted Teven Jenkins moments ago. Miami drafted Austin Jackson in the first-round last year to be their left tackle, and now Eichenberg can potentially slide in as the right tackle.
NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah had Eichenberg going at the end of the first-round, and he had a real chance to go on Day 1. He was first-team All-ACC and a consensus All-American in 2020. He’s got great size, and Miami clearly felt he was going to go in the next few picks if they were willing to give up a third-rounder to move up.
Dolphins Select Miami DL Jaelan Phillips At No. 18
Jaelan Phillips won’t have to make a major (literal) move from college to the pros. The Dolphins have selected the Miami defensive lineman with the No. 18 pick.
Standing at 6-foot-5, the 286-pound prospect is one of the most intimidating prospects in the draft. He earned his early-round draft stock thanks to a breakout 2020 campaign that saw him finish with eight sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss (after having compiled 4.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss through his first two collegiate seasons). His performance in 2020 earned him second-team All-American and second-team All-ACC honors, and it also caused his draft stock to rise.
Phillips has experience on the edge and playing with hands on the ground, and this versatility will surely be utilized by his new squad. A brief injury history resulted in him being ranked lower on some pundits’ pre-draft rankings, but the defensive lineman has as much potential as any of the draft’s top defensive prospects. The Dolphins front office is presumably thrilled to add a player of Phillips’ caliber at this point in the draft.
The Dolphins were busy prior to the draft (via trades), but it seems like their night is probably over. Miami is currently armed with four more picks in the draft:
- Round 2: Nos. 36 (from Texans), 50
- Round 3: No. 81
- Round 5: No. 156 (from Cowboys through Eagles)
- Round 7: Nos. 231 (from Texans), 244 (from Washington)
Dolphins Select Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle At No. 6
The Dolphins seem committed to Tua Tagovailoa, and they’re now pairing their young quarterback with his dynamic college teammate. Miami selected Alabama receiver Jaylen Waddle with the sixth-overall pick.
Waddle had established himself as one of the top receivers in the draft alongside LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase, (who went at No. 5 to the Bengals) and former college teammate DeVonta Smith. He cemented his status as a top-10 pick during his pro day, as he posted a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, a number that even surprised the LSU star (“I was going for a low 4.4,” Chase said).
Early on in his career, Waddle was largely overshadowed by the likes of Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III – two eventual first-round picks. After they left Tuscaloosa, Waddle was primed to assert himself as Bama’s top wide receiver in 2020. In his first six games, Waddle went off for 28 catches and 591 yards — good for 21.2 yards per catch on average — plus four touchdowns. He also kept up his strong work in the return game, giving evaluators even more opportunities to gawk at his speed on film. Unfortunately, his final return of the regular season came against Tennessee, couching his season up until the National Championship game against Ohio State.
Despite the ill-timed injury, Waddle remained one of this year’s most highly-coveted prospects. His injured ankle even kept him from running the 40-yard-dash for scouts this year — that hasn’t slowed him down either. Waddle was clocked at 4.37 seconds before he even stepped foot on campus. And, depending on who you ask, he could even be a shade faster than Ruggs on the field. Ruggs, for reference, clocked a 4.27-second 40-time last year. Waddle can accelerate, stop on a dime, and throttle his way past the coverage, meaning he should have the skills to contribute right away.
The Dolphins spent on Will Fuller earlier this offseason, pairing him with standout DeVante Parker. Now, Tua will have another talented target to pass to, and there’s a good chance the rookie climbs to the top of the depth chart before long.
2022 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker
NFL teams have until May 3 to officially pick up their options on 2018 first-rounders who are entering the final year of their rookie deals. In a change from years past, fifth-year option seasons are fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, salaries are now determined by a blend of the player’s position, initial draft placement, and specific performance metrics:
- 2-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternate Pro Bowlers) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag.
- 1-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag.
- Players who achieve any of the following will get the average of the 3rd-20th highest salaries at their position:
- 75%+ snaps in two of their first three seasons
- 75%+ average across all three seasons
- 50%+ in each of first three seasons
- Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will get the average of the 3rd-25th top salaries at their position.
With the deadline looming, we’ll use the space below to track all the option decisions from around the league:
Updated 4-30-21, 4:24pm CT
- QB Baker Mayfield, Browns: Exercised ($18.858MM)
- RB Saquon Barkley, Giants: Exercised ($7.217MM)
- QB Sam Darnold, Panthers (via Jets): Pending ($18.858MM)
- CB Denzel Ward, Browns — Exercised ($13.294MM)
- LB Bradley Chubb, Broncos — Pending ($12.716MM)
- G Quenton Nelson, Colts — Pending ($13.754MM)
- QB Josh Allen, Bills: Pending ($23.106MM)
- LB Roquan Smith, Bears: Exercised ($9.735MM)
- OT Mike McGlinchey, 49ers: Exercised ($10.88MM)
- QB Josh Rosen, Cardinals: N/A
- S Minkah Fitzpatrick, Steelers (via Dolphins): Exercised ($10.612MM)
- DT Vita Vea, Buccaneers: Exercised ($7.638MM)
- DT Daron Payne, Washington — Exercised ($8.529MM)
- DE Marcus Davenport, Saints: Exercised ($9.553MM)
- OT Kolton Miller, Raiders — N/A (extension)
- LB Tremaine Edmunds, Bills: Pending ($12.716MM)
- S Derwin James, Chargers: Exercised ($9.052MM)
- CB Jaire Alexander, Packers: Exercised ($13.294MM)
- LB Leighton Vander Esch, Cowboys: Pending ($9.145MM)
- C Frank Ragnow, Lions: Exercised ($12.657MM)
- C Billy Price, Bengals: Declined ($10.413MM)
- LB Rashaan Evans, Titans: Pending ($9.735MM)
- OT Isaiah Wynn, Patriots: Pending ($10.413 MM)
- WR D.J. Moore, Panthers: Exercised ($11.116MM)
- TE Hayden Hurst, Falcons (via Ravens): Pending ($5.428MM)
- WR Calvin Ridley, Falcons: Pending ($11.116MM)
- RB Rashaad Penny, Seahawks: Pending ($4.523MM)
- S Terrell Edmunds, Steelers: Pending ($6.753MM)
- DT Taven Bryan, Jaguars: Pending ($7.638MM)
- CB Mike Hughes, Vikings: Pending ($12.643MM)
- RB Sony Michel, Patriots: Pending ($4.523MM)
- QB Lamar Jackson, Ravens: Exercised ($23.106MM)