AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Tua, Fitz, Jets
Ryan Fitzpatrick is “really excited” to have Tua Tagovailoa in the Dolphins‘ locker room, as Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes. He gushed about the Alabama product in a chat with former Bills teammate Eric Woods, though he’s not quite ready to pass the torch as the team’s starting quarterback.
“I also want to be out there playing,” Fitzpatrick said. “I also want to be on the field. And that’s why I’m still doing it, because I still enjoy playing the game. Hopefully some of the lessons I’m able to teach him are from him watching me play. But if it’s the other way around, I’m going to do my best to help him succeed in the best way he can.”
Ultimately, the Dolphins will do what’s best for business, but Fitzpatrick may have a leg up on the rookie, thanks to his relationship with new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey.
“Chan and I have worked together for three years … He’s the guy who has given me the longest leash in my career in terms of being able to do things,” Fitzpatrick said. “And I trust him completely, and he has ultimate trust in me as well. This will be a little bit different in that if I’m out there playing there’s going to be a little bit longer leash because of the history we have together.”
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- ACL rehab is going well for Dolphins wide receiver Preston Williams and he’s on track to be ready for Week 1, according to a team source who spoke with Adam H. Beasley and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. For now, the Dolphins plan to have Williams and DeVante Parker as their top outside receivers. On the inside, they’ll likely turn to slot specialist Albert Wilson, who renegotiated his contract in May to ensure his spot on the team. Wilson is on the books for just $3MM in base salary this year. Initially, he was set to earn ~$9.5MM in 2020.
- It would be a shock if first-round tackle Mekhi Becton doesn’t start for the Jets right away, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. Becton, selected with the No. 11 overall pick, already has the build of a veteran – he stands at 6’7″ and tips the scales at around 365 pounds. As Cimini notes, the Jets have not started a rookie offensive lineman since 2006, when they trotted out center Nick Mangold and left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson.
- For months, the Jets have been expected to release Brian Winters in a cost-saving move. Instead, he’s currently set to compete with Greg Van Roten for the starting right guard job, as Brian Costello of the New York Post writes. If the Jets dropped the veteran, they’d save $7.2MM with no dead money left over.
- The Patriots agreed to a brand new deal with Patrick Chung on Wednesday, keeping him under contract through the 2023 season.
- Defensive lineman Ed Oliver could be in lots of trouble following his arrest, but the Bills are still allowing him to participate in their virtual offseason program.
Tagovailoa, Brown Have Offset Language
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Panthers defensive lineman Derrick Brown have offset language in their contracts, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. So far, they’re the only two first-round picks to have their deals in place, so that’s an indication most of the Top 32 will follow suit. 
Rookie contracts for NFL draft picks are cut-and-dry, for the most part, thanks to the slotting system. However, offset language is usually the biggest barrier to an agreement. If a player with offset language is released midway through the contract and signs elsewhere, the original team is only on the hook for the difference in salary between the two deals. Without offset language, the player can effectively collect two paychecks. Naturally, agents try to preserve that potential earning power while owners push back.
Breer expects just about every first-round pick to make the same concession, except for Jaguars first-round picks C.J. Henderson (No. 9 overall) and K’Lavon Chaisson (No. 20 overall). Historically, the Jaguars have not pushed offsets on players, but most teams do. It would only make sense for teams to insist on offsets, particularly following this truly unprecedented evaluation period. In essence, offset language serves as a bit of insurance against the possibility of a draft bust.
On the whole, the Dolphins are excited about Tagovailoa’s potential, despite his surgically-repaired hip and other past issues on his medical chart. In accordance with his slot at No. 5 overall, he’ll make just over $30MM over the course of a four-year deal. Brown, meanwhile, is set to make just under $24MM over the course of his four year deal with the Panthers. As first round picks, both deals will include fifth-year options. They’ll also come with a bit of extra protection, thanks to the offset language included within.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/16/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: RB De’Lance Turner
Longest-Tenured Head Coaches In The NFL
Things move fast in today’s NFL and the old adage of “coaches are hired to be fired” has seemingly never been more true. For the most part, teams change their coaches like they change their underwear. 
A head coach can take his team to the Super Bowl, or win the Super Bowl, or win multiple Super Bowls, but they’re never immune to scrutiny. Just ask Tom Coughlin, who captured his second ring with the Giants after the 2011 season, only to receive his pink slip after the 2015 campaign.
There are also exceptions. Just look at Bill Belichick, who just wrapped up his 20th season at the helm in New England. You’ll also see a few others on this list, but, for the most part, most of today’s NFL head coaches are relatively new to their respective clubs. And, history dictates that many of them will be elsewhere when we check in on this list in 2022.
Over one-third (12) of the NFL’s head coaches have coached no more than one season with their respective teams. Meanwhile, less than half (15) have been with their current clubs for more than three years. It seems like just yesterday that the Cardinals hired Kliff Kingsbury, right? It sort of was – Kingsbury signed on with the Cardinals in January of 2019. Today, he’s practically a veteran.
Here’s the list of the current head coaches in the NFL, ordered by tenure, along with their respective start dates:
- Bill Belichick (New England Patriots): January 27, 2000
- Sean Payton (New Orleans Saints): January 18, 2006
- Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers): January 27, 2007
- John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens): January 19, 2008
- Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks): January 9, 2010
- Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs): January 4, 2013
- Bill O’Brien (Houston Texans): January 2, 2014
- Mike Zimmer (Minnesota Vikings): January 15, 2014
- Dan Quinn (Atlanta Falcons): February 2, 2015
- Doug Pederson (Philadelphia Eagles): January 18, 2016
- Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills): January 11, 2017
- Doug Marrone (Jacksonville Jaguars): December 19, 2016 (interim; permanent since 2017)
- Anthony Lynn (Los Angeles Chargers): January 12, 2017
- Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams): January 12, 2017
- Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers): February 6, 2017
- Matt Nagy (Chicago Bears): January 7, 2018
- Matt Patricia (Detroit Lions): February 5, 2018
- Frank Reich (Indianapolis Colts): February 11, 2018
- Jon Gruden (Las Vegas Raiders): January 6, 2018
- Mike Vrabel (Tennessee Titans): January 20, 2018
- Kliff Kingsbury (Arizona Cardinals): January 8, 2019
- Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals): February 4, 2019
- Vic Fangio (Denver Broncos): January 10, 2019
- Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers): January 8, 2019
- Brian Flores (Miami Dolphins): February 4, 2019
- Adam Gase (New York Jets): January 11, 2019
- Bruce Arians (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): January 8, 2019
- Ron Rivera (Washington Redskins): January 1, 2020
- Matt Rhule (Carolina Panthers): January 7, 2020
- Mike McCarthy (Dallas Cowboys): January 7, 2020
- Joe Judge (New York Giants): January 8, 2020
- Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns): January 13, 2020
Logan Ryan Discusses Free Agency, Jets Rumors
Logan Ryan is clearing the air. Following reports that the veteran cornerback was close to signing with the Jets, Ryan said on Good Morning Football that he’s “completely open for business.”
“[The] Jets…it makes a lot of sense because I’m from the area, I went to Rutgers. I’m blue collar,” Ryan said (via GMFB on Twitter). “[I’m] trying to do what’s best for my family. Obviously there’s a lot of rumors out there. I can’t confirm any of it because I’m obviously still not signed yet. We’ll see. I obviously want to get a deal done whenever, and I’m open to it. So we’ll see what happens there.
“But I’m also open to pretty much 30 other franchises, except for the Titans, that’s the only one I’ve ruled out thus far. So I’m completely open for business.”
On Tuesday, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported that the Jets organization believed they were on the verge of signing Ryan. However, nothing has materialized 48 hours later, and we’ve since heard that the Dolphins could still have interest in the 29-year-old.
As ESPN’s Rich Cimini notes on Twitter, the cornerback could simply be looking to “stimulate his market” with today’s appearance. Throughout the offseason, Ryan has been pretty adamant that he wants a contract that would pay him around $10MM per season. He previously approached the Titans with a suggested one-year, $9.5MM contract, which they rejected. As a result, Ryan bid farewell to the organization, as he alluded to this morning.
After winning a pair of Super Bowls during his four seasons in New England, Ryan signed a three-year, $30MM deal with the Titans back in 2017. He started each of his 45 regular season games with Tennessee, including a 2019 campaign where he set career-highs in tackles (113), passes defended (18), sacks (4.5), and forced fumbles (four).
Dolphins Still Interested In Logan Ryan?
The team with two cornerbacks signed for more than $15MM per year may still have interest in adding another veteran. The Dolphins are still in the mix for Logan Ryan, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com notes (video link).
Ryan and the Dolphins have engaged in recent discussions, per Garafolo, even if the Jets may now be a better bet to land the ex-Patriots and Titans defender. Ryan has said he will not return to the Titans. The Dolphins were high on Ryan in March, but no deal commenced. The 29-year-old cornerback has remained in free agency for nearly two months.
A report earlier Tuesday indicated the Jets are expected to land Ryan, who still wants $10MM per year. That may be unrealistic at this point in the offseason, but the Jets have a far bigger need at corner than the Dolphins.
Miami extended Xavien Howard on a $15.1MM-AAV deal last year and in March made Byron Jones the NFL’s first $16MM-per-year cornerback. In terms of per-year salary, Jones and Howard are the NFL’s second- and third-highest-paid corners. If that wasn’t enough, the Dolphins drafted Noah Igbinoghene in the first round.
Brian Flores, however, was on New England’s staff throughout Ryan’s Patriots tenure. The Dolphins have already added ex-Pats Eric Rowe, Kyle Van Noy, Elandon Roberts and Ted Karras since Flores’ arrival. Ryan could be seen as a slot stopgap while Igbinoghene develops. The Dolphins are still among the leaders in cap space, holding $23.4MM.
New York released the ineffective Trumaine Johnson but signed Pierre Desir shortly after his Colts release. The Jets also brought back slot corner Brian Poole but drafted just one corner — Virginia’s Bryce Hall, in Round 5 — this year. Ryan would fit in as a veteran to play alongside Desir and Poole potentially.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/12/20
We’ll keep track of today’s later-round signings here:
- The Colts announced the signing of offensive lineman Danny Pinter, a fifth-round choice who became the first pick on Indy’s board for a completed deal. Pinter, a 6’4″, 306-pound lineman out of Ball State, saw time at both right tackle and tight end during his time in college. As a pro, he figures to spend most of his time on the interior. “I love Danny, I’m not going to lie to y’all,’’ general manager Chris Ballard said after the draft (via Mike Chappell of FOX 59). “Actually we were trying to move up to get him. I probably won’t ever give y’all this much insight, but for like 30 minutes we were trying to move up and just couldn’t get up to get him.’’
- The Dolphins, meanwhile, have third-round safety Brandon Jones officially in the fold. Per the terms of his slot, the No. 70 overall choice will receive a four-year deal worth $4.87MM, including a $1.1MM signing bonus.
Dolphins Sign Round 2 Pick Raekwon Davis
Shortly after agreeing to terms with Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins hammered out a deal with one of his former Alabama teammates.
Miami signed second-round pick Raekwon Davis on Monday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. The Dolphins drafted the defensive tackle with the No. 56 overall pick.
The Dolphins have now signed five of their 12 draft picks. Davis is the first of Miami’s two second-rounders to sign, with offensive lineman Robert Hunt still unsigned. Traditionally, second-round picks are not difficult to ink. Third-rounders’ deals are more complicated, but the slot system implemented by the 2011 CBA and retained by 2020’s agreement makes signing most draft picks a much simpler process.
Davis should be a candidate to start for the Dolphins soon, which would give the Dolphins a two-Raekwon front seven (joining linebacker Raekwon McMillan). Davis broke out as a sophomore with 8.5 sacks but only collected two over his final two seasons. Still, Davis saw extensive action for three Crimson Tide teams. Considering the depth Alabama annually possesses, that is an accomplishment several of the program’s recent draftees cannot claim.
Dolphins Sign Tua Tagovailoa
Most of this year’s top draft picks – including No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow – have yet to ink their rookie contracts. You can put Tua Tagovailoa in the “signed” column. On Monday, the Dolphins agreed to terms with the quarterback on his first NFL deal (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). 
Per the terms of his slot, the Alabama star will earn $30.275MM over the course of his four-year pact. And, because he’s a first-round pick, the Dolphins will also hold a fifth-year option for his services, allowing them to leg out the arrangement through 2024. Per the terms of the new collective bargaining agreement, that extra year will not be guaranteed exclusively for injury, it’d be just plain guaranteed.
The Dolphins tried their best to run a misdirection play with Justin Herbert, but they ultimately chose Tagovailoa, their longtime draft crush, with the No. 5 overall pick. With that, he’s set to take center stage in South Beach while grizzled and bearded veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick shows him the ropes.
Tagovailoa easily could have been the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, if not for his career-threatening injury and Burrow’s absolutely absurd final season at LSU. Tagovailoa’s camp says he’s on track for 100% health this year and doctors that have checked him out are in agreement. If his hip, wrist, and ankle injuries stay in the rearview mirror, Tagovailoa figures to have a bright future ahead.
As a fully healthy sophomore in 2018, Tagovailoa dazzled as he threw for almost 4,000 yards and 43 touchdowns with only six interceptions. In that year, he was the runner-up for the Heisman trophy behind Kyler Murray, the eventual No. 1 overall pick.
Tagovailoa finished his college career with a Division I-FBS-record 10.9 yards per attempt. The dynamic southpaw also exited Tuscaloosa with an 87-11 career TD-INT ratio. He represents the most-hyped Dolphins quarterback Since Dan Marino, whom the franchise has been trying to replace for 20 years.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/10/20
We’ll keep track of today’s late round signings here:
- The Dolphins have their fourth 2020 draftee under contract, having signed sixth-round long snapper Blake Ferguson to his four-year rookie deal. Ferguson operated as LSU’s top long snapper from 2016-19 and has been a highly regarded snapper for years. Although this is probably the sport’s lowest-profile position, Ferguson has excelled at it for a while. He came to LSU as the No. 1 long snapper recruit and ended his junior season as a first-team All-American. Shortly after selecting Ferguson, the Dolphins cut incumbent deep snapper Taybor Pepper.