AFC East Notes: Jets, Dolphins, Rosen, Bills
The Jets‘ talent search is underway, as ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini writes. GM Joe Douglas and his staff have been studying preseason tape from around the NFL and Cimini expects Gang Green to take advantage of having No. 3 waiver priority this weekend.
Their key needs, at this point, have been well documented – The Jets badly need help at cornerback and outside linebacker. However, they could also target wide receivers, kickers, kickoff/punt returners, and tackles with experience to provide depth up front.
While the Jets continue to do their homework, here’s more from the AFC East:
- Speaking of the Jets‘ kicking situation, Zach Braziller of the New York Post notes some good news for Taylor Bertolet. With his conversions from 48 and 56 yards out on Saturday night, the kicker just might have saved his job. It was a big game for the 26-year-old, who missed two extra point tries in the previous game against the Falcons.
- Dolphins head coach Brian Flores says the quarterback competition between Josh Rosen and Ryan Fitzpatrick remains open (Twitter link via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald). Fitzpatrick and Rosen traded off starts in the first three games of the preseason, with each player having their moments.
- Bills head coach Sean McDermott says wide receiver Robert Foster has been working through a toe injury that he suffered in the spring (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic). So far, Foster has looked sharp in practice, so he’s still likely to make the roster.
Dolphins Cut Jordan Mills, Clive Walford
The 53-man roster deadline isn’t until Saturday, but the Dolphins are getting ahead of the game. On Tuesday, the Dolphins released tackle Jordan Mills and tight end Clive Walford with injury settlements. The club also cut defensive tackle Akeem Spence and waived/injured linebacker Chase Allen. 
Mills, a free agent acquisition, was disappointing in minicamp and was leapfrogged at right tackle by Jesse Davis. The Dolphins gave him a shot at redemption in training camp, but he was unable to regain his footing.
Walford was most recently with the Jets, but New York decided to non-tender him earlier this month, leading him to the Fins. He had two stints with the Jets and one stint with the Colts in 2018, appearing in only a single game. Walford showed some promise during his first two years in the league, hauling in 61 receptions for 688 yards and six scores across the 2015-16 seasons with the Raiders.
Reshad Jones In Dolphins’ 2019 Plans
Many key Dolphins from the recent past are no longer in Miami. Cameron Wake, Ryan Tannehill and Ja’Wuan James were among the many veterans the Dolphins jettisoned. The rebuilding team is also believed to be shopping Kenny Stills and Kiko Alonso, and Reshad Jones has been a potential departure candidate throughout the offseason.
But the high-priced safety said recently he will be a Dolphin this season. The Dolphins informed Jones, per Jones (via the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson), he will not be traded. Jones’ willingness to accept any role, including potentially reduced playing time, has impressed the team, according to Jackson.
The 10th-year safety has been dangled in trade talks, Jackson reported over the weekend. But the Dolphins were not interested in the offers they received, Jackson adds, pointing them toward keeping their longest-tenured defender for another year. Jones’ contract, which calls for a $17.1MM cap number this season (by far the most among safeties in 2019), will be prohibitive in any trade talks. It should not be surprising the Dolphins are abandoning the idea of dealing the 31-year-old safety at this point. Were they to move on in 2020, $7.5MM in additional cap space would be created.
The Dolphins released T.J. McDonald on Sunday night, clearing a path for more Jones playing time. He has two Pro Bowls and 21 career interceptions, including three last season, on his resume. Jones (109 career starts) is one start away from the most by a safety in Dolphins history, trailing only Tim Foley.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/26/19
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Buffalo Bills
- Claimed off waivers from Cardinals: LB/DE Jeff Holland
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: C Kirk Barron
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: CB Jhavonte Dean
Detroit Lions
- Signed: QB Luis Perez, RB Justin Stockton
- Waived: WR Deontez Alexander
Houston Texans
- Placed on IR: RB Lamar Miller, T David Steinmetz
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Micah Abernathy, S Jacob Thieneman
- Waived: S Matthias Farley
Miami Dolphins
- Released: OL Will Holden
New England Patriots
- Waived: RB Robert Martin
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: TE Garrett Griffin
New York Jets
- Signed: S Santos Ramirez
- Waived: CB Dee Delaney
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DB Jordan Holland
- Placed on IR: CB Tim Harris Jr.
Dolphins Release S T.J. McDonald
Surprising news out of Miami, as the Dolphins announced on Twitter that they’re releasing veteran safety T.J. McDonald. 
The move came as a surprise to most writers covering the team, and they won’t save a ton of money by cutting him. McDonald still had $3.7MM of his $5.1MM salary guaranteed for this season, and Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets that they added $4.6MM in dead cap while saving just $1.4MM in cap space. Last we heard, McDonald had been receiving starters’ reps in training camp. It’s been widely speculated that the Dolphins were heading for a split with safety Reshad Jones, although this move might suggest that Jones is safe.
We heard just yesterday that Jones was being shopped in trade talks, but now it’s unclear if that’s still the case. The Dolphins also have been using Bobby McCain at safety, and they have last year’s first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick as well. McDonald originally entered the league as a third round pick of the Rams back in 2013. After spending his first four seasons in with the Rams, the USC product signed with Miami.
He was suspended for eight games prior to his first year with the Dolphins, but he still managed to make a strong impression with the team. Before he ever appeared in a game for them, they gave him a four-year, $24MM extension in September of 2017. The old regime of Adam Gase and Mike Tannebaum was always high on him, but things have clearly changed with Miami’s new leadership. McDonald is still only 28, and he should have no problem finding a new home on the open market. He started 14 games for the Dolphins last year, recording 86 tackles and three interceptions.
Dolphins Shopping LB Kiko Alonso, S Reshad Jones
In the midst of a rebuild, the Dolphins are shopping some of their older players. Barry Jackson and Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald report that Miami has dangled several of their veterans in trade talks.
However, one of the players who hasn’t been shopped is offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil. Earlier today, Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network reported (via Twitter) that the Dolphins were shopping the 25-year-old, but Jackson and Beasley write that the organization has “assured the Tunsil camp that there is no truth to that.”
Jackson and Beasley note that the front office has received calls about Tunsil, but the team hasn’t acted on any of the inquiries. Further, the reporters write that they personally received a call from a credible source who said “Tunsil’s name had come up in trade discussions,” but it was uncertain whether the Dolphins initiated the calls.
It wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense for the Dolphins to move on from Tunsil. The former first-rounder has established himself as an up-and-coming lineman, and he’s under team control for another two seasons. Plus, the team is looking to build their offensive line as they prepare for the future with either Josh Rosen or a 2020 rookie under center. Moving on from one of their assets would contradict that logic.
While Tunsil might not be on the block, the Dolphins have been shopping safety Reshad Jones and linebacker Kiko Alonso. Jackson and Beasley write that rival organizations are expecting Alonso and wideout Kenny Stills to be cut, limiting Miami’s trade flexibility. The Dolphins would also consider offers for linebacker Raekwon McMillan, who could be pushed for playing time by Sam Eguavoen.
The organization kicked off their rebuild this past offseason by moving on from a number of veteran players, including quarterback Ryan Tannehill and linebacker Cameron Wake. The team currently owns 13 draft picks in the 2020 draft.
Brian Flores Talks Dolphins’ QB Competition
Ryan Fitzpatrick will start the Dolphins’ third preseason game against the Jaguars, which to some, may be odd given the team is in the rebuilding stages rather than pretending to be a contender. Reports out of Miami’s camp have indicated that both neither Fitzpatrick or Josh Rosen has proven to be head-and-shoulders above the other.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald was among the reporters to ask coach Brian Flores why the team wouldn’t go with Rosen if the two quarterbacks are close in competition.
“A case could be made [for] playing the older guy,” Flores said. “A case could also be made that the younger guy is not ready. I understand that thought process, but I’m the one dealing with the individual player, and sometimes guys just aren’t ready.
“The whole sink-or-swim mentality, it’s easy for somebody on the outside to say. But for that individual player and the best interests of that individual person, that might not be the case. For those who aren’t in the trenches and dealing with the day to day, they wouldn’t understand that. If a guy is ready, we’ll put him out there. If he’s not, we won’t put him out there. I think that’s the right way to approach it.”
Fitzpatrick has received the majority of first-team snaps this week, if not all of them, Jackson writes. Rosen may or may not see time with the first-string on Thursday. Flores said that the team’s third preseason game will not be the only factor in the decision of who will start come week 1.
Rosen said he doesn’t have any more insight on where he stands than the public does, Jackson relays. The former first-round pick said he’s not focusing on the competition but rather, he’s zeroing in on individual improvement.
Dolphins Notes: Alonso, Hurns, Walton
The Dolphins are on the goal line for a new deal with wide receiver Jakeem Grant. When finalized, the new four-year deal will take Grant through the 2023 season, giving the Fins serious ability and stability on special teams.
Though he only ranks as the team’s WR4, Grant averaged 13.6 yards per punt return and 29.7 yards per return on kickoffs. The Dolphins might not be a world-class team in 2019, but they’ll have one of the game’s best return weapons for years to come.
Here’s the latest from Miami:
- The Dolphins’ roster crunch will be an interesting one to monitor, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. Among the vets that could be dropped: wide receivers Allen Hurns and Isaiah Ford, linebackers Kiko Alonso and Raekwon McMillan, and right tackle Jordan Mills. An Alonso release, of course, would be a shock, though a club source declined to assure Jackson of his job security. Releasing Alonso would carry $8.2MM in dead money with just $25K in cap savings, but would save Miami $4MM in cash. Meanwhile, trading Alonso would save $7MM against the cap with just $1.3MM in dead money. Despite his past accomplishments, trading Alonso would be no easy task – the team acquiring him would be on the hook for his entire $6.5MM base salary, including the $2.5MM that became guaranteed in March.
- Dolphins running back Mark Walton will serve no further jail time for his three 2019 arrests, as Barry Jackson and Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald write. Under the terms of his plea deal, Walton will be under six months of non-reporting administrative probation and must take four hours of driving school after pleading guilty to reckless driving. Still, an NFL suspension remains possible.
- Both Mills and left guard Chris Reed have been bumped from the first-string unit in practice, according to Jackson and Beasley. That’s a bad sign for Mills’ job security and perhaps a bad sign for Reed’s future with the team. The Dolphins, in theory, could cut Reed to save $1.2MM against just $500K in dead money. Meanwhile, his $1.425MM option year for 2020 includes no guarantees.
Dolphins To Sign Jakeem Grant To Extension
The Dolphins have agreed to a four-year contract extension with wide receiver Jakeem Grant, a source tells Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). The deal will keep Grant under club control through 2023.
The fresh deal will be worth up to $24MM, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). That means Grant will make just $6MM per year, despite having only 34 career catches for 471 yards across three seasons.
Grant is, at best, the No. 4 wide receiver on Miami’s depth chart at the moment, but most of his value comes from his return ability. The 2016 sixth-rounder has returned 59 punts and 58 kickoffs over his first three years in the league, and he took a punt and a kickoff to the house last year. The 16.3 yards-per-return he provided across 14 punt returns in 2018 is a stellar mark, as was his 29.7 yards-per return average on kickoffs.
The Texas Tech product is diminutive, checking in at 5-7, 171. But he is shifty and quick, and those skills do allow him to be an occasional threat in the passing game as well. He has two receiving touchdowns in each of the past two seasons, with a 65-yard strike in 2017 and a 52-yard score in 2018.
Grant had been battling a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined over the past several weeks, but he returned to practice Monday, and the Dolphins apparently believe he is back to full health. His rookie contract expires at the end of the 2019 season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/20/19
Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: OL Erik Magnuson
- Placed on IR: OL Garrett McGhin (ankle)
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: RB James Williams
- Waived: DE Dadi Nicolas
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Jalen Tolliver
- Waived: G Abdul Beecham
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: LS Mike Windt
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR T.J. Rahming
- Waived/injured: WR Saeed Blacknall
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR/KR Chris Thompson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OL Landon Turner
- Placed on IR: G Demetrius Knox