Dolphins, Colts Work Out Matt Elam
The Dolphins and Colts worked out Matt Elam, according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). The former Ravens-first round pick auditioned for Miami on Monday and his Colts workout took place sometime before that. 
Elam, a former first round pick of the Ravens, hasn’t done a whole lot on the field. Elam struggled as a starter in his first two NFL seasons and he missed the entire 2015 campaign thanks to a biceps tear in training camp. Then, after losing much of 2016 to a knee injury, Elam showed very little in the nine games that he did appear in.
Elam is perhaps better known to football fans for his missteps off of the field. Elam’s was arrested in February 2017 when police say he was caught while holding 126 grams of marijuana and three grams of oxycodone. Then, in May, he was arrested for grand theft and battery. Eventually, Elam had all charges against him dropped and he has already served a six-game ban from the NFL as a free agent.
Across three seasons with the Ravens, Elam has 130 career tackles, 41 appearances, and 26 starts to his credit.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/22/19
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Austin Traylor (AAF)
- Placed on active/PUP list: LB Steve Longa
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Placed on reserve/retired list: S Zedrick Woods
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB Tyler Patmon
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: OL Tiano Pupungatoa
- Waived: RB Roc Thomas
New York Jets
- Placed on active/PUP list: DB Brandon Bryant
- Placed on active/NFI list: CB Bless Austin
Dolphins Place 3 On PUP List
- One of Gronkowski’s former sidekicks in New England, Dwayne Allen will not begin camp on time with his new team. The Dolphins placed the veteran tight end on their active/PUP list on Sunday. Cornerback Cordrea Tankersley and linebacker/special-teamer Mike Hull joined Allen in receiving this designation before Miami’s camp. Tankersley tore an ACL in November, so this additional delay was not unexpected. He started 11 games at corner as a rookie but played in only six, as a reserve, last season.
Dolphins Waive DT Kendrick Norton
The car accident that resulted in Dolphins rookie Kendrick Norton needing to have one of his arms amputated at the scene led to the team waiving him Sunday.
The Dolphins announced they waived the defensive tackle with an non-football injury designation. Norton, 22, will not play football again, but this transaction will allow him to collect a rookie salary from the Dolphins. He will revert to the team’s reserve/NFI list.
Norton caught on with the Dolphins in December 2018, when the team signed him off of the Panthers’ practice squad.
“I realize that I will not be able to play for anyone,” Norton said, via CBS 4 Miami. “We are working past that, you know. That reality is sinking in. I am alive and I am grateful.”
Insurance from the NFL and Dolphins will pay for Norton’s medical expenses. The Jacksonville, Fla., native, chosen in the seventh round of the 2018 draft, was released from the hospital this week.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/19/19
Today’s minor moves will be posted here:
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Malik Taylor
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed off waivers from Raiders: WR Saeed Blacknall
Taylor is an undrafted rookie who played his college ball at D-II Ferris State. He originally signed as an UDFA with the Buccaneers after the draft, but didn’t last long in Tampa Bay. The Packers already have a bunch of young receivers on the roster, so he’ll be facing an uphill climb to even make the practice squad.
Blacknall is a speedster who went undrafted out of Penn State last year. He signed with the Raiders and after some impressive moments during the preseason he made the practice squad. He was briefly signed to the active roster in November, so he does have one NFL game under his belt. Blacknall could have a legit shot of making the team since the Dolphins are entering a full-blown rebuild and will be looking for as much young talent as possible.
Dolphins Coach Jim Caldwell Taking Leave Of Absence
Dolphins assistant head coach/quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell will be taking a leave of absence to focus on his health, the team announced in a press release this morning.
“I will be stepping back due to some medical complications that require my full attention,” Caldwell said. “I want to thank Stephen Ross, Chris Grier, Coach Flores and the rest of the organization for the support they have given me and my family.”
The Dolphins will still keep the 64-year-old on board, as Caldwell will serve as a consultant to the team for the upcoming season. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Jerry Schuplinski, a former Patriots assistant, will likely take on many of Caldwell’s duties.
“Our focus is on Jim’s health and supporting him in every way that we can,” said head coach Brian Flores. “With his knowledge and experience, Jim has been an invaluable member to our coaching staff and will continue to serve as a sounding board for me throughout the season.”
Caldwell has been coaching since 1977, and he’s held NFL gigs since 2001. He had a three-year stint as the head coach of the Colts that included a Super Bowl appearance. Caldwell later moved on to become the head coach of the Lions, and he compiled a 36-28 record during his four years in Detroit.
Caldwell had a handful of head coaching interviews this past offseason, including talks with the Packers, Jets, and Browns. After Flores was hired in Miami, Caldwell was brought in as an assistant.
Preston Williams Impressed During Dolphins' Spring
- Undrafted receiver Preston Williams made a name for himself during the Dolphins‘ offseason program, writes Barry Jackson the Miami Herald. Williams was especially valuable in red zone drills, per Jackson, who also notes Williams is now working with longtime NFL pass-catcher Brandon Marshall (thanks to a connection through now-Miami quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick). Williams, who posted 96 receptions for 1,345 and 14 touchdowns during his final year at Colorado State, is behind DeVante Parker, Kenny Stills, Albert Wilson, and others on the Dolphins’ receiver depth chart.
NFL Supplemental Draft Order
The NFL’s Supplemental Draft order does not go by the inverted win/loss records of clubs. Instead, the order is dictated by a weighted lottery that uses a team’s win percentage as just part of the equation. Here, via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link) is the complete order of the supplemental draft:
1. Lions
2. Broncos
3. Jets
4. Cardinals
5. Giants
6. Bills
7. Raiders
8. 49ers
9. Jaguars
10. Packers
11. Bengals
12. Bucs
13. Falcons
14. Vikings
15. Redskins
16. Titans
17. Dolphins
18. Steelers
19. Panthers
20. Browns
21. Ravens
22. Patriots
23.Cowboys
24. Seahawks
25. Eagles
26. Texans
27. Bears
28. Colts
29. Saints
30. Chiefs
31. Chargers
32. Rams
The supplemental draft is conducted via email. If multiple teams submit a pick for the same player in the same round, this order dictates which club gets the player. Of course, any team picking a player in the supplemental draft will sacrifice the corresponding pick in the 2020 draft.
Dolphins’ Kenny Stills Changes Agents
Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills has new representation heading into 2019. The 27-year-old has fired his reps at Wasserman in favor of Ryan Williams of Athletes First, according to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal (on Twitter). 
For Williams, it’s another big-name client to join a stable that features Clay Matthews, Anthony Barr, Josh Norman, and Josh Rosen. For Stills, it’ a major change in advance of a pivotal season.
Still inked a four-year, $32MM deal with the Dolphins in 2017 with nearly $19MM in guarantees. He’ll count for a $8.75MM cap number in 2019, but the Dolphins will have a big decision to make next year. If released, the Dolphins would save $7MM against the cap with just $1.75MM left in dead money.
Stills, of course, hopes to return to the form he exhibited early on in his career with the Saints, but there’s no telling what the Dolphins’ rebuilding offense will look like in 2019. Last year, Stills managed just 37 grabs for 553 yards and six touchdowns, a huge drop from 2017’s 58/847/6 line.
Next year, Stills could be looking for a new employer, or pushing the Dolphins for a big-time extension. In either scenario, he’ll have new representation at work for him.
Make-Or-Break Year: Dolphins WR DeVante Parker
Can a player be on the verge of a “make-or-break year” right after signing an extension with their team? In the case of Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker – yes. 
Parker is under contract with Miami through the 2020 season thanks to a new deal inked in March, but little is assured for the fifth-year pro. Initially, Parker was set to play out the 2019 season on his fifth-year option, which would have paid him $9.4MM. Instead, the Dolphins were poised to rip up that contract after another disappointing year, so they were able to leverage Parker into a lower-risk pact. Parker’s restructured deal guarantees him just $4.5MM in 2019 with a non-guaranteed $5MM in 2020.
In other words, the Dolphins stand to have a solid value in Parker if he is able to turn things around and live up to his billing as the No. 14 overall pick in the 2015 draft. Meanwhile, if he gets injured and/or underwhelms like he did in 2018, the Dolphins can walk and focus their resources elsewhere in 2020.
As the Dolphins enter a rebuilding season, they want to know what they have in Parker, a player who entered the league with tons of hype and wound up as the third WR selected in his draft class. The 26-year-old reportedly had a solid spring and new quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick may prove to be a better fit for his style than longtime starter Ryan Tannehill.
To date, Parker’s best season came in 2016, when he finished with 56 catches for 744 yards and four touchdowns. He’ll have to top that if he wants to continue to ply his craft in South Beach beyond this season.
If he falters, the Dolphins can decline his $5MM option for 2020 and walk away with no fiscal penalty.