Dolphins Place WR Ricardo Louis On IR
The Dolphins have placed wide receiver Ricardo Louis on injured reserve due to a knee injury. Louis is not eligible to return and will not play in 2019. 
The former fourth-round pick missed the entire 2018 campaign with a neck injury, so the latest setback is especially frustrating for the 25-year-old. The Dolphins signed Louis as a free agent in April, but he didn’t get to do much for his new team.
In 2017, Louis enjoyed the best season of his young career with 27 catches for 357 yards with the Browns, a step up from his 18 grabs for 205 yards as a rookie.
Originally, the plan was for Louis to compete for Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s targets with DeVante Parker, Kenny Stills, Albert Wilson, Brice Butler, and others. Now, the Dolphins may look to add another veteran wide receiver to the competition.
Dolphins Sign Nate Orchard
The Dolphins signed edge rusher Nate Orchard, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (on Twitter). Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) first reported that a deal was close on Wednesday night.
Orchard signed with the Seahawks in early April, inking a one-year deal with a club that has a history of taking chances on former early-round defenders (Barkevious Mingo, Dion Jordan). However, the 26-year-old was made redundant after Seattle inked fellow defensive end Ziggy Ansah, and Orchard was waived last week.
Orchard comes with pedigree, as the Browns selected him 51st overall in the 2015 draft. An 11-game starter during his rookie campaign, Orchard has started only two contests since 2015. His last significant action came in 2017, when he played on 40% of Cleveland’s defensive snaps while grading as the NFL’s No. 68 edge defender among 123 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. Last year, despite a valiant effort on HBO’s Hard Knocks, Orchard was waived by the Browns at final cutdowns, and subsequently spent time with the Bills and Chiefs.
In Miami, Orchard stands a far better chance of making the roster — and earning playing time — than he would have in Seattle. The Dolphins are seeking to replace nearly the nearly 1,700 snaps played by now-departed defensive ends Cameron Wake, Robert Quinn, and Andre Branch, and there’s little ahead of Orchard on the club’s depth chart aside from 2017 first-round pick Charles Harris and veteran journeyman Tank Carradine. Miami didn’t add an edge defender with any of its six 2019 draft choices.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/15/19
oday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: LB Ejuan Price
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed off waivers: TE Temarrick Hemingway
- Signed: TE Ethan Wolf
Detroit Lions
- Waived: WR Brandon Reilly
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: WR Matt Eaton
Kansas City Chiefs
- Claimed off waivers: G Zack Golditch
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: DB Jake Gervase, WR Jalen Greene, LB Ketner Kupp, DT Bryant Jones
Miami Dolphins
- Waived/injured: C Connor Hilliard, S Rob Rolle
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: S Cameron Glenn
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Joe Parker
Washington Redskins
- Waived: TE Elkanah Dillon
Dolphins Meet With Connor Barwin
Veteran defensive end/outside linebacker Connor Barwin will visit with the Dolphins on Wednesday, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This marks Barwin’s first known interest since his official release from the Giants in February. 
The Giants first decided to part ways with Barwin in late January, but the move was not finalized until later on in the winter. Barwin hooked on with the Giants late last summer and, at the time, it seemed as though he’d have a significant role on defense. Eventually, his playing time dwindled. The 32-year-old (33 in October) appeared in 15 games but started in just three and had just one sack to his credit in 2018.
Barwin’s best days may be behind him, but he has 56.5 career sacks to his credit and a whole lot of knowledge to share with the Dolphins’ younger defenders.
Dolphins Sign Mark Walton
The Dolphins auditioned running back Mark Walton several days ago, and they apparently liked what they saw. Per Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Miami has given Walton a contract.
The Bengals cut Walton in April after he was arrested for the third time in three months. But Cincinnati used a fourth-round pick on Walton in 2018, so even if he faces a suspension of some sort for his legal troubles, the rebuilding Dolphins — who don’t need Walton to contribute right away — may have found good value.
Assuming Walton sticks around, he should have an opportunity to carve out a role in Miami’s backfield along with Kenyan Drake and Kalen Ballage. He tallied just 34 yards off of 14 carries as a rookie, but he rattled off 1,100 yards and scored 14 TDs as a sophomore with the Hurricanes, which offers a glimpse of his potential.
In addition to Walton, the Dolphins have also signed fellow tryout players CB Jamar Summers and C Kirk Barron.
Contract Details: Howard, Ansah, Calhoun
A look at the details on recent deals from around the NFL:
- Xavien Howard, CB (Dolphins): Reported as five years, $76.5MM. Actually a six-year, $76.53MM deal. Base salaries: $1.28MM (2019), $11.9MM (2020), $12.075MM (2021), $12.375MM (2022), $11.4MM (2023), $11.65MM (2024). $7MM signing bonus, $7MM 2019 roster bonus, up to $350K in workout bonuses, up to $500K annual per-game roster bonuses. Contract details via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.
- Ziggy Ansah, DE (Seahawks): One-year deal (original story). $9MM base value. Could increase to almost $13MM with incentives. Contract details via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
- Shilique Calhoun, DL (Patriots): One-year deal (original story). $720K salary/cap number, $448K injury split (no guarantee). Contract details via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).
Dolphins Try Out RB Mark Walton
The Bengals dropped Mark Walton after he was arrested for the third time inside of three months. However, another team might be willing to give him another chance. On Friday, the Dolphins auditioned the running back during their rookie minicamp, as Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald writes.
If signed, it’ll be a homecoming for Walton, who played his football at the University of Miami. The Bengals used a fourth-round pick on him just a year ago, so he could be a high-value pickup for the rebuilding Dolphins.
Thanks to his offseason incidents, Walton might not be available for the start of the season. That probably wouldn’t be a big deterrent for the Dolphins, who seem to have more of an eye on 2020 than 2019.
Walton’s was cuffed in March for reckless driving as well as carrying a concealed weapon and marijuana. In February, he was arrested for battery and, in January, he got nabbed for marijuana.
He tallied just 34 yards off of 14 carries as a rookie, but he rattled off 1,100 yards as a sophomore with the Hurricanes, which shows some promise for what he can do at the pro level.
Dolphins Sign 18 UDFAs
We’ll wrap up the 2019 undrated free agent process with the Dolphins, who have announced the signing of the following 18 UDFAs:
- Ryan Anderson, C (Wake Forrest)
- Shaq Calhoun, G (Mississippi State)
- Wesley Farnsworth, LS (Nevada)
- Terrill Hanks, LB (New Mexico State)
- Montre Hartage, DB (Northwestern)
- Dewayne Hendrix, DE (Pittsburgh)
- Tyler Horton, CB (Boise State)
- Trenton Irwin, WR (Stanford)
- Patrick Laird, RB (California)
- Jonathan Ledbetter, DE (Georgia)
- Aaron Monteiro, T (Boston College)
- Chris Myarick, TE (Temple)
- Nik Needham, CB (UTEP)
- Rob Rolle, S (Villanova)
- Cory Thomas, DT (Mississippi State)
- Tre’ Watson, LB (Maryland)
- Preston Williams, WR (Colorado State)
- Stone Wilson, P (FIU)
Most evaluators pegged Miami’s six-draft class as mediocre, but the Dolphins may have hit it out of the park with their undrafted free agents, as Thor Nystrom of Rotoworld ranked the Dolphins’ UDFAs as the second-best crop in the NFL (behind only the Saints). Calhoun is particularly interesting, as the poor state of Miami’s interior offensive line could give him a real chance at a roster spot. Williams, who was barred from testing at the scouting combine due to a 2017 altercation with a woman, is another Dolphins UDFA with a shot to make the 53-man roster, as Brad Kelly of The Draft Network writes.
Dolphins Sign Xavien Howard To Extension
The Dolphins have signed cornerback Xavien Howard to a five-year extension worth $76.5MM, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Howard will collect $46MM in guarantees, per Schefter, and receive $51MM over the first three years of the deal, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
On both a total value and annual basis, Howard will now become the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. His new deal with surpass that of Josh Norman, who signed a five-year, $75MM deal with the Redskins in 2016. While Howard will reportedly pocket $46MM in guarantees, those likely aren’t full guarantees. At present, Norman also holds the record for the most fully guaranteed money given to a cornerback ($36.5MM).
Miami is entering a rebuilding period, and it had been unclear whether the club wanted to extend its best defensive player in Howard, attempt to retain him via the franchise tag in 2020, or explore his trade market. Collecting assets for a shutdown cornerback may have been an option, but instead the Dolphins will keep the 25-year-old Howard around for the long haul.
Howard, the 38th overall selection in the 2016 draft, is coming off the best campaign of his three-year career. In 12 games, Howard posted a league-leading seven interceptions and graded as the NFL’s No. 19 cornerback, per Pro Football Focus. Football Outsiders, meanwhile, ranked Howard eighth in success rate, meaning he was extremely successful at stopping opposing receivers short of the sticks.
Dolphins Sign Christian Wilkins, Two Other Draft Picks
The Dolphins have signed first-round defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, fifth-round linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, and sixth-round offensive tackle Isaiah Prince, the club announced today.
Entering a rebuild phase, Miami could have gone in any number of directions with the 13th overall pick. Some observers had the Dolphins pegged as landing spot for a first-round quarterback, but the club passed on Dwayne Haskins in order to land Wilkins. A high-effort player from Clemson’s fearsome defensive line, Wilkins brings excellent character to a Dolphins locker room that’s attempting to modify its culture.
Wilkins should see ample playing time during his rookie campaign, and Prince might, as well. The Dolphins’ offensive line performed like one of the worst units in the league last season, and their right tackle spot is currently manned by Zach Sterup. Prince should a decent chance at beating him put for the starting role.
Third-round guard Michael Deiter is now the only Miami draft pick left unsigned.