Robert Quinn Leaves Cowboys Visit, To Meet With Saints
With the Dolphins’ permission, Robert Quinn looks to be on his way to meet with another team. After his Cowboys meeting concluded, Quinn is on his way to visit the Saints, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets.
The Cowboys are not yet close on an agreement to acquire the Dolphins defensive end, Calvin Watkins of The Athletic adds (on Twitter). The Saints expressed interest in Quinn earlier Tuesday.
The Dolphins are willing to eat some of Quinn’s salary, which as of now is $11.8MM in 2019, in order to acquire a draft choice for the veteran defensive end. New Orleans holds just more than $19MM in cap space but will almost certainly not be paying all of Quinn’s salary, in the event a trade agreement is reached.
New Orleans lost Alex Okafor to Kansas City but still has Marcus Davenport in line to be Cameron Jordan‘s edge sidekick. Quinn would likely be a rotational presence. Hybrid defensive lineman Mario Edwards also signed with the Saints last week.
Although he is not on the same level he was when he earned All-Pro acclaim in St. Louis, with a 19-sack season that included seven forced fumbles, Quinn still has compiled 15 sacks over the past two seasons. Both the Saints and Cowboys use a 4-3 defense, which has been where Quinn has been the most productive in his eight-year career. Despite Quinn entering his ninth season, he will only be 29 by Week 1.
Saints Interested In Robert Quinn
The market for Dolphins defensive end Robert Quinn is starting to take shape. Quinn, who will meet with the Cowboys on Tuesday, has drawn inquiries from the Saints, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). 
Quinn established himself as an elite pass rusher years ago with the Rams, but the Dolphins are eager to trade him as he enters the final year of his contract. That’s not a total indictment on his present skill level, however. Quinn’s $11.8MM base salary is on the high side and a skeptic might say that the Dolphins are looking to tank in 2019.
For the Saints, Quinn could help to form a potent three-headed rotation along with Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport. The Saints also added Mario Edwards Jr. to the mix recently, so they’re clearly focusing on edge depth. Adding Quinn would easily offset the loss of Alex Okafor, who departed in free agency to sign with the Chiefs.
The Saints have less than $20MM in cap room, according to Over The Cap, but a simple restructure or extension could allow the team to take on Quinn’s deal and maintain flexibility through the second and third waves of free agency.
Cowboys Meet With Dolphins’ Robert Quinn
The Dolphins are shopping Robert Quinn and it sounds like they already have one potential suitor. The defensive end is on his way to visit the Cowboys, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears.
[RELATED: Cowboys To Meet With Eric Berry]
Clubs have to give their blessing before a contracted player can visit another club, so Miami has given Quinn the greenlight to talk with Jerry Jones & Co. If the two sides are comfortable with one another, this could be the precursor to a deal.
Quinn has one year remaining on the contract he initially signed with the Rams. As it stands, Quinn is set to carry an $11.8MM cap number for the upcoming season, but none of the money coming to him is guaranteed. It’s possible that the Cowboys will ask Quinn to take a pay cut in exchange for some cost certainty in 2019. An extension may also be in the cards, though that could be tricky given Quinn’s decline in production.
Quinn had just 6.5 sacks in 2018, but he did tie for 20th among DEs with 24 quarterback hits. Pro Football Focus, meanwhile, assigned Quinn the 19th-highest pass-rush grade among 103 qualifying edge rushers. And, he’s entering his age-29 season, so he has plenty of football left.
The Cowboys tagged Demarcus Lawrence earlier this month, but the star edge defender has said in the past that he will not sign a one-year tender. Meanwhile, Randy Gregory and David Irving have both been hit with indefinite suspensions, so the Cowboys are in desperate need of help on the D-Line.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/18/19
Latest On Dolphins, Robert Quinn
Robert Quinn earned a $1.1MM roster bonus late last week, but that doesn’t mean he’s off the trade block. In fact, the Dolphins remain eager to move him and are even willing to eat salary in a trade, as Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes. 
As it stands, any team that trades for Quinn is responsible for his base salary of roughly $11.8MM. But, by paying the roster bonus, the Dolphins have at least taken some of the onus off of a potential partner.
Quinn lost some luster after leaving L.A., but he’s still an effective player. His 6.5 sacks in 2018 weren’t a head-turner, but he did tie for 20th among DEs with 24 quarterback hits. Pro Football Focus, meanwhile, assigned Quinn the 19th-highest pass-rush grade among 103 qualifying edge rushers. Quinn is still only entering his age-29 campaign, so he’s a player that could be in the plans for years to come.
He’s not in the Dolphins’ plans, however, as the team embarks on an aggressive rebuild. The ’19 Dolphins, set to be led by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, may be looking to tank.
Salguero: Dolphins Set To Tank In 2019
Having ended their veteran quarterback search with a Ryan Fitzpatrick agreement, after pursuing Teddy Bridgewater and Tyrod Taylor, the Dolphins continue to embark on a rebuilding track. In fact, the word “tanking” came up during one of the team’s head coach interviews, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald notes. Chris Grier, as could be expected, denied the team will use 2019 to tank.
Often one of the most active teams during free agency, the Dolphins this year have parted ways with starters Ryan Tannehill, Josh Sitton, Ted Larsen, Andre Branch and Danny Amendola. They let Ja’Wuan James and Cameron Wake walk. This leads Salguero to the notion the Dolphins are indeed tanking with the prospect of being in best position to land a high 2020 draft pick and have cap space when that league year begins. As of now, early projections have the Dolphins at $107MM in 2020 cap space — second in the league behind the Cowboys. And with Dallas set to extend several young talents, Miami looks poised to lead that pack. Fitzpatrick has made at least eight starts in a season nine times; his teams finished with a winning record in one of those seasons. Sunday’s move lends further credence the Dolphins are targeting the 2020 quarterback class.
- The Dolphins are interested in acquiring a fullback, which marks a change from recent years. Specifically, they are exploring the addition of Michael Burton, per Salguero. Burton was Pro Football Focus’ No. 2-rated fullback last season but only played 49 snaps, not enough to qualify for full-time status. Only five fullbacks did meet those standards, illustrating this position’s scarcity on most teams. If not Burton, a four-year veteran who has played in Detroit and Chicago, Miami may target another UFA blocking back.
Dolphins Sign QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
The Dolphins have signed quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, according to Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s a two-year, $11MM deal that could reach $17-20MM via incentives, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
Miami traded former starter Ryan Tannehill and a 2019 seventh-round pick to the Titans on Friday, acquiring a 2019 sixth-rounder and a 2020 fourth-round pick while absorbing $5MM of Tannehill’s $7MM 2019 base salary. That left the Dolphins will only two quarterbacks on its roster: former sixth-rounders Jake Rudock and Luke Falk, who have combined to attempt five passes in the NFL (all by Rudock).
Fitzpatrick was the best signal-caller still available on the open market, especially after the Dolphins reportedly tried — and failed — to land both Tyrod Taylor and Teddy Bridgewater. Taylor opted to sign a two-year to backup Philip Rivers with the Chargers, while Bridgewater decided to return to New Orleans on a one-year, fully guaranteed $7.25MM contract.
Fitzpatrick excelled — at times — with the Buccaneers in 2018, but after what was an uneven overall campaign, Tampa Bay indicated it would deploy Jameis Winston as its full-time starter for the upcoming season. Ever mercurial, Fitzpatrick started the first three games of the year while Winston was on suspension, and tossed 11 touchdowns against four interceptions while completing more than 70% of his passes.
Things unraveled against a league-best Bears defense in Week 4, and Fitzpatrick lost his job to Winston. The 36-year-old Fitzpatrick relieved a struggling Winston in Week 7 versus the Bengals and threw four touchdowns the following week, but after five total interceptions in Weeks 9-10, Fitzpatrick was permanently demoted. All told, Fitzpatrick finished the year having completed 66.7% of his passes for 2,366 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 12 picks.
The addition of Fitzpatrick shouldn’t preclude the Dolphins from selecting a quarterback early in the 2019 draft, but it’s unclear if they plan to do so. Miami is embarking on a full-scale rebuild, so the club may attempt to bottom out this season in an effort to compile more long-term assets.
Dolphins Took On Extra Dead Cap By Trading Tannehill
- Ryan Tannehill is no longer a Dolphin, after he was traded yesterday to the Titans. But he’s leaving behind a significant impact, as Tannehill will leave the Dolphins with $18.423MM in dead cap, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. As Florio points out, it only would’ve been $13.423MM in dead cap had they designated him a post-June 1 cut and released him outright. Essentially the Dolphins ate an additional $5MM in dead cap to get back a fourth and seventh round pick, the compensation they got from the Titans in the trade. They also gave up a sixth round pick of their own.
Kaepernick Interested In Dolphins’ QB Job
Both Tyrod Taylor and Teddy Bridgewater were linked to the Dolphins this week, with the latter being brought in for a visit. Each agreed to be backups elsewhere, Taylor in Los Angeles and Bridgewater in New Orleans.
The Dolphins also traded Ryan Tannehill to the Titans on Friday. No team has less at quarterback presently. The Dolphins have been connected to a strategy of pursuing 2020 quarterback prospects, perhaps leading to Taylor and Bridgewater signing elsewhere. But Colin Kaepernick is interested in the position, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter).
This comes after the passer’s camp spoke to both the Alliance of American Football and the XFL. In each instance, a $20MM salary demand surfaced. Kaepernick would not get that with the Dolphins, who have not shown interest in the long-unattached quarterback, but La Canfora notes the 31-year-old free agent continues to train and would be “ready to play” if the team contacted him.
While Kaepernick has been mentioned in connection with numerous jobs since his 49ers stay ended in 2017, he has continually been passed over. The NFL settled grievances from Kaepernick and Eric Reid earlier this year, lending some credence to the players’ case they were avoided as free agents due to their decisions to kneel during the playing of the national anthem before 49ers games.
Since becoming a free agent, Kaepernick has only received a workout invitation from one team — the Seahawks — and that was in the summer of 2017. The Seahawks cancelled a 2018 Kaepernick visit. Reports have surfaced of the former Super Bowl starter working out independently, but nothing has transpired regarding a possible return to the NFL.
The Dolphins’ current quarterback contingent consists of Luke Falk and Jake Rudock. They have combined for five regular-season pass attempts (from Rudock in Detroit). Other options for veteran help include Ryan Fitzpatrick, Blake Bortles, Josh McCown, Geno Smith and Brock Osweiler. None are as accomplished as Kaepernick, but given what has occurred on this front over the past two years, it would certainly be a surprise if the Dolphins went in this direction.
Dolphins Trade Ryan Tannehill To Titans
The Titans have a new quarterback. On Friday, the Titans acquired Ryan Tannehill in a trade with the Dolphins, according to a tweet from Tannehill’s agents. ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe tweets that Miami will be receiving a 2019 seventh-rounder (presumably No. 233) and a 2020 fourth-rounder. Meanwhile, the Titans will be getting Tannehill and a 2019 sixth-rounder (presumably No. 188).
As a part of the deal, the Titans have also restructured Tannehill’s contract for the 2019 season. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that it’s effectively a one-year deal worth $7MM guaranteed. There are playing-time incentives that could boost that total to $12MM. Either way, Tannehill will be one of the highest-paid backup quarterbacks in the NFL. Furthermore, it’s not as significant of an investment for the Titans thanks to the Dolphins; Miami ultimately paid $5MM of that $7MM guarantee via a signing bonus, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
With Marcus Mariota under center in Tennessee, Tannehill will be eyeing a backup role from the onset. However, the veteran could end up working his way into the lineup; Mariota has missed at least one regular season game in each of his four seasons, including two in 2018. With Tannehill, the Titans at least have reliable insurance in case their starter does go down.
The 30-year-old finished last season having completed 64.2-percent of his passes for 1,979 yards, 17 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 11 starts. He led the Dolphins to a 5-6 record during his outings. While these numbers aren’t outstanding, they’re probably significantly better than what the Titans incumbent backup, Blaine Gabbert, would be able to put up.
The Dolphins have been dangling Tannehill for some time and had little interest in keeping him under the terms of his contract. Tannehill was scheduled to carry a $26.6MM cap hit for Miami in 2019 with a roughly even split in dead money and cap savings in the event of a release.
This week, the Dolphins tried – and failed – to land Tyrod Taylor and Teddy Bridgewater. With few free agent difference-makers remaining, the organization may be forced to shift their focus to the draft. At the very least, it’s unlikely the Dolphins roll into the regular season with their current quarterbacks depth chart, a grouping that consists of Luke Falk and Jake Rudock.