Dwayne Allen Meeting With Lions, Dolphins
Free agent tight end Dwayne Allen‘s visit with the Lions has wrapped up, and he’s now on track to meet with the Dolphins, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Allen was released last Saturday by the Patriots, but a market has quickly developed for his services. The Ravens, already flush with tight end talent, met with Allen earlier this week, as did the Bills. Both the Dolphins and Lions employ former Patriots coordinators — Brian Flores and Matt Patricia, respectively — as head coaches, while former New England staffer Brian Daboll is Buffalo’s offensive play-caller.
Allen, 29, was once a relatively prolific receiving tight end during his run with the Colts, topping 50 targets and 25 reception in three of his five Indianapolis campaigns. Since being traded to the Patriots prior to the 2017 season, however, Allen has essentially become a sixth offensive lineman. In his two years in New England, Allen has managed only 26 total targets, and 22 of those looks came during his debut season with the Patriots. In 2018, Allen played 438 offensive snaps, but ran a route on only 128 of those plays.
Miami didn’t get much production out of its tight ends in 2018, as second-round rookie Mike Gesicki led the unit with 22 receptions. Gesicki will return next season, while Nick O’Leary and Durham Smythe are also under contract. A.J. Derby and MarQueis Gray, meanwhile, are each headed for unrestricted free agency.
Dolphins Unlikely To Re-Sign Cameron Wake
It sounds like Cameron Wake will be playing for a new team in 2019. The Dolphins have not made an effort to re-sign the impending free agent defensive end, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Shopping Robert Quinn]
Wake, meanwhile, has already received interest from multiple teams, so the veteran figures to stick around for an eleventh pro season. The 37-year-old hasn’t earned a Pro Bowl nod since 2016, but he’s still playing at a fairly high level. Last year, Wake recorded six sacks and 36 total tackles across 14 games.
“Another jersey?” Wake said. “Ideally, no. But I mean, again, if option number one is not in my favor and they don’t want me but I can still play and I can still provide and still enjoy it whatever needs to happen. If it makes sense then I’ll do it. If it doesn’t then I won’t.”
So far, the Dolphins are the only NFL team that Wake has ever known. He has 98 career sacks to his credit, but only one career playoff appearance.
Dolphins Release Ted Larsen
The Dolphins are cutting guard Ted Larsen, a league source tells Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Dolphins also made their release of defensive end Andre Branch official. Between the two cuts, the Dolphins will save $9.15MM in cap space for 2019. 
Larsen, 32 in June, joined the ‘Fins on a three-year free agent deal in March of 2017. Unfortunately, he was plagued by injuries in his first year and underperformed in 2018. Last year, Larsen graded out as the second-worst qualified guard in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. For the Dolphins, this move was something of a no-brainer – dropping the veteran meant $2.125MM in savings versus $417K in dead money.
Branch signed a three-year, $24MM deal with the Dolphins in 2017, the same year as Larsen, but he hasn’t been worth the coin. After starting all 14 of his games in 2017, the 29-year-old only started one of his 14 games in 2018. Branch finished the 2018 campaign with 25 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Dolphins Shopping Robert Quinn?
- The Dolphins “have had trade conversations” about defensive end Robert Quinn, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Quinn is heading into the final year of his contract, and is due $12MM this year. Rapsheet says the “thought is” that if they aren’t able to trade him they’ll release him, which echoes what we heard at the end of the regular season. In the video posted, Rapoport does sound very high on Quinn’s ability to land on his feet. There’s “no doubt” that Quinn will be “coveted” on the open market if he’s released, according to Rapoport. Quinn’s production hasn’t been anywhere near what it was in his first few years in the league, but he’s still only 28. He’s coming off a 6.5 sack season in Miami.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/6/19
Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions:
RFAs
Tendered at original-round level:
- Giants: WR Corey Coleman
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Dolphins: G Isaac Asiata, G/T Jesse Davis, T Zach Sterup, DE Jonathan Woodard
- Lions: S Charles Washington
- Giants: OL Jon Halapio, FB Elijhaa Penny, K Aldrick Rosas
- Panthers: DE Bryan Cox Jr.
Non-tendered:
- Giants: DL Jordan Williams
Dolphins Want Minkah Fitzpatrick At Safety
- The Dolphins haven’t told Minkah Fitzpatrick whether they want him to play safety or cornerback in 2019, but they want him to be a safety in the long run, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald hears. He could get a head start on the safety plan this year, but that will depend on what happens with incumbents T.J. McDonald and Reshad Jones. Right now, it seems unlikely that the Dolphins would move on from either safety. Cutting McDonald would save only $1.4MM versus $4.6MM in dead money. Meanwhile, Jones is already guaranteed $11MM for 2019.
Four Teams Interested In Dwayne Allen
A market is already starting to take shape for Dwayne Allen. The Ravens, Bills, Dolphins, and Lions all have interest in meeting with the tight end, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Over the weekend, the Patriots parted ways with the 29-year-old, making him immediately available. The Patriots are open to bringing him back at a cheaper rate, but they might not get that opportunity given the early interest he is receiving.
Allen was set to enter the final year of his contract in 2019 with a base salary of $6.4MM. By cutting him, the Pats saved about $7.3MM in cap room, boosting their total cap space to roughly $25MM.
Allen spent the first six seasons of his career with the Colts before being dealt to the Patriots in 2017. After having compiled at least 350 receiving yards in three of his five healthy seasons, the 2012 third-rounder didn’t play as much of a role in the offense in New England.
In 29 games (16 starts), Allen only hauled in 13 receptions for 113 yards and one score. Allen also appeared in each of the Patriots’ six playoff games during that span, but he didn’t record a reception in those contests. While Allen has earned some recent praise for his blocking prowess, Pro Football Focus ranked him just 65th among 70 eligible tight ends in 2018.
Dolphins Contacting Teams On Tannehill
Set to be replaced as the Dolphins’ starting quarterback, Ryan Tannehill has surfaced in trade talks at the Combine, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. However, this may be the franchise’s last-ditch attempt to gain value for its soon-to-be former starter.
These talks can be categorized as the Dolphins reminding teams Tannehill is available, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The Dolphins are initiating the conversations on the 30-year-old passer, per Salguero, who adds the talks are believed to be preliminary.
The Redskins have discussed Tannehill with the Dolphins, Salguero adds. Washington was connected to a potential Josh Rosen pursuit as well. The latter would be a much better option, financially speaking, being owed barely $6MM in base salary through 2021. Tannehill is attached to an $18.73MM 2019 base.
Odds appear to be against the Dolphins moving Tannehill, whom teams are regarding more as a backup option rather than a player to install as a stopgap starter, Salguero adds, noting also that the 2012 first-rounder is, understandably, believed to want to go to a team that would give him a chance to compete for a starting job. Tannehill started for six seasons, missing all of 2017 because of the most severe of his knee injuries.
There are not as many teams in need of bridge starters as there were last year, with five quarterbacks going in the 2018 first round. Washington and Jacksonville, which kicked the tires on Tannehill, are the main candidates. And the Jaguars are the Nick Foles frontrunners.
It will cost the Dolphins more than $13MM to release Tannehill. He is one of many veterans the team plans to release in the coming days. Miami cut Andre Branch earlier on Saturday.
Dolphins Release DE Andre Branch
The Dolphins have made one of their first cost-cutting moves. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the team is releasing veteran pass-rusher Andre Branch.
Following an underwhelming tenure with the Jaguars, the former second-rounder joined the Dolphins back in 2016. He proceeded to sign a three-year, $24MM deal with the organization in 2017, but he hasn’t necessarily been worth the investment. After starting all 14 of his games in 2017, the 29-year-old only started one of his 14 games in 2018.
He finished the campaign with 25 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus wasn’t fond of his performance in 2018, ranking him 101st among 103 eligible edge defenders. With Branch set to earn close to $7MM in 2019, the Dolphins decided to move on from the veteran.
Cameron Wake and William Hayes are set to hit free agency this summer, leaving the team with Robert Quinn, Charles Harris, and Johnathan Woodard (ERFA) as their lone defensive ends. There were rumors that the Dolphins could be frontrunners for Patriots’ lineman Trey Flowers, and the organization can hope that some of the other top free agent pass rushers (a grouping that includes DeMarcus Lawrence, Jadeveon Clowney, Frank Clark and Dee Ford) somehow don’t get franchised.
Dolphins, Xavien Howard Discussing Deal
The Dolphins met with cornerback Xavien Howard to discuss a new long-term deal, according to ESPN.com’s Cameron Wolfe. Howard is set to enter the final year of his rookie deal this year, so a fresh contract could make sense for both sides.
Howard is expected to command at least $15MM annually on his next contract, but it’s unclear if Miami is willing to go that high. Some have speculated that Howard could be a trade candidate, but the Dolphins say he’s staying put.
“Yes, I’m very confident that he’ll be there. Xavien has been in the building. He’s coming back, working out and getting in shape again after the Pro Bowl,” GM Chris Grier said. “He’s doing good. We’ve been hanging out around him. He wants to be a Miami Dolphin and we want him to be a Dolphin.”
If the Dolphins can’t hammer out a deal with Howard, they can wait until next year and potentially cuff him with the franchise tag. With club control beyond ’19, the Dolphins aren’t necessarily in any rush.
In a more pressing matter, the Dolphins want to hang on to right tackle Ja’Wuan James, an impending free agent. Unfortunately for Miami, things could get costly if he hits the open market.
Quality tackles are hard to come by, and Wolfe hears buzz at the combine that James could command upwards of $10MM/year. Two agents tell Wolfe that if they were representing James, they’d shoot to surpass the five-year, $47.5MM deal that Lions right tackle Rick Wagner signed two seasons ago. Beating that mark would make James the second-highest-paid right tackle in the NFL behind the Philadelphia Eagles’ Lane Johnson. The Dolphins should know more this week when they meet with James’ reps.