49ers Trade C Daniel Kilgore To Dolphins
The 49ers announced they’ve traded center Daniel Kilgore to the Dolphins. Kilgore will take the place of Mike Pouncey, who will be released. 
In the swap, the Niners will send a seventh-round pick to Miami and receive a seventh-round pick in return, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. In the deal, Miami will assume both Kilgore’s contract and bonus.
Kilgore inked an extension with San Francisco just one month ago, but the signing of Weston Richburg has displaced him. There was some thought to Richburg playing guard for the Niners, but we now know that he’ll be lining up at his native position.
Kilgore will cost the Dolphins $5.3MM in 2018, including a $2.3MM roster bonus that comes due on Thursday. After that, he has cap hits of $2.7MM in 2019 and $3.6MM in 2020. Those numbers are significantly cheaper than the contract of Pouncey, who would have carried cap hits of $9MM, $8.2MM, and $9MM over the next three seasons.
Last summer, Kilgore projected as a reserve for San Francisco. However, after the Niners waived Jeremy Zuttah, he beat out free agent pickup Tim Barnes for the starting job. The advanced metrics weren’t keen on him, but the Niners felt he had considerable value. That is, until Richburg became available this week.
[RELATED: Dolphins Depth Chart]
Dolphins To Sign Josh Sitton
The Dolphins have agreed to a two-year deal with free agent guard Josh Sitton, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Miami hosted Sitton on a visit on Wednesday.
Sitton’s contract will be worth $15MM in base value, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, adding that it could max out at $18MM. The veteran guard will receive $8MM in guarantees.
Guard has long been a problem in South Beach, but the Dolphins have now landed a former All-Pro in Sitton. The 31-year-old Sitton has experience at both left and right guard, and could conceivably slide into either spot for Miami. Whatever position he lands at, Sitton will be playing next to new Dolphins center, as the club released veteran Mike Pouncey earlier today.
Sitton originally joined the Bears in 2016 after surprisingly being released by the division rival Packers. Although minor health issues have been a concern, Sitton has been outstanding in the Windy City. Just last season, Sitton ranked as the the fifth-best guard in the league, per Pro Football Focus, and his marks have remained steady throughout the duration of his career. Despite that production, Chicago opted to decline Sitton’s $8MM option for 2018.
With Sitton off the market, the best free agent guards remaining include Jack Mewhort, Alex Boone, Matt Slauson, D.J. Fluker, and Joe Berger.
[RELATED: Dolphins Depth Chart]
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/15/18
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed: OL Vinston Painter
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: DL Angelo Blackson
- Re-signed: LB Brian Peters
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: OLB Garrett Sickels
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: LS John Denney
New York Giants
- Re-signed: DT Robert Thomas (ERFA)
- Signed: CB Curtis Riley
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Re-signed: RB Fitzgerald Toussaint
Chiefs Interested In Chad Henne, Matt Moore
The Chiefs will meet with Chad Henne on Thursday night, according to ESPN.com’s Jeff Darlington (on Twitter). The Chiefs also have interest in Dolphins free agent signal caller Matt Moore, Darlington adds. 
The Titans and Dolphins are also showing interest in Henne, who has spent the last six seasons with the Jaguars. Henne has appeared in only six games since 2014, but NFL teams believe that he profiles as a solid backup option. In KC, he’d be the No. 2 QB behind Patrick Mahomes, giving them an experienced Plan B. The last time Henne, 33 in July, saw consistent playing time was 2013, when he completed 60.6% of his passes for 3,241 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
Moore, another free agent QB from a Florida team, will turn 34 in August. Last year, it was reported that he felt slighted by Miami’s signing of Jay Cutler, so he could be looking to move on this offseason.
Dolphins To Release C Mike Pouncey
Dolphins center Mike Pouncey has been released, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). While Schefter reports Pouncey requested his release, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) says Miami asked Pouncey to accept a 50% pay reduction, which he declined.
Pouncey now joins Ryan Jensen as one of the top available centers in free agency. Jensen is coming off of a tremendous year in which he was ranked as the No. 6 center in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. Pouncey, for all of his name value and past accolades, comes with question marks.
Pouncey did not look like his usual self last year. Although he appeared in all 16 of the Dolphins’ games his hip injury slowed him down. In the past, we’ve heard that he may eventually require replacement surgery at some point. One doctor went so far as to tell Pouncey that he would have to retire as a result of the malady, but Pouncey, for now, is bucking medical advice.
By releasing Pouncey, the Dolphins will get out from under his $9MM cap hit with just $2MM in dead money.
Last year, PFF ranked Pouncey as the league’s No. 25 center, a sharp contract with his No. 11 ranking in 2015.
William Hayes Re-Signs With Dolphins
William Hayes is headed back to Miami. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports (via Twitter) that the defensive end is signing a one-year deal with the Dolphins.
The veteran lineman was traded to Miami last offseason following five seasons with the Rams organization. The 32-year-old proceeded to play in 10 games for the Dolphins, compiling 19 tackles and a single sack. This was a far cry from his performance with the Rams, as Hayes collected at least four sacks each season between 2012 and 2016.
Despite the underwhelming numbers, Pro Football Focus was fond of his performance in 2017. Hayes played only 271 snaps, so he wasn’t eligible for the site’s ranking. However, his grade would have earned him a spot among the top-20 edge defenders. The site had also ranked Hayes favorably in each of the five previous seasons. The veteran was ranked second among edge defenders in our free agent positional rankings.
With the lineman back in the picture, the Dolphins seem to be set at defensive end. Hayes will likely compete with Andre Branch for snaps behind Robert Quinn and Cameron Wake.
Titans, Dolphins Interested In QB Chad Henne
Quarterback Chad Henne is set to meet with the Titans, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The Dolphins have also expressed interest in the veteran signal-caller, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).
Signing with Miami would be a bit of a homecoming for the 32-year-old, who spent the first four seasons of his career with the Dolphins. Henne has spent the past six years with the Jaguars, where he’s started 22 games. The veteran hasn’t seen the field much recently, as he’s only appeared in six games since 2014. The last time Henne saw consistent playing time was 2013, when he completed 60.6% of his passes for 3,241 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
Both the Titans and Dolphins would presumably be eyeing Henne for a backup role. Tennessee is currently rolling with Tyler Ferguson as the backup to Marcus Mariota, while Miami is rostering Brandon Doughty behind Ryan Tannehill.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/14/18
Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions, with the list being updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:
RFAs
Tendered at the second-round level ($2.914MM):
- Cowboys DE David Irving (story)
- Giants: C Brett Jones (story via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY)
- Jets: Quincy Enunwa (story)
Tendered at original round level ($1.907MM):
- Browns: DT Jamie Meder
- Chiefs: DE Rakeem Nunez-Roches (via Adam Caplan of SiriusXM)
- Jets: OL Brent Qvale, TE Neal Sterling
- Lions: WR T.J. Jones (via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- Rams: OLB Matt Longacre (via Rapoport)
- Seahawks: DE Dion Jordan (story)
- Texans: C Greg Mancz
Non-tendered:
- Buccaneers: DE Ryan Russell (via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times)
- Chargers: LB Josh Keyes
- Chiefs: LB Ramik Wilson (via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
- Dolphins: OL Anthony Steen
- Falcons: RB Terron Ward (via D. Orlando Ledbetter)
- Jaguars: S Peyton Thompson, RB Tyler Gaffney
- Jets: DL Xavier Cooper
- Lions: RB Zach Zenner, DE Brandon Copeland, DL Zac Kerin
- Packers: LB Joe Thomas (via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- Panthers: WR Kaelin Clay, CB Ladarius Gunter, TE Scott Simonson, OL David Yankey (via David Newton of ESPN.com)
- Rams: LB Cameron Lynch, T Darrell Williams
- Saints: WR Brandon Coleman, DT David Parry
- Seahawks: RB Thomas Rawls, RB Mike Davis (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
- Steelers: WR Eli Rogers (story via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review)
- Texans: LB Brian Peters, DE Angelo Blackson, LB Ben Heeney
- Titans: S Curtis Riley (via Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com), RB Bishop Sankey (via Chris Tomasson)
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Browns: QB Kevin Hogan
- Colts: TE Erik Swoope, G Jeremy Vujnovich, CB Christopher Milton, LS Luke Rhodes
- Dolphins: C Jake Brendel, LB Mike Hull, CB Jordan Lucas
- Giants: DT Robert Thomas (via Vacchiano)
- Jets: S Doug Middleton FB Lawrence Thomas TE Eric Tomlinson
- Lions: QB Jake Rudock, DT Christian Ringo
- Packers: WR Geronimo Allison (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
- Rams: K Sam Ficken (via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com)
- Raiders: LB/DE James Cowser, S Erik Harris, G/T Denver Kirkland
- Ravens: LB Patrick Onwuasor, WR Quincy Adeboyejo, OL Matt Skura, OL Maurquice Shakir
- Seahawks: RB J.D. McKissic, DE Quinton Jefferson, DE Branden Jackson (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
Non-tendered:
- Chiefs: DB Keith Baxter (via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
- Giants: TE Ryan O’Malley, LB Curtis Grant (via Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com)
- Lions: DT Rodney Coe, P Kasey Redfern (via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- Packers: CB Herb Waters, LS Taybor Pepper (via Silverstein)
- Saints: C Jack Allen
Dolphins To Meet With Josh Sitton
Former Bears and Packers guard Josh Sitton will be visiting tonight with the Dolphins, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Sitton stands (no pun intended) as one of the best free agents remaining on the board.
Sitton has missed six games over the last two years, but he has four Pro Bowl appearances to his credit. With Andrew Norwell already spoken for, he’s the best interior lineman a team can sign at this point.
That’s not to say Sitton, 32 in June, is a bad consolation prize. Just last season, Sitton ranked as the the fifth-best guard in the league, per Pro Football Focus, and his marks have remained steady throughout his career.
Sitton had been scheduled to collect $8MM cash in 2018 between his $7.4MM base salary, $500K roster bonus, and $100K workout bonus. The Bears are moving on from him, but Chicago’s trash could be Miami’s treasure.
Dolphins Restructure Ryan Tannehill’s Deal
The Dolphins continue to create cap space on a busy day. After making the decision to cut Ndamukong Suh, the Dolphins have agreed on a restructure with its offensive centerpiece player.
Miami reworked Ryan Tannehill‘s contract, per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, and will save $11.2MM in cap space because of this move. Coupled with the team’s restructuring of Reshad Jones‘ contract, the Dolphins created $17.8MM in additional cap space.
Tannehill’s cap number will be reduced from $19.8MM to $8.6MM this season. This will make it more difficult to cut the injury-besieged quarterback in the near future, but this won’t be too much of a deterrent. The Dolphins, who are obviously hoping their starting quarterback can shake his knee trouble this season, would now save just more than $15MM by cutting Tannehill in 2019 compared to the previous $18MM-plus amount.
The Dolphins used some their cap space already by agreeing to terms with future Tannehill targets Albert Wilson and Danny Amendola.