Dolphins Trade Jay Ajayi To Eagles
The Dolphins have traded Jay Ajayi to the Eagles, according to announcements from both teams. Miami will receive a fourth-round pick in exchange for the running back. 
Ajayi goes from the middling Dolphins to the first place Eagles to help shore up their running game. Heading into the season, Ajayi was viewed as one of the league’s most talented young backs, so the deal comes as an absolute shock. The Eagles are giving up very little for the 24-year-old in light of the numbers that he put up in 2016. Ajayi is also a bargain for this year and beyond. His contract calls for a $670K cap charge this year and a $760K cap charge in the following season. He does not have a fifth-year option at the end of his rookie deal since he’s a fifth-round pick, but the Eagles have plenty of time to lock him up between now and the spring of 2019, if they choose to do so.
Through seven games, Ajayi has not been quite as productive as expected. He has 465 yards off of 138 carries, good for a 3.4 yards per carry average. He also added 14 catches for 67 yards. He has yet to see the end zone either via the air or ground. That’s not necessarily a reflection on Ajayi, however, since Miami’s offense has been anything but stable this year. The Dolphins lured Jay Cutler out of his brief retirement to fill in for Ryan Tannehill, but Cutler’s rib injury led to Matt Moore taking over as the starter. As evidenced by Thursday night’s 40-0 blowout, that doesn’t make for an effective offense.
In Philadelphia, Ajayi is expected to team up with LeGarrette Blount to split lead back duties. So far this year, Blount has been the superior back with 467 yards off of 100 carries, giving him a strong 4.7 yards per carry average. He’s also found paydirt three times in total.
Next up for Ajayi and the Eagles is a Sunday tilt against the Broncos. After that, Philly’s newest acquisition gets a bye week before facing the rival Cowboys in Week 11.
Dolphins Looking For Offensive Help Via Trade
- The Dolphins are focusing on improving their offense via trade, and are more willing to exchange players than draft picks, sources tell Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. That Miami would be set on fixing an offense that ranks dead last in both points and yards per game comes as no surprise, but other teams are apparently more receptive to draft selection-oriented deals. Wide receiver, running back, and offensive line are all possible positions of need for Miami, and the “elephant in the room” is slot receiver Jarvis Landry, per Salguero. Landry has mentioned in trade talks before and has yet to be offered an extension, so it makes sense that the 2018 free agent could be on the table.
Dolphins Prepared To Move On From Ndamukong Suh?
12:02pm: The Dolphins have strongly denied that they will move on from Suh at season’s end, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Defensive coordinator Matt Burke recently expressed an appreciation for Suh both as a player — and, as stated below, Suh has been playing well — and as a mentor for younger players, and the team has said La Canfora’s report is “100 percent not true.”
8:00am: Dolphins DT Ndamukong Suh will once again find himself in hot water with the league office after grabbing the throat of Ravens backup QB Ryan Mallett during Thursday night’s blowout loss in Baltimore, and according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Suh’s continued bad behavior will help trigger his departure from Miami at the end of the season.
Now 30, Suh was one of the most lavish free agent signings in league history when he signed a six-year, $114MM deal with the Dolphins in March 2015. While he has played well for Miami, he has not helped elevate the defense as a whole. The team was among the league’s worst at stopping the run in 2015 and 2016, and while the Dolphins are in the top ten in that regard this season, the defense is still a middle-of-the-pack unit in terms of points allowed.
Suh’s signing, of course, predates the arrival of head coach Adam Gase, and he is seen as a largely aloof leftover of the old regime with dubious leadership skills. And, while cutting him would create some salary cap difficulties, La Canfora says the Dolphins are willing and able to deal with those difficulties to rid themselves of a player whose negatives have begun to outweigh his positives.
The full guarantees in Suh’s contract have been paid out already, and the Dolphins would save $17MM in cash and $17MM in cap space by designating him a post-June 1 cut in 2018. That would create a $13MM dead cap number in 2019, but La Canfora says the team is willing to absorb that. If Suh is still on the roster by the fifth day of the 2018 league year next March, then $8.5MM of his 2018 salary becomes guaranteed, so if Miami does release Suh, it would happen prior to that date.
Anthony Steen Out Indefinitely
- Dolphins starting left guard Anthony Steen had surgery on his left foot and will be out indefinitely, Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post reports. Miami used undrafted rookie Jesse Davis in Steen’s stead on Thursday vs. Baltimore, and Habib speculates veteran Ted Larsen, who started the season on IR with a torn biceps, could see time at the spot.
PS QB Brandon Doughty Gets Pay Raise
- Dolphins practice squad quarterback Brandon Doughty wasn’t promoted to the active roster this week. However, ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets that the former seventh-rounder did get a pay raise, as his weekly salary was bumped from $7,200 to $15,200.
[SOURCE LINK]
NFL Undecided On Kiko Alonso Suspension
- The NFL hasn’t yet decided whether it will suspend Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso for his hit on Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, a source tells Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. Alonso hit a sliding Flacco in the head, forcing Baltimore’s signal-caller to miss the remainder of Thursday night’s game and be placed in the concussion protocol. While he was penalized for unnecessary roughness, Alonso could now face a ban (as Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan did for his hit on Packers wideout Davante Adams earlier this year). Meanwhile, the league will not suspend Miami defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh for placing his hands around quarterback Ryan Mallett‘s neck nor forcing offensive lineman Ryan Jensen to the ground , per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.
Latest On Dolphins’ Quarterback Plans
Some rumors coming out of Miami prior to this season indicated it was possible Jay Cutler could stick around for the Dolphins as a potential Ryan Tannehill replacement. That doesn’t appear to be the franchise’s plan.
The Dolphins are committed to having Tannehill return as the starting quarterback in 2018, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link). Adam Gase and the Dolphins front office think “extremely highly” of Tannehill, and they’re committed to having him return for a seventh season in Miami before possibly deciding what to do at quarterback after next season, per Rapoport. Tannehill’s contract becomes a pay-as-you-go arrangement after 2018 (and only $4.6MM in dead money is attached to a Tannehill release after this season).
But the Dolphins have likely seen Tannehill emerge as their best option given what the Cutler-led offense has generated in his absence. However, the Cutler era looks set to continue once he returns from his rib injury.
Miami remains committed to having Cutler come back as the starter, despite how Matt Moore fares against the Ravens on Thursday night, Rapoport reports. The team believes Cutler will be sufficiently healthy by Week 9, and the Dolphins intend on benching Moore for Cutler should that occur. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reported earlier this week the Dolphins were going to keep Cutler as their starter.
Despite the Dolphins’ offense noticeably less potent under Cutler than it was under Tannehill or even Moore last season, the team is evidently intent on continuing to see if the 34-year-old recently unretired passer can turn his season around.
Cutler and Moore threw for two touchdown passes apiece in the Dolphins’ Week 7 win over the Jets, but Cutler is averaging a career-worst 5.5 yards per attempt through his six starts. Moore averaged 8.29 yards per attempt last season and finished with eight touchdown passes compared to three interceptions in his three relief starts for Tannehill last December.
AFC East Notes: Patriots, Hightower, Cutler
The Patriots were aware of Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks in the offseason when he was on the block and Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link) wonders if he could be a consideration for them now that Dont’a Hightower is dealing with a serious pectoral injury.
Kendricks has long been talked about as a trade candidate and he even requested a trade himself back in January. However, he has become vital to the team in the wake of Jordan Hicks‘ season-ending Achilles tear. Kendricks was on the field for 55 snaps in Week 6 and probably would have been in line for lots of burn last week if not for a hamstring injury. With a 6-1 record, the Eagles probably aren’t inclined to trade away a key defender like Kendricks before the deadline.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- If he’s ruled out for the season, Hightower will lose out on $2.6MM+ in bonuses from the Patriots due to the torn pectoral and his previous knee injuries, Howe tweets. Hightower’s deal includes extra cash based on per-game play and play-time as well as Pro Bowl and All-Pro appearances.
- Despite his cracked ribs, Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler is expected to be available a week from Sunday vs. Oakland, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). However, he will not be able to suit up for Thursday night’s game against Baltimore.
- The Patriots had wide receiver Jake Kumerow and fullback Marquez Williams in for free agent workouts on Wednesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. Kumerow was signed to the practice squad on Thursday morning.
No Suspension For Dolphins’ Jarvis Landry
Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry will not be suspended by the NFL for allegations of battery, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) reports. NFL investigators have determined that there is insufficient evidence for a personal conduct policy violation. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Release CB Byron Maxwell]
Even though the Broward County State Attorney’s Office opted against pressing charges last month, Landry was still subject to potential league discipline. Ultimately, the NFL reached the same conclusion as Florida authorities – there was simply not enough evidence to prove substantial wrongdoing.
In six games this year, Landry has 45 grabs for 365 yards and three touchdowns. While he remains an integral part of the offense, his yards per catch average has dipped from 12.1 last year to just 8.1 this year. He’ll look to ramp it up as the Dolphins look to build on their three-game winning streak.
He looked sharp on Sunday, hauling in seven catches for 93 yards and a touchdown in a win over the Jets. Of course, this is a big year for him as he looks ahead to free agency in the spring.
Dolphins Release CB Byron Maxwell
The Dolphins have released cornerback Byron Maxwell, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. To take his place, the team has signed quarterback David Fales. 
Maxwell has been demoted from the roster at various points this season. It appears that the cornerback is in decline, but coaches say that he is also refusing to play the defenses called from the sidelines. In cases where the Dolphins have called for press-man coverage, Maxwell has gone rogue and played far off of receivers. Although coaches were direct with Maxwell about the reasons behind his benching, he did not take accountability for it when talking to the media.
“ …In no way, shape, did I think my play [warranted] that,” Maxwell said earlier this month. “It’s a coach’s decision. Sometimes you have to deal with it. I’m a team player. Suck it up. Obviously, you think you’re the best man to do the job. You can’t control it. Everyone is trying to support your family trying to do the job.”
By releasing him now, the Fins are still on the hook for a significant portion of his $8.5MM cap number in 2017. However, they have freed themselves of his contract well before his $10MM cap number would have hit in 2018. They’ve also taken a potentially toxic player out of the locker room.
The Dolphins acquired Maxwell from the Eagles in the summer of 2016, just two days after they cut Brent Grimes. They were hoping that the cornerback could bounce back from a down year in 2015, but he was never able to get things going in Miami. On the plus side, linebacker Kiko Alonso remains a fixture on defense, so the Dolphins didn’t totally lose out when they moved down from the No. 8 pick to No. 13 that year.