Dolphins Could Take QB In First Round
- Though the Dolphins are committed to Ryan Tannehill being their starter in 2018, that does not mean the team won’t look to draft a quarterback with its No. 11 pick in the first round, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson writes. He says the Dolphins were impressed by Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield in interviews at the Senior Bowl, though he is expected to be off the board by the time Miami gets on the clock.
Salary Cap Rollover For All 32 NFL Teams
This week, the NFLPA updated its salary cap report to include the rollover amounts for all 32 teams in the NFL. The Browns, as expected, lead the league in $58.9MM in cap space rolled over from the previous season. Here is the full rundown of each team’s rollover amounts:
After the Browns, the 49ers ($56MM), Titans ($30.3MM), Jaguars ($27.8MM), and Jets ($17.3MM) boast the highest rollover amounts in the league. The Dolphins ($69K), Saints ($287K), Giants ($365K), Eagles ($514K), and the Seahawks ($547K) have the least amount of rollover. In total, teams carried over nearly $340MM from last season, good for an average of $10.6MM per club.
Latest On Dolphins, Jarvis Landry
The Dolphins are slated to meet with the agent for wide receiver Jarvis Landry on Wednesday in Indianapolis to discuss the wide receiver’s future, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Multiple sources believe the Dolphins are interested in trading Landry, Schefter writes, which is consistent with what we’ve been hearing in recent days.
The Dolphins surprised many last week when they opted to franchise tag Landry at a cost of more than $16.2MM. Soon after, we learned that the Dolphins are looking to trade Landry and quickly utilized the tag so that they could commence talks. What it boils down to is this – the Dolphins have limited cap space this offseason and Landry’s rumored request for $30MM in guaranteed money and more than $14MM/year does not fit into the budget. That’s also a remarkably steep price tag for a slot receiver, albeit a very good one.
Per league rules, the teams have until July 16 to agree on a long-term contract with franchise tagged players. If no deal is agreed upon by that date, then the tagged player plays out the coming season on the one-year tender. The Dolphins also reserve the right to revoke the tag from Landry once the free agent period begins on March 14.
Right now, the Dolphins seem intent on forgoing options A, B, and C, and going with option D: Dealing Landry elsewhere.
Latest On Ja'Wuan James
The Dolphins are “strongly” considering releasing offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James instead of paying his $9.341MM base salary in 2018, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. James, a former first-round pick, is under contract next season thanks to his fifth-year option, but given that his salary is non-guaranteed, Miami can get out of the deal with no penalty. While the Dolphins could speculatively be interested in retaining James at a reduced price, the 25-year-old has little incentive to accept a pay cut, as he’d immediately become one of the best tackles on the open market if he were to be released. Indeed, the top end of an extremely weak free agent tackle class includes Nate Solder, Justin Pugh, Cameron Fleming, and Chris Hubbard, so James would surely draw interest.
Is Jarvis Landry Giving Signs Of Potential Trade?
- Chiefs outside linebacker Tamba Hali, Bills wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, Dolphins center Mike Pouncey, Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan, Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib and others were identified by the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin as players who could be cut in cap-saving measures this offseason.
- Florida Football Insiders wonders whether Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry is giving signs that he may not be with the team for much longer, despite being designated with the team’s franchise tag earlier this week. While purely speculative, Landry’s official website has been taken down, and before that, his official merchandise on the site had been priced down, signaling it may be lesser in value in the near future. These items should certainly be taken with a grain of salt but could help piece together the puzzle on whether Landry will be back with the Dolphins, or if they’re planning to ship him out via trade before long.
AFC East Notes: Suh, Jets, Bills, Cousins
The Dolphins need for current-year cap space is undeniable and the team has already reportedly made the decision to cut linebacker Lawrence Timmons and tight end Julius Thomas when the new league year begins.
Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reported earlier this week that the team was looking at all options when it came to defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and how to create space with his current deal. That included cutting the five-time Pro Bowler with a post-June 1 designation, saving the team $17MM as of June 2, or trading him, which would open $3.9MM in cap space.
There is an option in which the team could open some cap space next year with Suh’s deal, while also keeping him on the roster, which Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk broke down Saturday.
The Dolphins could essentially turn Suh’s deal into a signing bonus, reducing his salary this season to $1MM while dividing the other $15.95MM he’s set to make this season over the next three seasons. The move would immediately create $10.66MM in cap space. But Florio does note that the would move would place Suh’s 2019 cap hit at $33.5MM but it does give them an option to keep him this season while getting their desired cap room.
Here’s more from around the AFC East:
- With Jets center Wesley Johnson due to hit free agency, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News identified Iowa center James Daniels as someone the team should keep an eye on at the upcoming NFL Scouting Combine. Mehta believes that Daniels could present the Jets with a second-day option in the draft. At 6-foot-4, 295 pounds, Mehta does point out that Daniels is on the lighter side for a center but thinks he could still be a high-caliber player within the Jets’ scheme. Mehta broke down four other players the team should be looking at as well.
- The Bills are reportedly unwilling to cut quarterback Tyrod Taylor before the league year begins on March 16, meaning his $6MM roster bonus would go into effect. But both Florio and Joe Buscaglia of WKBW Buffalo opine that the move doesn’t mean the Bills are committed to hanging on to Taylor. By taking on the $6MM, they allow themselves the chance to let free agency play out, possibly opening up trade opportunities for Taylor.
- We learned earlier Saturday that while the Jets are set to pursue Kirk Cousins aggressively in free agency, they reportedly won’t give him a record-breaking $60MM in his first year, which has been suggested.
Dolphins Meet With CB Vontae Davis
Where in the world is free agent Vontae Davis? On Friday, the cornerback continued his travels by visiting with the Dolphins in Miami, according to a source who spoke with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
In the last week or so, Davis has met with the 49ers, Browns, Bills, and Raiders. He hopes to sign with a team before free agency opens on March 14, but not before doing his homework on several interested clubs.
Davis is in a unique position as an accomplished veteran who is free to sign with teams before most are eligible for the open market. That’s because the veteran was released by the Colts in November and did not return to the field last season. Surgery for a core injury held Davis back last season, but he recently gained medical clearance from doctors.
The Dolphins have two cornerbacks – Walt Aikens and Alterraun Verner – slated for unrestricted free agency next month. Safeties Nate Allen and Michael Thomas are also scheduled to hit the open market. As it stands, the team is slated to start Xavien Howard and Cordrea Tankersley at cornerback with T.J. McDonald and Reshad Jones at safety. In theory, Davis could bump Tankersley from the CB2 slot after the rookie earned a dismal 53.8 overall score from Pro Football Focus, placing him as the No. 93 ranked CB out of 121 qualified players last year.
Dolphins To Cut Lawrence Timmons, Julius Thomas
The Dolphins are planning to cut linebacker Lawrence Timmons and tight end Julius Thomas prior to the beginning of the new league year on March 14 to help relieve cap issues, per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Salguero also speculates that the team may look to shed the fifth-year option for offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James, making him a free agent.
In total, the move would save the Dolphins $21MM and would open up around $11MM in cap space. As it stands without the cuts, the Dolphins are projected to be $7MM-$8MM over a projected $177MM salary cap, with 55 players under contract.
By cutting Thomas, the Dolphins would save $6.6MM in cap room and would save $5,5 MM by cutting Timmons. If they don’t pick up the option on James, that would save them $9.34MM. Salguero points out that $11MM in cap space may not be enough to make a major splash in free agency this offseason, considering what sources described to him as a shallow free agent pool that could lead to prices being driven up for top-level talent.
Timmons signed a two-year, $12MM with the Dolphins last offseason. He appeared in 14 games (13 starts) and recorded 58 tackles, his lowest total since 2009. Thomas ended his first season with the Dolphins on injured reserve. The two-time Pro Bowler was set to enter the second season of a two-year, $12MM deal. James made eight starts at right tackle last season and has made 47 starts through the first four years of his career.
The Dolphins may be in the market for an outside linebacker, with Koa Misi also due to hit free agency. Backup tight end Anthony Fasano is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason as well.
Dolphins Plan To Keep Mike Pouncey
The Dolphins plan to keep Mike Pouncey. For now. 
Despite speculation that Miami could cut the center or ask him to take a pay cut, that’s not something the Dolphins are currently planning on, a league source tells Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald.
Pouncey appeared in all 16 of the Dolphins’ games last year, despite dealing with a hip injury may 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 the Dolphins apparently believe that he’ll hold up just fine in 2018.
Some would argue that Pouncey is no longer worth a $9MM cap hit, particularly since the Dolphins would be left with just $2MM in dead money by releasing him. Last year, Pro Football Focus graded Pouncey as the league’s No. 25 center, a sharp contract with his No. 11 ranking in 2015. Still, the snapper is a favorite of coach Adam Gase, so his spot looks to be secure.
Salguero cautions that Pouncey’s status with the team could change if his injury is re-aggravated, but all signs currently point to the center staying in place.
Dolphins Still Shopping WR Jarvis Landry?
When the Dolphins slapped Jarvis Landry with the franchise tag earlier this evening, it was assumed that the wideout would remain with the organization through at least the 2018 season. However, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com says the receiver could be shipped out in a trade as early as this offseason.
A league source told Florio that the “quick tag” can be attributed to the team’s desire to trade Landry. A deal couldn’t be completed until Landry signs his tender, and Florio believes a trade would be unlikely unless the wideout agrees to a long-term contract with his new squad. Either way, a trade wouldn’t be completely unexpected, as there were whispers that the Dolphins were shopping Landry prior to last season’s trade deadline.
After the two sides failed to make any progress following months of negotiations, the Dolphins surprisingly franchised Landry earlier this evening. The one-year tender is estimated to be worth approximately $16.23MM, which should satisfy the wideout for the time being. Landry’s camp was previously seeking $30MM in guaranteed money and an average salary of $14MM, a pair of numbers that would rank in the top-five among receivers.
As our own Zach Links noted earlier tonight, league rules indicate that the Dolphins have until July 16 to agree on a long-term contract with Landry. If there is no compromise, Landry will play under the one-year deal, and the two sides cannot resume negotiations until after the season.
After two straight 1,000-yard campaigns, Landry finished the 2017 season with 987 receiving yards. The 25-year-old did compile a league-leading 112 receptions and a career-high nine receiving touchdowns, earning him his third-straight Pro Bowl nod.