Notes on Larsen, Ajayi
Just a day after activating offensive lineman Ted Larsen, the Dolphins have decided to make him inactive for their Sunday night affair versus the Raiders. Larsen, 30, was forced onto the injured reserve for the first two months of the season after suffering a torn biceps in the offseason. It remains to be seen how long it’s going to take until Larsen returns to the starting lineup, but he’s expected to replace left guard Jesse Davis at some point over the next few games.
- Just as a key starter is returning in Larsen, Miami said goodbye to lead running back Jay Ajayi when they dealt him to the Eagles for a fourth round pick on the day of the trade deadline. The move came as a surprise to many Dolphins fans given the importance of the 24 year-old to the team’s offense. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald opines that the deal was just another in a series of questionable decisions that the franchise has made over the last few years. Salguero points out the team’s moves to get rid of Vontae Davis, Brandon Marshall, Mike Wallace and Karlos Dansby as points in time where the team gave up too early on talent. The trade does open up more playing time for the likes of Kenyan Drake and Damien Williams, but the Dolphins’ offense will certainly look a lot different without Ajayi in the backfield.
Dolphins Activate G Ted Larsen
The Dolphins announced that they have activated guard Ted Larsen. This means that Larsen will be available to play when the Dolphins face the Raiders on Saturday night. 
Larsen suffered a torn biceps injury over the summer, forcing the Dolphins to park him on injured reserve for the first two months of the season. Finally, the Dolphins will have the offensive line they intended to have in Week 1. Larsen, a free agent addition in the spring, will start at left guard along with left tackle Laremy Tunsil, center Mike Pouncey, right guard Jermon Bushrod, and right tackle Ja’Wuan James. It’s good timing for the Dolphins since Larsen’s first stand-in, Anthony Steen, is done for the season with a broken foot. Jesse Davis, the latest starting solution at LG, will revert to the bench.
Larsen, 30, started in 65 of 102 appearances as a Buccaneer, Cardinal and Bear from 2010-16. In Chicago last year, Larsen posted the fifth 16-game slate of his career and logged eight starts, during which he ranked 37th in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 75 qualified guards.
Latest On Dolphins, Ndamukong Suh
The Dolphins strongly denied a report indicating that they are ready to move on from defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. The Fins are telling the truth, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes, but they were fed up with his behavior in years past. Since then, Suh has celebrated his 30th birthday and he seems to have turned over a new leaf in the locker room. Suh is in better standing with coaches, but there’s still the matter of his onerous contract. Suh counts for $19.1MM against the cap this season and that will climb to $26.1MM in 2018. The Dolphins could save up to $17MM in cap space by designating him a post-June 1 cut, but Salguero expects the two sides to discuss some kind of restructured deal to keep the union going.
Ted Larsen Returns To Practice
- Offensive lineman Ted Larsen has been designated to return by the Dolphins, reports veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (Twitter link). This was the expected outcome for Larsen (who is dealing with a torn biceps), as reports as early as September indicated Larsen was a candidate to play again in 2017. Miami placed starting guard Anthony Steen on injured reserve earlier today, so Larsen — who is eligible to return as soon as this weekend — could be immediately inserted into the Dolphins’ lineup.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/31/17
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from injured reserve: LB LaRoy Reynolds
- Placed on injured reserve: LB Jordan Tripp
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted to active roster: OL Maurquice Shakir
- Released: WR Griff Whalen
Buffalo Bills
- Released: RB Joe Banyard
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OL Don Barclay
- Waived: OL Dan Skipper
Houston Texans
- Signed: T Kendall Lamm
- Signed off Patriots‘ practice squad: DL Angelo Blackson
- Placed on injured reserve: DL Christian Covington (story)
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from PUP: WR Rashawn Scott
- Placed on injured reserve: S Nate Allen, OL Anthony Steen
New York Giants
- Signed: DE Devin Taylor
- Placed on injured reserve: DE Nordly Capi
New York Jets
- Signed: DE Xavier Cooper
- Placed on injured reserve: TE Jordan Leggett
- Waived: DL Ed Stinson
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on injured reserve: LB Jordan Hicks (story)
San Francisco 49ers
- Released from injured reserve: CB Will Redmond
Latest On Jarvis Landry, Martavis Bryant
Jarvis Landry and Martavis Bryant do not look to be going anywhere as the trade deadline nears. Despite the Dolphins unloading Jay Ajayi and the Steelers deactivating Bryant in Week 8, the AFC squads will be hanging onto two of the bigger names to be thrown into trade rumors this month.
Adam Schefter reports Landry will not be traded today, while NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport said the same for Bryant (Twitter links). A report earlier today indicated the Dolphins were willing to part with Landry for the right price, but either that price hasn’t materialized or the Fins are determined to hang onto their fourth-year slot starter.
Rapoport, though, adds other teams tried to pry Bryant away from the Steelers. But the build-from-within-based organization does not appear eager to budge from its proclamation of holding onto Bryant. Rapoport reports multiple teams called the Steelers about Bryant, but he’ll have to work things out with the coaching staff in order to get back on the field.
Landry’s in the final year of his contract, and no substantial negotiations have reportedly taken place. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports Landry has not completely bought into the Adam Gase regime’s methods, and that may be causing friction between the sides. The Dolphins were once set to make a Landry extension a priority in the most recent offseason. The team is also anticipating a third- or fourth-round compensatory pick if Landry departs as a free agent, Salguero notes.
Fallout From Jay Ajayi Trade
The Dolphins sent their starting running back of the past two years to the Eagles, and Jay Ajayi will join the team with the best record in football. The teams look to view the ball-carrier differently. Here’s the latest coming out of Miami and Philadelphia regarding this high-profile swap.
- Miami was planning to look for running back help this offseason regardless of an Ajayi trade, Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com tweets. Robinson writes the team has been doing its due diligence on backs, and it looks like Miami could well pursue a new starter for 2018. Miami saw Ajayi average just 3.4 yards per carry this season after debuting as a starter at 4.9 per tote. But the Dolphins handed him the ball on 138 of their 168 rushing attempts thus far. Damien Williams (12 2017 carries) and Kenyan Drake (10) are the next men up.
- The Dolphins also don’t think Ajayi has much longer to play before the knee problems that dogged him coming out of Boise State catch up to him, Jeff Darlington of ESPN.com tweets. Ajayi fell to the fifth round partially because of concerns about his knees. But he played in 15 games last season, missing the one because of a disciplinary issue, and has suited up for each of the Fins’ seven 2017 contests.
- Roseman said the Eagles did “the necessary medical work” on Ajayi and are comfortable with his knees, per Jeff McLane of Philly.com (on Twitter). Ajayi will take a physical upon arriving in Philadelphia tonight, and McLane notes he’s expected to be at Eagles practice on Wednesday.
- Ajayi won’t turn 25 until next summer, and much like Philadelphia’s Ronald Darby trade, a key part of this deal was Ajayi being under contract through 2018, Howie Roseman said (via Zach Berman of Philly.com, on Twitter). LeGarrette Blount, though, will remain the Eagles’ starter, per the GM. Roseman added the Eagles being 7-1 puts them in a better position to unload a draft pick — their third 2018 selection traded away.
- The Dolphins believe this trade will represent an addition-by-subtraction effect, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports. Ajayi’s “selfish” attitude contributed to him falling out of favor with the Dolphins, with Salguero reporting the running back on multiple occasions stormed out of the locker room after games due to discontent about his workload. Ajayi had four games featuring 27-plus touches, but three others (all Dolphins losses) featured fewer than 17. Salguero reports Ajayi complained to Dolphins running backs coach Danny Barrett but never addressed his concerns with Adam Gase.
Dolphins Willing To Trade Jarvis Landry?
Even after trading Jay Ajayi to the Eagles on Tuesday morning, the Dolphins might not be done making deals. Jarvis Landry is available for the right price, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald (on Twitter) hears. Meanwhile, the Fins told Landry they are not trading him, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Dolphins Trade Jay Ajayi To Eagles]
There have been questions about Landry’s long-term future with the Dolphins, despite the fact that he has cleared 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons. Landry lobbied for an extension this offseason, but the Dolphins did not put an offer on the table, preferring to wait and see how he would perform in his walk year. The Dolphins like Landry, but the feeling is that a lucrative long-term deal for Landry could prevent them from locking up DeVante Parker down the line. Landry’s off-the-field incident with the mother of his child also didn’t help matters, though he has been cleared of charges for that and will not be suspended by the league.
Landry is scheduled for free agency after the season. He’d be a tremendous rental with an option to commit for a contender.
Through seven games, the LSU product has 50 catches for 398 yards and three scores. Although his 8.0 yards per catch average is frighteningly low, Miami’s phone should be ringing off the hook on Halloween.
One thing to keep in mind for any prospective Landry deal is this – the Dolphins would be in line for a compensatory pick if they were to lose him in free agency this spring. For the Dolphins to trade Landry away, they’ll need a return that is markedly better than what they’d be getting in that scenario.
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.