Dolphins Work Out Free Agent Guards
Free agent safety Marcus Gilchrist has been cleared for action and is lining up visits for next week, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Gilchrist tore his patellar tendon while with the Jets last season and wound up on the injured reserve in mid-December. The six-year veteran has combined for 91 appearances and 69 starts with the Chargers and Jets since entering the NFL as a second-round pick in 2011. Gilchrist started in all 61 of his appearances from 2013-16, when he combined for eight interceptions. He picked off two passes in 13 games last season en route a passable 53rd-place ranking among Pro Football Focus’ 90 qualified safeties.
More from around the league:
- Titans rookie wide receiver Corey Davis could be headed toward a holdout as the team gets ready to start training camp Friday, writes Jason Wolf of the Tennessean. Davis, the fifth overall pick, is one of three unsigned first-rounders, and it seems the ex-Western Michigan star is haggling with the Titans over offset language. The Titans have typically included offset language in rookie deals and “are reluctant to change precedent,” writes Wolf.
- In a piece laying out the best fits for some of the top free agents remaining on the board, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com names Seattle as the most logical destination for quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The 29-year-old met with the Seahawks in May, but they never exchanged offers and the club went on to sign the unproven Austin Davis instead. He and Trevone Boykin are all the Seahawks have behind Russell Wilson, leading Seifert to argue that they should circle back to Kaepernick. The former 49er is also better than all of the Jets’ signal-callers (Josh McCown, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty), contends Seifert. Regardless of whether that’s true, the rebuilding outfit looks unlikely to add Kaepernick or any other experienced free agent to its current mix of passers.
- Both the Kaepernick-less Seahawks and Jets rank toward the bottom of the league when it comes to the quality of their backup QBs, opines Field Yates of ESPN.com (Insider required and recommended). No one’s in worse shape than the Colts, though, observes Yates. Their fallback to Andrew Luck is Scott Tolzien, who has been horrid across nine career appearances with the Packers and Colts. He got into three contests last year and could see time this season if Luck’s shoulder continues to be an issue.
- Along with the previously reported Kitt O’Brien, the Dolphins worked out fellow guards Connor Bozick and Isame Faciane on Wednesday, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The Dolphins are content with their current choices at guard, per Jackson, which explains why they didn’t sign any of those unproven players or look at more established free agents.
Latest On Dolphins C Mike Pouncey
3:07pm: Pouncey passed the physical and will not be placed on the PUP list, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
8:57am: Dolphins center Mike Pouncey was cleared by a hip specialist on Tuesday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Pouncey will take a team physical today to help assess what he can do on the field. 
The Dolphins still plan on being cautious with Pouncey, but the expectation is that he will be ready to go for Week 1. After he missed eleven games in 2016, the Dolphins will be limiting the 28-year-old in practice so that he can play as many games as possible this year.
Pouncey graded out as the league’s No. 11 center in 2015 as he earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl nod. He didn’t qualify for ranking last year after only being on the field for just 301 snaps, but his 62.7 overall score his worst ever showing at the center position.
If Pouncey is in uniform for Week 1, the Dolphins will be able to keep Kraig Urbik as the starter at left guard. It is expected that the team will start Laremy Tunsil, Urbik, Pouncey, Ted Larsen, and Ja’Wuan James on the offensive line.
Dolphins Audition Kitt O'Brien
- The Dolphins worked out free agent offensive lineman Kitt O’Brien on Wednesday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. O’Brien, 27, spent the 2013-14 campaigns in the Arena Football League after going undrafted out of Ball State. Subsequently, he latched on with the Colts, and had spent parts of the past two seasons on Indianapolis’ practice squad. O’Brien has yet to appear in an NFL game.
Dolphins Sign Verner, Put Misi On IR
Well, that didn’t take long. Hours after auditioning him, the Dolphins have signed cornerback Alterraun Verner to a one-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). In a related move, linebacker Koa Misi has been placed on injured reserve. 
Misi underwent spinal fusion surgery late last year and the hope was that he would be ready to go for the season opener. Apparently, he’s going to need more time before he can think about getting back on the field.
Misi, 30, managed only 127 defensive snaps in 2016 before going down with injury. In 2015, Misi’s last predominantly healthy season, he totaled 78 tackles and had one pass defensed. Though he’s never had huge sack totals, he did have 12 sacks from 2010 through 2014. Pro Football Focus, for the most part, has always been high on the former second-round pick. In 2014 and 2015, he had scores of 81.5 and 80.8, painting him as a top-30 linebacker in the league. Earlier this year, Misi accepted a pay cut for the second consecutive year, as he agreed to slash his salary by ~$3MM.
The good news is that the Dolphins were not necessarily counting on Misi’s health. The Dolphins signed former Steelers ‘backer Lawrence Timmons to a two-year, $12MM deal in March and used a second-round pick on Ohio State product Raekwon McMillan. Timmons and McMillan project to start along with Kiko Alonso while Mike Hull, Neville Hewitt, Trevor Reilly, and others will come on in support.
Verner did not live up to his big money deal in Tampa Bay, but the Dolphins are not expecting him to be a shutdown corner in 2017. They’ll likely look at Verner as a slot option who could potentially take the job from 2015 fifth-round pick Bobby McCain.
Dolphins Work Out CB Alterraun Verner
The Dolphins are working out veteran cornerbacks on Tuesday, including former Bucs star Alterraun Verner, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Tony Carter, best known for his time with the Broncos, is also among those auditioning. 
Verner worked out for the Jaguars back in May, but the Jags passed in part because of his poor conditioning. Months later, one would hope that Verner is back in football shape. Verner was regarded as one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL a few years back when he signed a four-year, $25.5MM deal with the Bucs in 2014. Unfortunately, the 28-year-old never lived up to that big money contract while in Tampa Bay.
Verner and Carter can both play the slot and Miami may see them as potential alternatives to Bobby McCain. Overall, cornerback is one of the Dolphins’ thinnest areas. The Dolphins project to start Byron Maxwell and rising sophomore Xavien Howard with converted wide receiver Tony Lippett, third-round pick Cordrea Tankersley, and McCain in support.
It was expected that Miami would look into cornerbacks before the start of training camp, but one has to wonder if the Dolphins will also kick the tires on some backup defensive tackle options. It has been said that rookie defensive tackles Davon Godchaux and Vincent Taylor are too raw right now to be counted upon as rotation players. The Dolphins took a look at Roy Miller last week, but they did not sign him after the workout.
Dolphins Wary Of Lowballing Jarvis Landry
The Dolphins have yet to offer an extension to Jarvis Landry, but it’s not due to a lack of interest. The team is wary of lowballing Landry and putting him in the wrong state of mind as he enters his contract year, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes. By the same token, they do not want to make an initial offer that is too lofty, thereby setting a uncomfortably high floor for negotiations. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Interested In Rashad Jennings?]
For the time being, the Dolphins have Landry under contract for 2017 for just $893K. After that, they have the option of hitting him with the franchise tag for roughly $15.7MM in 2018. Given that amount of team control, the Dolphins don’t necessarily have to rush to get a deal done.
The Dolphins could also be waiting to see how DeVante Parker performs this season. Last year, Parker hauled in 56 passes for 744 yards and four scores, marking a significant step forward for the former first rounder. The advanced stats from Pro Football Focus placed Parker as the 27th best wide receiver in the NFL last year. Landry, meanwhile, graded out as the 13th best WR. Parker has a ways to go before he can match Landry’s production, but it’s possible that he can close the gap in production this year. If that’s the case, the Dolphins may have to start thinking about a scenario in which they can only give big money to one of the two receivers in the long term.
Latest On Mike Pouncey's Recovery
- As of late June, the expectation was that Dolphins center Mike Pouncey would be ready for Week 1. That remains the case, it seems, as Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports that Pouncey hasn’t had any setbacks during his recovery from the hip injury that kept him out of 11 games last year. As a result, both Pouncey and the Dolphins are “confident” a forthcoming hip exam will yield positive results. Still, for precautionary reasons, the Dolphins will limit Pouncey in practice throughout the year in hopes of having him for all 16 regular-season games (and potential playoff contests), relays Salguero.
Rashad Jennings Has Talked With Five Teams
Rashad Jennings has proven that he can dance. Now, he wants to prove that he can still play football at a high level. The free agent running back says that he is anxious to play in 2017 and eager for an NFL opportunity. 
“I know there is a place for me in the league based on my skill set. I want to prove one GM right this year,” Jennings told SiriusXM (Twitter links).
Jennings added that he has had “simple conversations” with the Lions, Packers, Ravens, Rams, and Dolphins. The veteran hopes that those simple conversations will lead to a deal from one of those teams, but for now, he’s in “wait and see” mode.
The reigning Dancing With The Stars champion had a paltry 3.3 yards per carry average last year on 181 rushes, but did record 35 receptions. On the plus side, Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the NFL’s best pass blockers in 2016 and he isn’t too far removed from a productive 2015 season in New York.
Dolphins Audition DT Roy Miller
The Dolphins recently worked out free agent defensive tackle Roy Miller, according to Mike Kaye of First Coast News (on Twitter). Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) confirms the news, adding that the workout took place on Tuesday. 
Miller is still recovering from Achilles surgery, Salguero says, and he left Miami without a contract. It’s not immediately clear whether the Dolphins are still thinking about adding him to the 90-man roster.
Back in June, Miller indicated that he was starting to get bites from teams.
“There’s a few teams that have shown some interest here and there,” Miller said. “I believe my agent has a few – there’s a couple of trips I have to take – this month. It was always [the plan] to kind of wait until mid-July, so I can go out there with enough time to heal and time to get back in shape and then go out there and compete.”
From the sound of it, Miller might not be as far along in his recovery as he anticipated. His best bet might be to wait a couple more weeks before auditioning for other clubs.
Miller, 30, made 50 starts for the Jags from 2013 through 2016. After an injury-shortened season, the Jaguars didn’t show much interest in retaining him. Still, Miller offers lots of experience and he’s not far removed from a productive 2015 season in which he had 4.0 sacks and 40 total tackles.
Dolphins Face Quandary With T.J. McDonald
- The Dolphins face a “delicate balance” with safety T.J. McDonald, who is suspended for the first eight games of the season, as James Walker of ESPN.com writes. Miami signed McDonald as a free agent knowing he’d be banned for the first half of the year, but given that he’s expected to be inserted into the starting lineup when he’s eligible, McDonald needs practice reps in order to prepare. However, the Dolphins also need to prepare others, such as Nate Allen and Michael Thomas, who will start in McDonald’s absence.