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Emmanuel Ogbah Receives Full Clearance

May 17th, 2023 at 12:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Emmanuel Ogbah reeled off back-to-back nine-sack seasons to start the 2020s; those showings earned the veteran pass rusher a second Dolphins contract. Year 1 of Ogbah’s new deal did not go well, and it ended early due to a torn triceps injury.

The former Browns and Chiefs edge defender tallied just one sack in 2022 and suffered the season-ending injury in mid-November, shortly after Miami acquired Bradley Chubb at the trade deadline. Ogbah is aiming to rebound, and he will now have a chance to play alongside Chubb for a full season.

Although the Dolphins are not rushing Ogbah back to full work, the eighth-year sack artist said (via the Miami Herald’s Daniel Oyefusi) he has received full clearance for football activities. The Dolphins are not quite as deep as they were at the point when Ogbah went down, when Melvin Ingram was in the fold along with Chubb and 2021 first-rounder Jaelan Phillips. But the Chubb-Phillips-Ogbah-Christian Wilkins pass rush presents promise ahead of Vic Fangio‘s first season running Miami’s defense. While Ingram remains a free agent, ex-Fangio Broncos pupil Malik Reed is also now with the Dolphins.

Fangio ran into bad luck in terms of pass rusher availability during his HC stay in Denver. Chubb missed nearly all of the 2019 season — Fangio’s first as Broncos HC — and much of 2021 due to injury. Von Miller missed all of 2020 and was off the Broncos’ roster, via the deadline deal with the Rams, by the time Chubb returned to action late in the 2021 season. Miller and Chubb finished just three games together in Fangio’s three-season tenure. The Dolphins are paying up — in the neighborhood of $4.5MM per year — for Fangio’s bounce-back opportunity and will outfit the well-regarded defensive coach with an interesting D-line contingent.

The Dolphins gave Ogbah a four-year, $65.4MM deal in 2022. This provided the former second-round pick a nice raise from his initial Miami terms (two years, $15MM). Coming off a season as Frank Clark‘s bookend for the Super Bowl LIV-winning Chiefs outfit, Ogbah totaled 45 QB hits from 2020-21. The Dolphins reduced Ogbah’s workload in 2022, however, and he will now begin work under another DC.

Had the Dolphins upset the Bills in the wild-card round, Ogbah was readying for a potential return at less than 100% in the playoffs. It did not come to that, but he will attempt to re-establish himself under Fangio this season.

Dolphins Agree To Terms With T Isaiah Wynn

May 16th, 2023 at 10:55am CST by Adam La Rose

MAY 16: Terms of the deal are in, courtesy of ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link). Wynn will earn a base salary of $2.3MM, while incentives could push the value to $2.7MM. As expected, those figures fall well short of what he received on the fifth-year option last year. A strong performance in whatever role Wynn ends up playing could help rebuild his value on the open market heading into next offseason, though yesterday’s addition of Cedric Ogbuehi will add further to the competition for playing time along Miami’s O-line.

MAY 14: As expected, Isaiah Wynn has departed the Patriots in free agency, but he will still be in the AFC East next season. The veteran tackle has signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

A 2018 first-round pick, Wynn didn’t make his New England debut until the following season. Injuries have been a constant in much of his career, which has seen him play in 43 games (40 starts) with the Patriots. Primarily a left tackle for three seasons, he has seen time at guard and operated as a right tackle in 2022.

The 27-year-old saw his stock drop considerably last season, however, finding himself being benched midway through the campaign. He was mentioned in trade talks leading up to the deadline, but no teams elected to add him as depth for the stretch run. Wynn was charged with nine penalties committed and four sacks allowed by PFF in nine games played last season, leading to a career-worst grade of 54.6.

The Georgia alum made $10.4MM on the fifth-year option last season, but this Dolphins pact will surely come in at a much lower rate. Wynn – a native of St. Petersburg, Florida – will give Miami experienced depth on the right side of their offensive line, a unit which has remained a work in progress this offseason. Austin Jackson is in line to start at right tackle, despite his fifth-round option being declined.

Wynn will look to compete for the RT role (which involves protecting the blindside for left-handed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa) during training camp. Neither he nor Jackson are under contract beyond 2023, but the pair will provide options for a unit tasked with better protecting Tagovailoa moving forward. The Dolphins had previously made only one addition to their offensive line in free agency (Dan Feeney), but this deal could include upside if Wynn can stay healthy and play to his potential. At a minimum, their offensive front will be deeper this season at the tackle spot.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/15/23

May 15th, 2023 at 9:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

The first of this year’s spring leagues to debut, the XFL’s third effort, finished its season Saturday. XFL players are now free to sign NFL contracts, and several agreed to terms Monday. Here are those agreements, along with the other transactions from around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: T BJ Wilson

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: RB Tyreik McAllister, RB Jacques Patrick
  • Waived: WR Dallas Daniels, DB Darrious Gaines, TE Kris Leach, RB Emanuel Wilson

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

After seeing the pandemic nix its second effort in 2020, the XFL concluded its season Saturday. The Broncos signed the league’s second-leading rusher, in Patrick, while the Browns and Cowboys offered Barqoo contracts, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. Barqoo, who played for the Jaguars in 2020 and XFL’s San Antonio Brahmas this year, opted for the Steelers’ offer. Patrick, whom the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson notes passed a Broncos physical Monday, finished with 443 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He joins XFL passing leader Ben DiNucci as a Broncos May addition.

Seeing time for the St. Louis BattleHawks, Jones-Smith played in three games apiece with Raiders and Ravens, respectively, from 2020-21. Thompson will join the Dolphins after a spring tour of duty with the Seattle Sea Dragons, while fellow XFL alum Brewer played in two games for the Bills last year. Heflin played five games for the Packers in 2021; the new Saint spent the XFL season with the Houston Roughnecks.

The Raiders gave Johnson a reserve/futures deal in January. The young wideout collected a ring with the 2020 Buccaneers and totaled 360 receiving yards for Tampa Bay’s 2021 iteration. While the Texans claimed him on waivers ahead of last season, he played in just two games with the team.

Jackson suited up for national championship-winning Georgia last season. The new Titans wideout finished with 514 receiving yards in 2020 and totaled 320 for last season’s Bulldogs edition. A Division II Quincy alum, Wilson received an East-West Shrine Bowl invite but tore an Achilles tendon late last season.

Dolphins Sign T Cedric Ogbuehi

May 15th, 2023 at 5:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins did not draft a tackle and entered draft weekend planning to run it back with Austin Jackson as their starter. The team is, however, backstopping the former first-round pick with veteran options.

After agreeing to terms with five-year Patriot Isaiah Wynn, the Dolphins announced Monday they are signing Cedric Ogbuehi. Now the third former first-rounder in Miami’s right tackle equation, Ogbuehi received his Jets walking papers last week despite having re-signed with the team in April.

[RELATED: Dolphins Pass On Jackson’s Fifth-Year Option]

Considering the issues the Dolphins encountered at tackle last season, the team’s eagerness to add depth at this position is understandable. Miami played 15 games without Jackson, who suffered an ankle injury Week 1 and never recovered. The team signed longtime left tackle Eric Fisher, but the veteran sustained an injury before suiting up in a game for the Dolphins. The Fins primarily used in-season addition Brandon Shell at the position; Shell is unsigned.

Although Shell expressed interest in another Dolphins contract, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, the AFC East club is going with Jackson, Wynn and Ogbuehi. Two of these three will likely end up on Miami’s roster — one as a starter opposite Terron Armstead and the other as the swing tackle — while the third could be the odd man out. Given Ogbuehi’s history, he should be expected to have the longest odds at cracking Miami’s 53-man roster.

A former Bengals first-round pick, Ogbuehi has now been aligned with multiple teams in each of the past three years. He played for both the Seahawks and Ravens in 2021, joined the Jets off the Texans’ practice squad last year and has now hopped to a second AFC East team in the past two weeks. The Jets’ Billy Turner signing moved Ogbuehi, 31, off the roster.

The Jets experienced a run of tackle health trouble as well last season, leading to the team needing to go beyond swing depth to fill starting spots. Injuries to Mekhi Becton, George Fant, Duane Brown. Alijah Vera-Tucker and Max Mitchell led to the likes of Ogbuehi and fellow in-season Jets pickup Mike Remmers seeing time. After Vera-Tucker went down with a torn ACL in October, Ogbuehi started five games. Of course, Ogbuehi also ran into injury trouble — a groin malady — and missed a chuck of stretch-run time. Though, the eight-year veteran did return and start at right tackle in the Jets’ season finale in Miami.

The Dolphins will kick the tires on the Texas A&M alum, who spent time in ex-Mike McDaniel coworker Mike LaFleur‘s offense last season. While Ogbuehi has not lived up to expectations, he is closing in on a decade of NFL service time. The 35-game starter will attempt to stick with the Dolphins, who will probably be interested in stashing tackles on their practice squad as well.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/13/23

May 13th, 2023 at 6:39pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s minor moves:

Miami Dolphins

All three players were part of Miami’s UDFA class. As teams continue to sort out their rosters for rookie minicamps and tryouts, though, many deals fail to result in extended looks in the spring. Horst, Jensen and Scaife will look to find new opportunities elsewhere in the league.

Dolphins Sign 21 UDFAs

May 13th, 2023 at 12:44pm CST by Ely Allen

The Dolphins had to add a large number of undrafted free agents after finishing the 2023 draft with only four selections. Here are the rookies that will join the four-man draft class:

The Dolphins added a number of prospects who played in the South Florida area, either in college or high school. Scaife did both, starting 52 games for the Hurricanes at guard and tackle after a high school career at Miami Southridge. His teammate, Agude, only spent one season as a Hurricane after transferring over from UCLA. Charlton was a high school teammate of Scaife’s and spent time at UCF before transferring to Mississippi State.

Additionally, Blackman went to high school just south of Lake Okeechobee in South Bay before making starts at Florida State and Arkansas State. The lanky quarterback comes in as QB4 behind Tua Tagovailoa, Mike White, and Skylar Thompson. Davis went to Deerfield Beach in South Florida before transferring from Oregon to Western Kentucky. Davis brings some interesting versatility, playing cornerback for the Ducks before catching 15 touchdowns over two years as a Hilltopper receiver. Finally, Smith grew up in West Palm Beach before transferring from Ole Miss to Kentucky.

After Thomas Morstead‘s short stint as the team’s punter, Miami signed former Patriot Jake Bailey. Bailey missed some time in New England with both injury and suspension, so perhaps Turk’s signing here is a backup plan to stash on the practice squad in case Bailey misses more time next season.

Dolphins Sign TE Tyler Kroft

May 9th, 2023 at 12:41pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Dolphins have added another name to the mix in their new-look tight end group. Tyler Kroft is signing a one-year deal in Miami, as noted (on Twitter) by his agent.

Kroft has played for four teams in his career, including a one-and-done campaign with the 49ers last season. He logged four starts in 2022, establishing himself as a dependable backup option to George Kittle when the latter was available and as a fill-in when he was injured. Kroft made only four catches in San Francisco, but he was used in the postseason in no small part due to his strength as a run blocker.

Miami has been in the market for tight end additions after Mike Gesicki‘s tenure with the team came to an underwhelming end. The latter was a poor scheme fit under new head coach Mike McDaniel, and ultimately signed with the Patriots. That left the Dolphins in need of a new starter, especially one with a more balanced skillet than Gesicki, though they have not committed considerable resources to the position.

The Dolphins included Hunter Long in the Jalen Ramsey trade, and retained Durham Smythe on a two-year deal, putting the latter in position for an uptick in usage. The team’s lone outside addition before today was former Bronco Eric Saubert. Kroft will give them another veteran option as they look to sort out a new depth chart amongst several options.

That includes sixth-round rookie Elijah Higgins, who is attempting a position change from receiver to tight end. Tanner Conner, who joined the team as a UDFA last season and played primarily on special teams, is also in the fold. Kroft (who has started 52 of 92 career games) figures to hold at least a rotational role in Miami, one which will likely involve sparse usage in the passing game.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald recently noted that the Dolphins were continuing their search for an established tight end following the draft. That process will see Kroft join a fifth team in the hopes of providing a more favorable scheme fit than the team’s 2022 contributors, while aiming to boost his value for next offseason in the process.

Dolphins To Decline Fifth-Year Options On T Austin Jackson, CB Noah Igbinoghene

May 2nd, 2023 at 2:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Dolphins picked up Tua Tagovailoa‘s fifth-year option early this offseason, they have long been expected to pass on the 2024 guarantees for their other two 2020 first-round picks. The team will officially head in that direction soon.

Near the deadline for teams to decide on 2020 first-rounders’ options, the Dolphins will pass on the options for tackle Austin Jackson and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Jackson would have been tied to a $14.18MM salary — Tier 3 for tackles on the four-tier option structure — while Igbinoghene would have seen a fully guaranteed $11.51MM (Tier 4 for corners) had the Dolphins exercised his option. Both players are now in contract years.

Igbinoghene is far from certain to even stay on Miami’s roster this coming season, but the team still has big plans for Jackson. Despite the USC alum’s ankle injury costing him 15 games in 2022, the Dolphins are still eyeing him as their right tackle starter. The team has moved Jackson around its line, shuttling him from left tackle to guard to right tackle in three offseasons. This will be the first time Jackson will work at the same position in consecutive offseasons as a pro.

Although the Dolphins did not draft a tackle until Round 7, the team expressed interest in veteran George Fant earlier this offseason. With the deadline for signings to affect teams’ 2024 compensatory formulas in the rearview mirror, the Dolphins are freer to proceed with a veteran addition. Brandon Shell, who became the team’s primary Jackson replacement despite signing in-season, is also a free agent.

The Dolphins drafted Jackson 18th overall to replace Laremy Tunsil, whom they traded to the Texans in a late-summer blockbuster in 2019. Tunsil has remained one of the league’s top left tackles and has since signed two Houston extensions. After not seeing enough from Jackson at that position, the Dolphins gave Terron Armstead a long-term deal. Jackson started 12 games as a rookie, primarily working as Miami’s left tackle, and finished his second season as the team’s left guard. Moved to right tackle in 2022, the 23-year-old blocker suffered an ankle injury in Week 1 and was unable to overcome it.

Miami’s Igbinoghene pick — at No. 30 overall — surprised in the moment. The Auburn alum was ticketed to win the slot corner job alongside Xavien Howard and Byron Jones, but he has not shown enough to stay on the field. Igbinoghene, 24, has played only 603 career defensive snaps. Even with Jones unavailable for all of last season, the former SEC defender managed just 238 snaps. The Dolphins also used their top draft choice (No. 51) on a corner, South Carolina’s Cam Smith.

2024 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker

May 1st, 2023 at 9:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

NFL teams have until May 2 to officially pick up fifth-year options on 2020 first-rounders who are entering the final year of their rookie deals. The 2020 CBA revamped the option structure and made them fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, fifth-year option salaries are now determined by a blend of the player’s position, initial draft placement and performance- and usage-based benchmarks:

  • Two-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternate Pro Bowlers) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag.
  • One-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag.
  • Players who achieve any of the following will get the average of the third-20th highest salaries at their position:
    • At least a 75% snap rate in two of their first three seasons
    • A 75% snap average across all three seasons
    • At least 50% in each of first three seasons
  • Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will receive the average of the third-25th top salaries at their position.

With the deadline looming, we’ll use the space below to track all the option decisions from around the league:

  1. QB Joe Burrow, Bengals ($29.5MM): Exercised
  2. DE Chase Young, Commanders ($17.45MM): Declined
  3. CB Jeff Okudah, Falcons* ($11.51MM): N/A
  4. T Andrew Thomas, Giants ($14.18MM): Exercised
  5. QB Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins ($23.2MM): Exercised
  6. QB Justin Herbert, Chargers ($29.5MM): Exercised
  7. DT Derrick Brown, Panthers ($11.67MM): Exercised 
  8. LB Isaiah Simmons, Cardinals ($12.72MM): Declined
  9. CB C.J. Henderson, Jaguars** ($11.51MM): Declined
  10. T Jedrick Wills, Browns ($14.18MM): Exercised
  11. T Mekhi Becton, Jets ($12.57MM): Declined
  12. WR Henry Ruggs, Raiders: N/A
  13. T Tristan Wirfs, Buccaneers ($18.24MM): Exercised
  14. DT Javon Kinlaw, 49ers ($10.46MM): Declined
  15. WR Jerry Jeudy, Broncos ($14.12MM): Exercised
  16. CB AJ Terrell, Falcons ($12.34MM): Exercised
  17. WR CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys ($17.99MM): Exercised
  18. OL Austin Jackson, Dolphins ($14.18MM): Declined
  19. CB Damon Arnette, Raiders: N/A
  20. DE K’Lavon Chaisson, Jaguars ($12.14MM): Declined
  21. WR Jalen Reagor, Vikings*** ($12.99MM): To decline
  22. WR Justin Jefferson, Vikings ($19.74MM): Exercised
  23. LB Kenneth Murray, Chargers ($11.73MM): Declined
  24. G Cesar Ruiz, Saints ($14.18MM): Declined
  25. WR Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers ($14.12MM): Exercised
  26. QB Jordan Love, Packers ($20.27MM): Extended through 2024
  27. LB Jordyn Brooks, Seahawks ($12.72MM): Declined
  28. LB Patrick Queen, Ravens ($12.72MM): Declined
  29. T Isaiah Wilson, Titans: N/A
  30. CB Noah Igbinoghene, Dolphins ($11.51MM): Declined
  31. CB Jeff Gladney, Vikings: N/A
  32. RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs ($5.46MM): To decline

* = Lions traded Okudah on April 11, 2023
** = Jaguars traded Henderson on Sept. 27, 2021
*** = Eagles traded Reagor on August 31, 2022

Dolphins Reached Out To OT Taylor Lewan

April 30th, 2023 at 8:26am CST by Rory Parks

The Dolphins reached out to free agent OT Taylor Lewan over a month ago, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). There have been no conversations between the two sides since that time.

Lewan, 32 in July, was released by the Titans earlier this year after nine seasons in Tennessee. He made three consecutive Pro Bowls from 2016-18 and maintained his usual high standard of play in 2019. Unfortunately, injuries began to take their toll thereafter.

Lewan suffered ACL tears in 2020 and 2022, and he said before his release that he was contemplating retirement. Shortly before this week’s draft, the blocker himself indicated that the Dolphins had “called” him (via Omar Kelly of SI.com), but as noted by Jackson, that communication was some time ago and appears to have been more exploratory in nature.

Nonetheless, assuming Lewan does want to continue his playing career, he could begin to receive more interest now that the draft is in the books and teams have a better idea of what their offensive lines will look like in 2023. For their part, the ‘Fins had just four selections in this year’s draft and used their seventh-round pick on Michigan OT Ryan Hayes. That will hardly preclude GM Chris Grier from continuing to look for veteran upgrades if he is so inclined.

Though Grier recently indicated that the team still views 2020 first-rounder Austin Jackson as its starting right tackle, Miami reportedly showed interest in free agent OT George Fant this offseason. And, given that he played just two games in 2022 and has generally underperformed relative to his draft status, Jackson is not exactly a sure thing at this point.

Lewan has never taken a snap at right tackle in his career, but with southpaw Tua Tagovailoa under center, the RT on the Dolphins’ line operates as the club’s blindside blocker. In light of Tagovailoa’s concussion concerns, that role is especially critical.

Last year’s free agent acquisition Terron Armstead earned Pro Bowl acclaim in his first year in South Beach and is entrenched as Miami’s left tackle.

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