Dolphins’ Damien Williams Wants Pay Bump
Damien Williams has yet to sign his restricted free agent tender and there’s a reason for that. The running back is trying to pressure the Dolphins into giving him more money, as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes. 
This offseason, Williams only drew interest from the Patriots as an RFA. Ultimately, the Pats inked Mike Gillislee to an offer sheet rather than Williams and the deadline passed without any other team stepping up. Williams wants more than the one-year, $1.8MM tender, but he has no real leverage at this stage of the offseason. If Williams wants to play in the NFL in 2017, it’s Dolphins or bust.
“So we have his rights,” said Dolphins executive vice president Mike Tannenbaum. “He hasn’t signed his tender. He is a restricted free agent and our tender is still out there.”
With Jay Ajayi entrenched as the No. 1 ball carrier, Williams is slated to share backup duties with rising sophomore Kenyan Drake. He may choose to stay away from the team for a bit this offseason, but it’s hard to see him winning this battle.
Dolphins Pick Up Ja’Wuan James’ Option
The Dolphins will pick up Ja’Wuan James‘ fifth-year option, according to Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald. Now, the right tackle will be under team control through the 2018 season. 
[RELATED: 2018 Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker]
Over the weekend, Dolphins executive vice president and GM Chris Grier said that the team was still deliberating on what to do with James. Now, however, they’ll guarantee James’ 2018 salary for an estimated $9.341MM. The Dolphins project to start Laremy Tunsil and James at the tackle spots with Ted Larsen, Mike Pouncey, and Kraig Urbik in between in 2017. If all goes well, we’ll see Tunsil/James for the next two seasons in Miami, at minimum.
Last year, James graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 32 tackle in the NFL. While his pass blocking score left something to be desired, his run blocking score put him in the top 20 league-wide. Per PFF, 2016 was James’ best season to date.
As shown in PFR’s 2018 Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker, teams have already decided on the majority of players in the 2014 first round. Clubs have until Wednesday to formally decide.
Dolphins Deal No. 223 To Buccaneers
The Dolphins made an intrastate trade late in the draft, dealing the No. 223 pick to the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay gave Miami its seventh-round pick this year (No. 237) and its seventh-round choice next year, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald notes (on Twitter).
With the higher pick, the Bucs selected USC defensive tackle Steve Tu’ikolovatu.
Eagles Trade Pick No. 164 To Dolphins
The Eagles have traded down in this fifth round for the second time, this time moving out of the No. 164 slot and opening the door for the Dolphins to move up and select offensive lineman Isaac Asiata out of Utah.
It’s a two-pronged trade between these teams. The Eagles also unloaded the No. 194 pick to the Fins, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. They will receive pick 166 and the Dolphins’ compensatory selection (No. 184) that doubles as the fifth round’s final pick.
Philly initially held pick No. 155 but dealt it to the Titans to begin this mini-spree.
AFC Draft Notes: Mixon, Raiders, Dolphins
Some assorted draft notes from around the AFC…
- Half the league didn’t have embattled running back Joe Mixon on their draft board, tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Meanwhile, other evaluators believe he was the best overall running back if they were only evaluating on-field skills. ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter adds that only four teams said they would consider drafting Mixon. We can assume that one of those four organizations was the Bengals, who selected the running back in the second round.
- The Raiders selected UConn safety Obi Melifonwu in the second round, although Rapoport tweets that the organization was close to selecting the defensive back in the first.
- The Dolphins ultimately selected defensive end Charles Harris with the 22nd pick on Thursday night. However, if the Missouri product hadn’t been available, the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero says (via Twitter) that the team would have selected Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton.
- The Broncos were rather committed to selecting Florida State defensive end DeMarcus Walker. In fact, general manager John Elway revealed that he was willing to trade up if he needed to. “We made a lot of attempts to get up in (second round) to trade for Walker,” Elway told Troy Renck of Denver7 (Twitter link). “Things worked out.” Walker was selected by the Broncos with the 51st overall pick.
- Good news out of Houston: Rapoport tweets that the Texans don’t believe running back D’Onta Foreman needs surgery on the stress fracture in his foot. The team found “no progressions in the injury at rechecks,” which apparently made them comfortable enough to select him in the third round.
Extra Points: Redskins, Allen, Steelers
The Redskins are high on Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Redskins currently own the No. 17 pick in the draft, so they’ll likely need to move up to get him. Then again, Allen might not make it out of the top five.
Here’s more news before the draft gets underway:
- Washington defensive backs Kevin King and Budda Baker are on the Steelers‘ “radar”, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Pittsburgh has used early picks on secondary help over the past few seasons, as Artie Burns, Sean Davis, and Senquez Golson have all been added to the defensive backfield since 2015. Golson, however, hasn’t been able to get on the field due to injuries, and the Steelers could use more help in the back end. King would give the club a physical corner to play outside, while Baker can play deep safety and the slot.
- Some folks in the Dolphins organization are really high on linebacker Haason Reddick, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald hears. His fans in Miami believe that he can be a great weakside linebacker right off of the bat and they like his explosive pass rush skills.
- An official from one team tells Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) that Gareon Conley will go in the first round.
- Colts defensive lineman David Parry will avoid jail time after reaching a plea agreement this week, Stephen Holder of the Indy Star writes. Originally, he was facing felony charges stemming from a February arrest in Arizona. It remains to be seen whether he’ll face team or league punishment.
Dolphins Eyeing Florida LB Jarrad Davis?
Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis won’t get past the Dolphins and the No. 22 pick represents his floor, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears. It’s not clear where his ceiling is, however, and he could very well be off the board before it’s Miami’s turn to pick. 
There are multiple teams in the teens who will be looking for linebacker help. The Redskins at No. 17 and the Lions at No. 21 could both be possibilities for him, as Florio writes. Peter Schrager of NFL Network previously reported that Davis could go as high as No. 15, where the Colts pick. On most boards, Davis ranks as the second-best off-the-ball linebacker in the draft, behind Alabama’s Reuben Foster.
Davis impressed scouts at his Pro Day when he posted a 4.56 40-yard dash and 38.5 inch vertical jump.
David Njoku, Forrest Lamp To Slide?
For weeks, Miami tight end David Njoku and Western Kentucky guard Forrest Lamp have often been projected as middle first round picks. It appears both players could fall further than expected based on what Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com is hearing. 
The Dolphins have been connected to Lamp for some time, but as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald reported on Wednesday, Miami has cooled on the idea of taking him at No. 22. Instead, they’re expected to target defensive help. If the right guy isn’t there, Pauline hears that they may trade down if the opportunity arises. They’ll instead focus on guards in round two and their target there could be Utah’s Isaac Asiata, Pauline hears. At 6’3″ and 323 lbs, teams like his potential on the interior line.
Njoku could be a target of the Lions at No. 21, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hinted earlier today, and it sounds like he’ll be available based on the word Pauline is getting.
Pauline’s Latest: McCaffrey, Harris, Barnett
With the draft roughly four hours away, let’s take a look at the latest from Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com:
- The Eagles are reportedly “infatuated” with Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, per Pauline. Philadelphia might have trouble selecting McCaffrey with the 14th overall pick, however, as the Panthers also are interested in the dynamic athlete at No. 8. As such, the Eagles may have to trade up if they want to land McCaffrey. Potentially, the Eagles could make a deal with the Jets, but Pauline wonders if Philadelphia has enough draft capital to make a move up given that they sacrificed a haul of picks in 2016.
- Pass rushers Charles Harris (Missouri) and Derek Barnett (Tennessee) are both shooting up draft boards and could potentially be selected earlier than most observers currently believe, according to Pauline. The Dolphins, for one, are known to have interest in both players, but if Pauline’s report is correct, both might be gone by the time Miami picks at No. 22.
- The most undervalued player in the draft may be Colorado defensive back Chidobe Awuzie, says Pauline. Awuzie has been linked to a number of teams during the predraft process, including the Titans, Buccaneers, and Cowboys, whiles scouts like his size and level of experience.
- While Awuzie may be underrated, fellow cornerback Marlon Humphrey is being overvalued, reports Pauline, who adds the Alabama alum could even potentially fall out of the first round. Most mock drafts have placed Humphrey in Day 1, but the plethora of defensive back options in this year’s class could conceivably push him down.
Dolphins Not Locked In On Forrest Lamp
- Contrary to previous reports, the Dolphins are not “locked in” on Western Kentucky offensive lineman Forrest Lamp, and are not expected to target guard help with the 22nd pick, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Seemingly practitioners of positional-based drafting, the Dolphins are more likely to use their first-round selection on “defensive playmakers” such as corners and, presumably, defensive ends, a position group to which Miami has been heavily linked. Additionally, the Fins seem content with their current veteran guards, Ted Larsen and Jermon Bushrod, per Salguero.