Dolphins' Zach Brown Visit Began Monday
- Zach Brown‘s Dolphins visit began tonight and will likely continue into Tuesday, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports (on Twitter). Brown is arguably the best linebacker remaining on the UFA market. He worked with Fins linebackers coach Frank Bush while with the Titans.
Dolphins To Host LB Zach Brown On Visit
A new suitor has emerged for free agent Zach Brown. The linebacker is set to meet with the Dolphins, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. 
Brown had a strong 2016 with Buffalo and currently ranks as PFR’s top available linebacker, but he hasn’t exactly found an eager market for his services. After racking up 149 total tackles, four sacks, and two forced fumbles for the Bills last season, Brown has only had meetings with the Colts and Raiders and neither visit led to a deal. The Raiders are reportedly unlikely to sign Brown and the Colts have since signed linebacker Sean Spence.
It’s possible that this Dolphins visit will yield a deal, particularly since Brown’s asking price has probably come down in the last two weeks. This offseason, the Dolphins beefed up their linebacker group by adding Lawrence Timmons and they could have an even stronger unit by adding Brown to the mix. In theory, Brown could start in the middle with Timmons and Kiko Alonso on the outside, but Alonso’s preference is to remain on the inside.
Dolphins Still Targeting Defensive Tackles
- Despite agreeing to terms with Ted Larsen, the Dolphins still intend to look for a guard in the draft, Jackson notes, adding the team is content to start Jermon Bushrod and Larsen at what have been its trouble spots up front. But the Fins want to seek additional guard enhancements.
- Defensive tackle will be on the Dolphins‘ agenda this week, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. The team hosted Dontari Poe on a visit and eventually saw the nose tackle agree to terms with the Falcons, but the Dolphins may have halted their pursuit because of budgetary concerns. Miami is looking for an interior defender at a cheaper rate, with Jackson noting the Dolphins would like to sign a player for around $2-$3MM per year. Miami has both Ndamukong Suh and Jordan Phillips slated to start in 2017 but wants to further bolster this position. The Dolphins could pursue mid-tier players like Jonathan Babineaux, Tyrunn Walker, Vance Walker or Sen’Derrick Marks, Jackson writes. Miami has just more than $16MM in cap space but may be prepared to use a substantial portion of that on a Jarvis Landry extension.
- Despite agreeing to terms with Ted Larsen, the Dolphins still intend to look for a guard in the draft, Jackson notes, adding the team is content to start Jermon Bushrod and Larsen at what have been its trouble spots up front. But the Fins want to seek additional guard enhancements.
Walker: Expect Jarvis Landry Extension Soon
- The Dolphins are expected to give Jarvis Landry a “sizable” extension this offseason, James Walker of ESPN writes. This was the expectation last season, but the Fins now have Kenny Stills back on an $8MM-AAV deal. Landry has been the better player over the course of his career and would stand to earn more than that. Doug Baldwin and Tavon Austin reset the slot receiver market last summer, agreeing to extensions that paid them $11.5MM and $10.5MM per year, respectively. Landry will enter his age-24 season on the heels of back-to-back 1,100-yard slates.
Dolphins Still Expected To Cut Dion Jordan
Former third overall selection Dion Jordan has been expected to be released for some time, and though he’s currently still on the Dolphins roster, Miami still plans to cut ties with the mercurial defensive end at some point before the regular season begins, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
[RELATED: Dolphins Inquired On Johnathan Hankins]
Jordan, 27, has missed the entirety of the past two seasons due to suspension and injury, and has only started one game in his career. Drafted at No. 3 thanks to his impressive combination of size and speed, Jordan now weighs around 275 pounds (if he’s in shape), and as one Miami coach tells Salguero, simply can’t run anymore. Not only does Jordan lack “explosion,” but he’s dealing with some sort of non-football “issue” that the Dolphins staff won’t discuss in detail, per Salguero.
The Dolphins were expected to target defensive ends this offseason, and while they’ve re-signed Andre Branch and traded for William Hayes, Miami is still likely to spend a relatively high pick on an edge player, reports Salguero. That selection is “very likely” to come in the first round, per Salguero, meaning the Fins could target someone like Derek Barnett (Tennessee), T.J. Watt (Wisconsin), or Carl Lawson (Auburn) at pick No. 22.
If and when Jordan is cut, the Dolphins will save more than $3MM in cap space.
Dolphins Re-Sign Jermon Bushrod
The Dolphins have re-signed free agent guard Jermon Bushrod, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link).
Miami entered the offseason hoping to land two affordable guards, and it now has after agreeing to deals with both Bushrod and Ted Larsen. The club reportedly only viewed the 32-year-old Bushrod as a fallback option as of Tuesday, but he’ll nonetheless return to the Dolphins for a second season. Although Bushrod started all 16 of the Dolphins’ games last season, Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the four worst guards in the NFL.
Bushrod, who divided the first nine years of his career between New Orleans and Chicago, has 112 starts, five 16-start seasons and 124 appearances on his resume. He’s slated to spend his 11th season on a Miami line consisting of him and Larsen at the guard spots, Mike Pouncey at center and Laremy Tunsil and Ja’Wuan James at the tackle positions.
Dolphins Inquired On Johnathan Hankins
The Dolphins have contacted free agent defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Miami is unlikely to sign Hankins, however, given that he’s asking for at least $8MM annually.
Although they’ve now been connected to both Hankins and Dontari Poe, the Dolphins are only searching for a defensive tackle that’s willing to play rotational snaps behind Ndamukong Suh and Jordan Phillips, per Salguero. That type of player will preferably come at a cost of $3-4MM, so Miami will likely continue its search.
Hankins, 25, now ranks as PFR’s No. 1 free agent interior defender on the market. However, the buzz around Hankins has been virtually non-existent since the free agent period opened nearly a week ago. He’s been tangentially linked to the Redskins, but Mike Jones of the Washington post tweets Washington won’t use the money it saved by releasing Ricky Jean-Francois on Hankins (or Poe, for that matter).
Opinion: Dolphins Unlikely To Sign Dontari Poe
- Although defensive tackle Dontari Poe visited with the Dolphins, Miami seems unlikely to sign him unless it’s at an extremely team-friendly rate, opines Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Given that Miami already has a high percentage of cap space tied up in fellow defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, the club probably won’t land Poe unless he’s willing to accept a deal in the one-year, $4MM range. Alternatively, the Fins could convince Poe to ink a two-year pact that contains a low cap charge for the 2017 campaign, per Salguero.
Top 2017 Free Agents By Position 3.0: Defense
The initial wave of NFL free agency is now complete, and while many of the league’s top available players are now off the board, there are still plenty of quality options still on the open market.
Listed below are our rankings for the top 15 free agents at each defensive position. These rankings aren’t necessarily determined by the value of the contracts – or the amount of guaranteed money – that each player is expected to land in free agency. These are simply the players we like the most at each position, with both short- and long-term value taken into account.
Restricted and exclusive-rights free agents, as well as players who received the franchise tag, aren’t listed here, since the roadblocks in place to hinder another team from actually acquiring most of those players prevent them from being true free agents.
We’ll almost certainly be higher or lower on some free agents than you are, so feel free to weigh in below in our comments section to let us know which players we’ve got wrong.
Here’s our breakdown of the current top 15 free agents by defensive position for 2017:
Edge defender:
- Dwight Freeney
Elvis DumervilChris Long- Mario Williams
Connor Barwin- Paul Kruger
- Trent Cole
- Erik Walden
- Jason Jones
Darryl TappDevin Taylor- Eugene Sims
- Howard Jones
Wallace Gilberry- Sam Acho
The pass rushing market has been completely depleted during the first week of free agency, as 14 of our original top 15 edge players have now been franchised, signed, or, in the case of DeMarcus Ware, retired. As such, a 37-year-old with 15 NFL seasons under his belt is now the best pass rusher on the market. Dwight Freeney played on roughly a third of the Falcons’ defensive snaps in 2016, and posted three sacks and 18 hurries. Capable of playing in either a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme, Freeney can still help out a club on the cheap.
Three players on this list — Elvis Dumervil, Connor Barwin, and Eugene Sims — were released by their respective clubs last week, meaning they won’t count against the compensatory formula if and when they’re signed. Dumervil, now 33, was hampered by injuries last season but still earned strong pass-rushing marks from Pro Football Focus. Barwin, meanwhile, wasn’t a good fit in Jim Schwartz‘s 4-3 defense, but he should flourish if he signs with a team running a 3-4 look. So far, he’s met with the Bengals (who use a 4-3) and Rams (3-4).
Chris Long has already indicated he won’t be returning to the Patriots, indicating he wants to join a roster where he’ll earn more playing time. Erik Walden, too, won’t re-sign with his 2016 club (the Colts), but he has taken a visit with the division rival Titans. Further down the list, Howard Jones has also met with at least one club, as he was hosted by the Jets on Tuesday. Jones, 27, is recovering from a torn ACL, but did post five sacks in five starts last season.
Interior defensive line:
Johnathan HankinsDontari Poe- Jared Odrick
- Vance Walker
- Sen’Derrick Marks
Ricky Jean-Francois- Roy Miller
Al WoodsTony McDaniel- Cullen Jenkins
Frostee RuckerCam ThomasJohn Jenkins- Tyson Jackson
Tyson Alualu
Although top-flight players such as Calais Campbell and Brandon Williams have already been signed, the crop of interior defenders remains strong at the top. The buzz around Johnathan Hankins has been virtually non-existent, as the only club that’s been even tangentially linked to the 25-year-old is the Redskins. He’s one of the youngest free agents on the market, and therefore is probably looking for a massive payday. But the lack of interest around Hankins may be an indication that he’s simply asking for too much money.
The same issue could be surrounding Dontari Poe, although he’s not wanting for meetings around the league. He’s visited with the Colts, Falcons, Jaguars, and Dolphins, while the 49ers and Raiders also reportedly have some level of interest. Clubs may have concerns about Poe’s lingering back issues, and he might have to accept a one-year deal in order to prove he’s healthy and willing to provide full effort.
The remaining defensive interior players are mostly over-30 veterans, with names such as Tony McDaniel, Cullen Jenkins, Frostee Rucker, and Tyson Jackson still looking for new deals. While most of these guys can still play, they may have to wait awhile — possibly into the summer — before signing on with their next club. Jared Odrick (Patriots) and Vance Walker (Bears) have both taken visits, but the most intriguing lineman here may be Sen’Derrick Marks, who offers a good amount of pass rush from the interior.
Dolphins Notes: Misi, Bushrod
- Dolphins linebacker Koa Misi will likely either be released or have his salary reduced, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The 30-year-old Misi is expected to be fully recovered from a serious neck injury time in time for the 2017 season, but he’s due a $4.175MM base salary next year. Given that Misi only played in three games in 2016 and isn’t guaranteed a starting job going forward, that’s an untenable figure.
- Meanwhile, free agent guard Jermon Bushrod wants to re-sign with the Dolphins, but the club only views him as a fallback option, reports Salguero. Miami is reportedly “re-assessing the market” at the moment, and doesn’t feel the need to make hurried signings, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald details. Still, the Dolphins need to bring in at least one more guard after agreeing to terms with Ted Larsen, and the team is in fact discussing Bushrod, per Jackson. Bushrod, 32, graded out as a bottom-four guard in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus.