Isa Abdul-Quddus To Miss 2017?
- The Dolphins aren’t sure whether safety Isa Abdul-Quddus can take the field in 2017, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. Last year, they signed Abdul-Quddus to a three-year deal with the hope that he could hold down the position. Unfortunately, he suffered a bad neck injury late last season.
Dolphins Notes: Misi, Wake
- Despite suffering what could have been a career-threatening neck injury last year, Dolphins linebacker Koa Misi expects to be ready for next season, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Cutting Misi would save the Dolphins $4.2MM against just $578K in dead money in 2017, but they haven’t ruled out retaining him, notes Jackson.
- Jackson also has further details on defensive end Cameron Wake‘s two-year, $19MM contract with the Dolphins. Wake will get a renegotiated signing bonus of $1MM in 2017 and a $125K workout bonus in each season.
Kiko Alonso Wants To Stay At MLB
Kiko Alonso doesn’t want to move from the middle linebacker spot in 2017, a source tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The Dolphins might want to move him to outside linebacker, but that might not be an option if he is unwilling to adjust. As Salguero notes, the Dolphins should probably figure all of this out in the next week with free agency on the horizon. There’s also this – in the past, Alonso has indicated a willingness to move, if it would help the team. So, even if the linebacker’s preference is to remain in the middle, he might be willing to be a good soldier and shift positions.
Salary Cap Numbers For All 32 Teams
On Wednesday, we learned that the 2017 salary cap will be set at roughly $167MM. However, every team’s number will be different depending on how much money each team elects to rollover from the previous season.
Courtesy of the NFLPA, we now have the total cap numbers for all 32 clubs. Here they are, listed by division and in descending order:
AFC East
- Dolphins – $175.36MM
- Patriots – $171.29
- Bills – $169.84MM
- Jets – $167.37MM
AFC North
- Browns – $217.12MM
- Bengals – $173.58MM
- Steelers – $170.27MM
- Ravens – $169.55MM
AFC South
- Jaguars – $206.31
- Titans – $191.05MM
- Colts – $173.61MM
- Texans – $171.94MM
AFC West
- Raiders – $175MM
- Broncos – $174.24MM
- Chiefs – $172MM
- Chargers – $167.11MM
NFC East
- Redskins – $182.06MM
- Eagles – $174.93MM
- Cowboys – $169.4MM
- Giants – $168.8MM
NFC North
- Bears – $175.1MM
- Packers – $174.98MM
- Lions – $171.73MM
- Vikings – $167.4MM
NFC South
- Panthers – $180.21MM
- Saints – $172.75MM
- Buccaneers – $172.33MM
- Falcons – $167.93MM
NFC West
- 49ers – $205.71MM
- Cardinals – $171.4MM
- Seahawks – $169.07MM
- Rams – $167.3MM
Dolphins, Kenny Stills Far Apart In Talks
Kenny Stills is days away from free agency and, at this moment, it doesn’t sound like the Dolphins are going to be able to keep him off the market. Stills could fetch around $12MM/year and the Dolphins are unwilling to go that high for him, sources tell Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald. 
[RELATED: See Where Kenny Stills Ranks On Our List Of Top Free Agent Wide Receivers]
Multiple NFL sources tell Salguero that Stills is more likely to leave via free agency than stay in Miami. At the same time, talk of Stills joining up with the Eagles is gaining momentum. The Dolphins will continue to negotiate with Stills’ reps, but it sounds like they will hold the line as they look to add at defensive end, linebacker, guard, potentially defensive back. The team also has to address the long-term futures of players like safety Reshad Jones, receiver Jarvis Landry, and linebacker Kiko Alonso.
Stills isn’t the only free agent that could wind up leaving the Dolphins in March. The team has also indicated to defensive end Andre Branch and tight end Dion Sims that they will not necessarily outbid the field to keep them. It seems the Dolphins are pushing a team-first agenda in which they are expecting free agents to give the team a hometown discount. One has to wonder if players will buy into that program.
Walker: Dolphins Should Retain Kenny Stills
- Without a similar deep-threat playmaker on the team, James Walker of ESPN.com wonders why the Dolphins would potentially allow Kenny Stills to depart as a free agent. One of the top wideouts who stand to be available this year, Stills has drawn interest from the receiver-needy Eagles and wouldn’t mind moving to the west coast. The former Oklahoma Sooner is an Oceanside, Calif., native. While the Dolphins have reportedly attempted to prioritize Stills, it’s clear they will have competition if he reaches the market.
Walker: Dolphins' Three Biggest Needs After Julius Thomas Trade
- Now that the Dolphins addressed their tight end position with the acquisition of Julius Thomas — though the team is still interested in bringing back Dion Sims, who is a much better blocker than Thomas — James Walker of ESPN.com looks at Miami’s remaining needs. In Walker’s view, the Dolphins now need to turn their attention to reinforcements at linebacker, guard, and defensive end.miami
Ryan Tannehill Fully Healed From Knee Injury
- As expected, the knee injury that sidelined Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill for the tail end of last season, including the team’s wild-card round loss to the Steelers, won’t be a problem going forward. Tannehill is now fully healed from his partially torn ACL/Grade 2 MCL sprain and will be able to participate in the Dolphins’ entire offseason program, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
Julius Thomas Passes Dolphins Physical
All deals are contingent on players passing a physical exam, but it is often just a formality. In the case of tight end Julius Thomas, who has missed eleven games in the past two years, the physical was nothing to be scoffed at. On Tuesday, Thomas was given a clean bill of health by doctors, paving the way for a deal to be finalized between the Jaguars and Dolphins on the first day of the league year, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes. 
Teams cannot officially make trades until March 9, but everything is now in place for the swap to go through. The intra-state deal will send the tight end to Miami in exchange for a 2017 seventh-round pick. Then, in a separate deal, left tackle Branden Albert will go to Jacksonville in exchange for a 2018 seventh-round pick. Initially, it looked like the veterans would be exchanged within the same trade. Effectively, of course, they are being traded for one another.
Thomas has a history with Dolphins head coach Adam Gase and he is expected to pick up the offense rather quickly. If he can stay healthy, he could prove to be a serious weapon for Miami. Between 2013 and 2014, Thomas tallied 108 catches and 24 touchdowns under Gase’s guidance. Meanwhile, the Jaguars have secured their replacement for left tackle Kelvin Beachum, though Albert comes with plenty of question marks himself.
Photo courtesy of Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
Fins Still Interested In Re-Signing Dion Sims
Although the Dolphins have agreed to acquire Julius Thomas from the Jaguars, Miami still has interest in re-signing fellow tight end Dion Sims, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
[RELATED: Dolphins Could Be Active In Free Agency]
Sims, 26, has never topped 30 receptions or 300 yards receiving during his four-year career, but Dolphins head coach Adam Gase has reportedly told Sims he views the former Michigan State Spartan as an integral part of the team going forward. Moreover, Miami believes Sims’ skill-set contrasts well with that of Thomas, per Jackson. Not only is Sims a solid blocker (whereas Thomas is not), he would provide the Dolphins with another tight end option in the event Thomas falls victim to injury, something he’s done multiple times during his NFL career.
Although he’s not expected to be a free agent priority like wide receiver Kenny Stills or defensive end Andre Branch, Sims is clearly in the Dolphins’ 2017 plans. Even if the Thomas trade goes through, Miami’s tight end depth would only consist of MarQueis Gray and Thomas Duarte, the latter of whom played all of two offensive snaps during his rookie campaign. Jordan Cameron, meanwhile, is an unrestricted free agent and is mulling retirement following a history of concussions.