Dolphins Sign Winston Chapman
- The Dolphins announced that they’ve signed long snapper Winston Chapman. Chapman, 24, went undrafted out of Mississippi State in 2015 after tearing his ACL during his senior season. Miami’s incumbent long snapper, John Denney, is an unrestricted free agent.
Dolphins To Acquire Julius Thomas
The Dolphins have agreed to acquire tight end Julius Thomas from the Jaguars, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The Fins will send a 2017 seventh-round pick to Jacksonville for Thomas, who is traveling to Miami tomorrow for a visit and physical, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). The trade won’t become official until 4 p.m. ET on March 9, the start of the 2017 league year.
It’s no surprise that Thomas will head to Miami, which worked hard to acquire him in recent days, but the club took an unusual route to land the 28-year-old. It looked as though the Dolphins and Jaguars were set to swap left tackle Branden Albert and Thomas over the weekend, but that fell through early Monday. Jacksonville later agreed to acquire Albert in a separate deal, which the teams haven’t yet finalized.
Thomas had drawn trade interest from other teams, but the ex-Denver star will now reunite with Dolphins head coach and former Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase. Thomas is eager to reunite with Gase, per Salguero, which is hardly a shock. From 2013-14, Gase was at the helm of a Denver attack that prominently featured Thomas, who posted the best seasons of his career during that stretch. Thomas combined for 108 catches and 24 touchdowns under Gase, and he parlayed that success into a mega-deal with the Jaguars in 2015.
Thomas didn’t live up to his five-year, $46MM contract in Jacksonville, where he missed 11 of 32 regular-season games and saw his yards per catch drop from nearly 12.0 in Denver to under 10.0. He was fairly productive otherwise, though, as he caught 76 passes and nine scores in his 21 appearances as a Jag.
As was the case in Denver and Jacksonville, Thomas will serve as Miami’s top tight end. The club seems likely to lose its No. 1 option from last season, soon-to-be free agent Dion Sims, which made finding a replacement a high priority. Thomas is under contract through 2019, but he has agreed to restructured his deal, a league source told Salguero. The Dolphins are “significantly” cutting down his remaining cap hits, which previously ranged from $8.3MM to $10.3MM. Thomas will have a chance to earn back the money he’s losing through incentives.
Dolphins, Jags Agree To Swap Branden Albert, Draft Pick
The possibility of the Dolphins acquiring Jaguars tight end Julius Thomas for left tackle Branden Albert is now off the table, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. However, the Dolphins have agreed to send Albert to the Jags in a separate deal, per Salugero, which will net Miami a 2018 seventh-round pick, tweets Albert Breer of The MMQB.com.
In order for the trade to become official, the Jaguars will need Albert to agree to report, according to Salguero. Before that happens, the Jags and Albert’s representation will continue discussing his contract status. Albert himself will have dinner tonight with Jacksonville’s front office, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who adds the two sides will discuss his deal on Tuesday if all goes well.
The two sides have been in talks regarding Albert’s deal the past “several days,” writes Salguero, who adds that Jacksonville seems prepared to take on the rest of his pact and possibly even extend it. The 32-year-old Albert is currently signed through 2018 and set to count upward of $10MM against the salary cap in both seasons. By moving on from Albert, the Dolphins would free up $7.2MM in spending room.
As for Thomas, he could still end up with the Dolphins, tweets Rapoport, but their efforts to acquire him have hit a snag over his contract. Thomas reportedly would have had to take a pay cut had the Jaguars sent him to the Dolphins for Albert. The 28-year-old is signed through 2019 and comes with pricey base salaries ($7MM, $8.5MM and $9MM) and cap hits ($8.3MM, $9.8MM, $10.3MM). Nearly half of his salary for 2017 ($3MM) has already become guaranteed.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dolphins Could Be Active In Free Agency
The Dolphins currently have over $42MM in cap space, which will increase significantly when they get rid of left tackle Branden Albert, and appear primed to put that money to use in the coming weeks. After going 10-6 and breaking a seven-year playoff drought in 2016, the Dolphins could “make a pretty big splash” when free agency opens March 9, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com said Monday on NFL Network (via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com).
In the wake of finishing 19th in the league in defensive DVOA last season, it seems Miami will look to make major upgrades on that side of the ball. Rapoport named defensive tackle and cornerback as areas the Dolphins might address, and he pointed to Ravens D-tackle Brandon Williams as a potential target. There’s no guarantee Williams will reach the market, though, as the Ravens have identified re-signing him as a priority.
On the back end, it’s already known that the Dolphins are pondering a trade for a big-name corner to pair with Byron Maxwell, but it’s possible they’ll go the free agent route instead. The market is slated to feature highly accomplished options in the form of the Texans’ A.J. Bouye, the Rams’ Trumaine Johnson and two AFC East rivals – the Patriots’ Logan Ryan and the Bills’ Stephon Gilmore. The Bengals’ Dre Kirkpatrick is also headed to free agency, and newly promoted Dolphins defensive coordinator Matt Burke is familiar with him after serving on Cincinnati’s staff from 2014-15.
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Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dolphins, Jaguars Working To Swap Branden Albert, Julius Thomas
The Dolphins are discussing a trade that would send left tackle Branden Albert to the Jaguars in exchange for tight end Julius Thomas, according to Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel. Albert was first linked to Jacksonville last week by Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, who speculated Thomas could be a target for the Dolphins.
[RELATED: Dolphins Extend Cameron Wake]
Miami, of course, was close to releasing Albert last week, but trade talks materialized before the Fins officially made the move. The Jaguars, who recently declined their option bonus on left tackle Kelvin Beachum, were immediately viewed as the “primary destination” for Albert. While Albert and/or Thomas may need to restructure their contracts in order to finalize a deal, “all parties are willing participants” in negotiations, per Kelly.
“Why ruffle feathers when you don’t have to?” Albert said when asked about the trade. “It’s the business of the game. I honestly believe where I’m going to go is the right fit. It is going to be a surprise when [the terms] comes out.”
Albert, 32, has two years left on his current deal, with cap charges north of $10MM in each season. Miami would incur $3.4MM in dead money by dealing Albert to Jacksonville. Albert will visit the Jaguars today, and they could sweeten his deal in order to facilitate a trade, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The 28-year-old Thomas, meanwhile, is signed through 2019, and $3MM of his $7MM 2017 base salary has already become guaranteed, though he might accept a small pay cut, per Rapoport (Twitter link). Regardless, his salary would become the responsibility of the Dolphins in a trade, while the Jaguars would incur $3.6MM in dead money.
While Albert would take over the left tackle spot in Jacksonville, Thomas would also represent a solid fit for Miami. Incumbent Dolphins tight ends Jordan Cameron and Dion Sims are each pending free agents, and while Miami has interest in re-signing Sims, the club could certainly use a more established option. While Thomas has struggled during his time with the Jags, he did catch 24 touchdowns over two seasons in Denver while current Dolphins head coach Adam Gase served as offensive coordinator.
Thomas-For-Albert Swap Has Hangups
- A possible contractual hangup stands in the way of a Dolphins–Jaguars Branden Albert-for-Julius Thomas swap, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. Albert, 32, has two years remaining on his five-year, $47MM deal. Thomas, 28, has three remaining on a five-year, $46.5MM accord. Both teams are in need of upgrades, the Jaguars at left tackle and Dolphins at tight end. Neither player has proven he can stay healthy throughout a season, however. With Albert being set to make $4MM more than Kelvin Beachum did last year at $9MM, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap wonders (Twitter links) if the hesitation is on the Jags’ end. Thomas is scheduled to make $7.1MM; Miami paid Jordan Cameron $6MM in 2016 for little production. Mike Garafolo of NFL.com expects the deal to be finalized by the time the new league year opens, however.
- Within the same mailbag piece, Kuharsky adds Broncos RFA linebacker Todd Davis could have several suitors. The Broncos experienced an eventful RFA last year, placing a low-end tender on C.J. Anderson before ultimately matching a Dolphins offer sheet on their starting running back. Denver applied a second-round tender to Davis’ inside linebacker mate, Brandon Marshall, last season before signing him to a four-year extension later.
Dolphins Eyeing Offensive Guards
The Dolphins are moving on from veteran offensive lineman Branden Albert — and shifting 2016 first-round pick Laremy Tunsil from left guard to left tackle — because the club believes it can find a replacement guard on the cheap, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
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Albert was scheduled to earn nearly $9MM in 2017, funds Miami will now be able to put towards acquiring a new interior offensive lineman. However, given that part of the Dolphins’ calculation in parting ways with Albert was financial, the team isn’t likely to invest the entirety of that savings into guard reinforcements, per Jackson. Indeed, Miami is instead targeting bargains at the position.
With those parameters in place, high-priced options such as Kevin Zeitler, T.J. Lang, Ronald Leary, and Larry Warford are probably not on Miami’s radar. As such, one player who could make sense for the Dolphins is free agent Patrick Omameh, who played under Miami head coach Adam Gase with Chicago in 2015, writes Jackson. Omameh, 27, graded as the No. 31 guard in the league last season on 454 snaps with Jacksonville, per Pro Football Focus.
While the Dolphins want to secure a free agent to handle one guard spot, Miami is likely to fill the other side with an amalgamation of Kraig Urbik, Anthony Steen, and a draft pick, per Jackson. Veteran Jermon Bushrod, who played more than 1,000 snaps for the Fins last season, is a free agent and may not be retained, though he’s indicated he’d like to continue his career.
Dolphins Extend Cameron Wake
Cameron Wake returned from injury last season and again made a significant impact on the Dolphins’ pass rush, and the team rewarded the veteran defensive end for it. The Dolphins and Wake agreed on an extension that will keep him in Miami through the 2018 season, the team announced (on Twitter).
Wake signed an extension last year to push his contract through the ’17 slate, but he now has two years remaining on his Dolphins pact. His latest Miami re-up will be for two years and $19MM, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, adding that $11MM guaranteed will be coming Wake’s way.
The 35-year-old edge rusher was scheduled to make $6.875MM in 2017 base salary and take up $7.6MM of the Dolphins’ cap. Wake turned 35 in January, so he will be set for his age-36 season with the Fins as a result of this new arrangement. The dominant pass-rusher bounced back from a ruptured Achilles’ tendon to record 11.5 sacks last season and make his fifth Pro Bowl. This marked his fourth double-digit sack slate.
Miami extended Wake in May of 2016 for $14.125MM, pushing his deal through this coming season. But the parties will continue their relationship, with the 2018 season standing to represent Wake’s 10th in south Florida. The Dolphins cut Mario Williams earlier this week and also have Andre Branch looming as a UFA. But they continue to value Wake despite his advancing age. Wake rewarded them for such faith last season, and the team clearly views him as an integral cog going forward.
Broncos Could Have Interest In Branden Albert
The Broncos could express interest in left tackle Branden Albert and defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, each of whom played for the Dolphins in 2016, per Mike Klis of 9NEWS (Twitter links). Mitchell was released on Thursday and could be a fit with Denver thanks to his relationship with Broncos head coach Vance Joseph and defensive line coach Bill Kollar. Albert was also thought to have been released, but Miami is now close to trading the 32-year-old to Jacksonville. It’s unclear if Denver would still be interested in Albert if forced to sacrifice draft compensation.
Dolphins, Jags Nearing Branden Albert Trade
On Thursday, the Dolphins decided to release tackle Branden Albert. That is, until at least one team phoned them with trade interest. For now, Albert remains on the roster as the Dolphins explore trade possibilities. Apparently, it didn’t take long for serious talks to materialize. The Jaguars and Dolphins have talked trade, according to Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald. A source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter) that the Jaguars are the “primary destination” for Albert at this time.
The Jaguars are in need of a starting left tackle after declining Kelvin Beachum‘s contract option on Thursday. At this time, Salguero writes that the Jaguars could be the only team to have expressed interest in an Albert trade. In addition to an agreement of terms between the two Florida teams, the Jaguars will presumably want the blessing of Albert. Albert may not have explicit no-trade rights, but there’s little sense in bringing him on board if he does not want to be there. Albert will turn 33 in November and he might not be gung-ho about joining a team that went 3-13 in 2016.
The Dolphins want draft compensation, though it won’t necessarily have to be an early pick, Salguero writes. Miami will want a pick in the 2017 draft but Jacksonville might push it to be a conditional 2018 pick based on Albert’s performance. If they can’t agree on proper draft considerations, Salguero writes that the two teams might move on to players.
One player who might not figure into the Jags’ plans for 2017 is tight end Julius Thomas and Salguero raises him as a trade candidate, though it’s not clear whether that is speculative or based on direct knowledge. The versatile Thomas would fill a need for Miami and a trade would allow the Jags to get off the hook for the remaining three years of his deal, including his guaranteed base salary. The Dolphins willingly absorbed Byron Maxwell’s contract this time last year, but I’m skeptical as to whether they’d do the same with Thomas after two disappointing years.