Fins Unlikely To Target TE Martellus Bennett
The Dolphins will be on the lookout for a tight end in the coming months, but free agent Martellus Bennett won’t be on the club’s radar, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, who reports Bennett will “never play for the Dolphins as long as the current administration is running the organization.” That’s likely an allusion to head coach Adam Gase, who didn’t get along with Bennett when the two were with the Bears in 2015.
[RELATED: Dolphins Release Mario Williams]
Tight end should be a focus for Miami this offseason, as both Jordan Cameron and Dion Sims are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents. Cameron may hang up his cleats altogether after suffering repeated head trauma, but the Dolphins reportedly view Sims as their starter going forward. Sims, 26 this week, has never topped 30 receptions or 300 yards receiving during his four-year career, meaning Miami would be taking quite the leap of faith by installing him in its starting lineup.
As such, the addition of a veteran tight end has been listed among the Dolphins’ needs, but that new face apparently won’t be that of Bennett. The 29-year-old Bennett is eyeing free agency following an excellent campaign with the Patriots, but he’s unlikely to land in Miami given his history with Gase. During the duo’s lone season together in Chicago, Bennett reportedly irritated much of the club’s coaching staff, exhibiting behavior that ultimately led to his being traded to New England. On the field, Bennett wasn’t productive, either, failing to top 500 yards receiving for the first time since becoming a full-time starter.
With Bennett not in the cards, the Dolphins figure to look elsewhere in free agency to find a new tight end, and the club could also invest a draft pick in what is thought to be a deep tight end draft class. Miami has been loosely linked to local product David Njoku throughout the draft process, while Alabama’s O.J. Howard could be also be in consideration.
Dolphins Change Minds, Won’t Cut Branden Albert
The Dolphins are not moving on from Branden Albert after all. Hours after deciding to cut the left tackle and informing him of their plans to do so, Miami has decided to hang on to him – for now. Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald hears that after word of Albert’s release broke, the Dolphins heard from at least one team that had interest in working out a trade. Now, the Dolphins decided that they are going to investigate any trade possibilities out there before letting him go for nothing.
Albert was scheduled to carry a $10.6MM cap hit this season and releasing him would have saved $7.2MM. The team could also increase its immediate savings to $8.9MM by designating him a post June 1 cut. Before going down that path, however, the Dolphins first want to see if they can get some draft picks in return.
Albert, a exceptionally talented tackle, has struggled to stay healthy in Miami. In 2016, he made 12 starts and had a career-worst 42.2 grade from Pro Football Focus. The Dolphins drafted Laremy Tunsil last year with the idea that he would eventually play left tackle and, apparently, the future is now. He doesn’t have a place in Miami any longer, but other teams still want him despite his injury history and age.
The Dolphins currently have upwards of $40MM in cap room. If they trade or release Albert, they should have something closer to $50MM to work with.
Dolphins Pondering Trade For Big-Name CB
After cleaning house on Thursday morning, the Dolphins are plotting their next move. The Dolphins see their secondary as a unit in need of help and they’re thinking about swinging a trade for a big-name cornerback, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (on Twitter) hears. 
Around this time last year, the Dolphins acquired cornerback Byron Maxwell (and Kiko Alonso) via trade from the Eagles. Maxwell, Tony Lippett, Bobby McCain, and Xavien Howard are still in the fold, but Miami still craves a CB upgrade. Maxwell graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 11 cornerback in the NFL last year, but no other Dolphins corner placed in the top 65. It’s not immediately clear who the Dolphins might be targeting or how much they’re willing to give up via trade.
For those of you just tuning in, the Dolphins handed out pink slips to defensive end Mario Williams, left tackle Branden Albert, and defensive tackle Earl Mitchell on Thursday. The Dolphins are expected to have roughly $50MM in cap space by the time free agency gets underway.
Dolphins To Release Earl Mitchell
We have another notable release in Miami. The Dolphins are cutting defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Mitchell was due $4MM this upcoming season. Instead, his contract will leave just $500K in dead money. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Cut Branden Albert]
Mitchell was said to have “internal support” within the Dolphins front office, but his fan club was not large enough to keep him in South Florida. After missing half the season with a calf injury, Mitchell only ended up playing one-quarter of Miami’s defensive snaps. Apparently, the Dolphins feel that they can acquire defensive line depth elsewhere for cheaper.
Mitchell, 30 in September, left the Texans in free agency to sign with the Dolphins prior to the 2014 season. The defensive tackle received a four-year, $19MM deal with $8MM guaranteed, thanks in large part to his work ethic and leadership skills. In his first year as a Dolphin, Mitchell was a highly-valued sub as he notched 33 total tackles and 2.0 sacks. In the last two seasons, however, his production has noticeably dipped.
Dolphins Hire Josh Grizzard
- The Buccaneers announced that they’ve hired Danny Breyer as a defensive assistant. Breyer spent the 2016 campaign as an analytics staffer in Tampa Bay, worked for the Dolphins year prior, and coached in the college ranks before heading to the NFL.
- The Dolphins have hired Josh Grizzard as an offensive quality control coach, tweets Caplan. Grizzard previously worked as an assistant quarterbacks and quality control coach at Duke, where he’d spent the past four years.
Dolphins Expected To Target Defensive Ends
The Dolphins are expected to cut ties with Mario Williams and Dion Jordan in the near future, and as such, defensive end is expected to be the club’s “highest priority” this offseason, one source told Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Indeed, head coach Adam Gase has reportedly told associates that he expects Miami’s draft to focus almost entirely on the defensive side of the ball, per Salguero.
[RELATED: K’Waun Williams To Visit Dolphins]
With Williams and Jordan gone, the Dolphins’ depth chart at defensive end will be comprised of only two players, Cameron Wake and Terrence Fede, the latter of whom saw less than 200 snaps in 2016. Miami is said to be prioritizing a new deal for free agent Andre Branch, but it’s possible that he’ll find a better contract on the open market. The Dolphins, then, could look not only to the draft (where they hold the 22nd overall pick), but to free agency and/or the trade market in order to acquire new edge defenders.
Miami, which ranks in the middle of the pack with nearly $30MM in cap space, ranked just 22nd in DVOA and 31st in adjusted sack rate last season. I recently identified several potential defensive line targets for the Dolphins when assessing the club’s top offseason needs.
Dolphins Cut DE Mario Williams
Break out the ceviche, because it’s (apparently) Miami Day here at Pro Football Rumors. Defensive end Mario Williams and cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu are the latest players to get released by the Dolphins, according to Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald. 
The Williams release has been anticipated for some time now. The 32-year-old was set to carry a $10.5MM cap charge in 2017 and that was not palatable for Miami after he fell flat in 2016. Initially signed to replace Olivier Vernon, Williams could not come close to that type of production and was even a healthy scratch for multiple games.
Williams had only five sacks in 2015, but in the year prior he piled up 14.5 sacks. The Dolphins felt that a change of scenery and a return to a 4-3 system would benefit him, but he instead turned in one of the worst seasons of his career.
On Thursday, the Dolphins also released defensive tackle Earl Mitchell and are working to trade left tackle Branden Albert. The Dolphins will save big bucks by parting ways Albert, Mitchell, and Williams, but the Ekpre-Olomu release isn’t really a cap-related measure. The oft-injured corner was waived/injured last year and this move simply takes him off of IR.
Williams To Visit Dolphins, 49ers, Vikings
K’Waun Williams has quite the free agent tour set up for himself. In addition to visits with the Lions and Jets, Williams is also slated to visit the Dolphins, 49ers, and Vikings this week, according to ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein (on Twitter). Of course, those visits could also be 86’d if Williams immediately strikes a deal with either Detroit or New York. 
Williams arrived in Detroit on Monday and will touch down in the New York/New Jersey area on Tuesday night. If he doesn’t have a contract after wrapping up his visit with the Jets on Wednesday, he’ll continue meeting with clubs.
As a rare February free agent, Williams has a bit of added value for teams who are looking into a low-cost solution at slot cornerback. Williams’ next deal is likely to come as a one-year pact, so he is presumably looking for a situation where he can maximize his playing time and increase his value for next offseason. He probably won’t get a fully guaranteed roster spot, but he could conceivably get a small partial guarantee on his salary if enough clubs show interest.
Williams had surgery to remove bone spurs in his ankle back in November. He recently received full clearance from Dr. Robert Anderson.
Dolphins Hire Andre Carter As Assistant DL Coach
- Former defensive end Andre Carter is joining the Dolphins’ staff as an assistant D-line coach, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN. Carter, 37, played in the league from 2001-13 and piled up 80.5 sacks.
Reshad Jones Will Be Ready For OTAs; Bushrod Does Not Plan To Retire
- Dolphins safety Reshad Jones, who missed the last 10 games of the 2016 season after a significant shoulder injury, has made a full recovery, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald reports. Jones, who is entering the final year of his contract, indicated that he will be physically able to participate in the Dolphins’ offseason schedule.
- In the same piece, Beasley writes that Dolphins offensive lineman Jermon Bushrod, who will be an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins in March, will return for an 11th NFL season if he gets the right offer. Bushrod played for the Saints for six years before joining the Bears prior to the 2013 campaign. The 2016 season was Bushrod’s first in Miami, and though he started all 16 regular season games plus the team’s one playoff contest, he largely struggled, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ fourth-worst guard out of 72 eligible players (subscription required).