LeGarrette Blount Had Interest In Dolphins
There were at least two instances in the past two years that running back LeGarrette Blount had interest in signing with the Dolphins, but they didn’t pursue him, an associate told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Blount, the No. 1 back for the AFC East rival Patriots, rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries in the Pats’ 31-24 win over the Dolphins on Sunday.
The 29-year-old Blount, a Madison, Fla., native, didn’t encounter much of a market for his services as a free agent during the offseason. As a result, he took a one-year deal with a minimum base salary to return to the Patriots a month after free agency opened. The Dolphins lost previous starter Lamar Miller to the Texans and signed his Houston predecessor, Arian Foster, in July, but only after striking out on multiple other options – including the Broncos’ C.J. Anderson. Miami signed the then-restricted free agent to a four-year, $18MM offer sheet, which Denver matched.
The Dolphins’ 27th-ranked rushing attack hasn’t done them any favors during their 0-2 start this year. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill has driven up their yards-per-carry average with a team-leading 4.7 mark on 11 attempts, and he also paces the Dolphins in ground yardage (47). Foster hasn’t been nearly as effective, having totaled 47 yards on 16 carries in his first action since tearing his Achilles last October. The 30-year-old is now dealing with a groin injury that limited him to three carries in Week 2 and could keep him out against the Browns on Sunday. If it does, Miami has far less proven options in third-round rookie Kenyan Drake and second-year man Jay Ajayi, who has been in head coach Adam Gase‘s doghouse this year.
In theory, the bruising Blount would have been a useful weapon for a Miami team that hasn’t established a respectable ground attack yet in 2016, but the rest of the league also passed on the inexpensive seventh-year man during the offseason. Blount is once again scheduled for free agency next winter, when the Dolphins and 30 other teams could have another chance to sign the 245-pounder if New England doesn’t lock him up by then.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dolphins Add DT To Practice Squad
Miami Dolphins
Jay Ajayi Has Received Head Coach's Message, WIll Be Activated
- Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi was left off the travel list for the team’s Week 1 matchup in Seattle, and Miami head coach Adam Gase reportedly made that decision to send a message to Ajayi about the second-year back’s lack of professionalism. Now, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), that message has been received and Ajayi will be active for today’s game. However, as the third running back on the Dolphins’ depth chart (per Roster Resource), it remains to be seen how much playing time Ajayi will actually receive.
Dolphins Concerned With Jay Ajayi's Maturity
- The Dolphins did not appear to like DeVante Parker‘s approach to healing a troublesome hamstring this offseason, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes. The second-year wideout’s nutritional habits were less than ideal, per Salguero, who adds the projected starter perhaps wasn’t doing enough in practice to prepare his muscles for game speed. Parker missed Week 1 with a hamstring injury.
- Similarly, the team has soured somewhat on Jay Ajayi. The second-year ball-carrier was a healthy scratch against the Seahawks and, per Salguero, did not like being deployed in Miami’s fourth preseason game. Another undetermined Ajayi action at the Dolphins’ facility helped lead to Adam Gase leaving him off the travel list for Seattle, Salguero reports, and Gase wanted to send him a professionalism-fueled message. The first-year coach told media Ajayi showed more maturity since the benching, but the 2015 fifth-round pick who was the starter before Arian Foster‘s arrival delivered the same response to nine questions Friday in a two-minute interview, Salguero reports.
Skeptics Remain Regarding Tannehill's Status
- The Dolphins should cut bait with Ryan Tannehill if he doesn’t take a step forward this season, Doug Keyd of NESN.com opines. Tannehill’s $11.6MM cap number balloons to $20.3MM in 2017, tied for sixth highest among quarterbacks and ahead of guys like Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, Philip Rivers, Eli Manning, Drew Brees, and Ben Roethlisberger. For what it’s worth, New England coach Bill Belichick already seems to think that Tannehill is a solid QB. “He’s a good quarterback,” Belichick said. “He’s smart, he handles the offense well, he certainly takes control of things at the line of scrimmage, as we’ve seen quarterbacks do in Coach [Adam] Gase’s offense. It obviously runs through the quarterbacks. It tracks adjustments, but he’s a good decision maker, he’s athletic, throws the ball well. He can certainly make plays out of the pocket. … He’s a good player. He’s definitely a problem for us.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/15/16
Here are today’s minor moves.
- Quarterback Brandon Doughty cleared waivers and will head to the Dolphins‘ practice squad, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.
- The Patriots signed offensive lineman Ian Silberman to their practice squad and cut tackle Clay DeBord from the 10-man unit, via NESN.com’s Doug Kyed (Twitter links).
- The Jaguars cut wide receiver Jamal Robinson from their practice squad and signed safety Marqueston Huff to the taxi contingent, John Oehser of the O-Zone tweets.
- The Bills promoted offensive lineman Gabe Ikard from their practice squad to their active roster in advance of tonight’s game against the Jets, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter).
Poll: Who Will Win The AFC East?
Of all the NFL’s divisions, the AFC East has offered the least in terms of parity during the 2010s. Every other NFL division has featured at least two teams claiming a title and this one still features a Patriots team that will deploy the Bill Belichick–Tom Brady duo for a large chunk of the season.
[RELATED: PFR’s Impact Rookies Series]
The Patriots have won seven straight AFC East crowns and 13 of the past 16. New England is set to return its 39-year-old future Hall of Fame quarterback in Week 5, where he’ll again team with one of the best tight ends in NFL history. Still, Rob Gronkowski has yet to make his 2016 debut yet and the Pats still have questions on defense due to injuries, suspensions, and the trade of Chandler Jones. However, the Jimmy Garoppolo-led outfit still showed enough to beat one of the league’s best teams in Week 1 despite a host of key inactives.
Both the Jets and Dolphins upset the Patriots last season to deprive them of home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs, and each played a returning playoff team close in Week 1. Last season’s second-place finisher, the Jets bring back arguably the best defensive line in football and, after some arduous negotiations, they have Ryan Fitzpatrick back on the other side of the ball.
The most recent non-Patriots division champion (in 2008), the Dolphins continue their first season under offensive wunderkind Adam Gase with a trip to Massachusetts on Sunday. The Fins haven’t made the playoffs since that ’08 campaign but added veterans in Arian Foster and Mario Williams, and drafted once-projected No. 1 pick Laremy Tunsil in Round 1.
Despite finishing with at least eight wins the past two seasons, the Bills own the longest playoff drought in football at 17 years. Their offseason extension for Tyrod Taylor and re-signing of Richie Incognito became overshadowed by a host of suspensions, injuries, and cuts.
So, in advance of the AFC East’s first matchups, who will win the division this season?
Who Will Win The AFC East?
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New England Patriots 76% (1,274)
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New York Jets 14% (240)
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Miami Dolphins 7% (125)
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Buffalo Bills 2% (35)
Total votes: 1,674
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
PFR’s Impact Rookies Series
All summer long, longtime scouting consultant Dave-Te Thomas of The NFL Draft Report has been breaking down the draft class of every team in the league and identifying the players that can immediately make a difference. The Impact Rookies series, which wrapped up today with a look at the Seahawks, provides unique insight to this year’s NFL freshman class from a veteran guru who worked closely with several teams around the league leading up to the draft.
Here is the full rundown of the Impact Rookies series:
AFC East
AFC North
AFC South
AFC West
NFC East
NFC North
NFC South
NFC West
Justin Hunter Takes Pay Cut
- Wide receiver Justin Hunter has taken a pay cut since the Dolphins claimed him off waivers from the Titans earlier this month, tweets Field Yates of ESPN. Hunter’s new 2016 salary is $675K, down from the $1,114,656 he was supposed to rake in this season. The fourth-year man will have a chance to collect $350K in incentives, though, and he landed a $52,267 bonus.
Dolphins Waive Brandon Doughty
- The Dolphins waived quarterback Brandon Doughty, as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald tweets.