Dolphins Work Out Brandon Spikes
11:09am: One of the other linebackers being worked out is Jerry Franklin, who previously spent time with the Lions (via Salguero on Twitter).
10:53am: Spikes is one of three linebackers working out for Miami today, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald tweets.
9:58am: Linebacker Brandon Spikes worked out for the Dolphins today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The audition marks Spikes’ first workout after a year removed from football. 
[RELATED: Teams Monitoring Dolphins Defensive Ends]
Spikes signed a one-year deal to return to the Patriots in May 2015. However, Spikes was involved in a hit-and-run incident weeks later, which quickly led to his release from the team. Luckily for all parties, the three people involved in the crash only suffered minor injuries, allowing Spikes to get one year of probation rather than a maximum sentence of two years in jail. Spikes was hit with a four-game suspension in 2015 after the incident, though it didn’t mean much since he was without an NFL home.
While he’s typically taken off the field in passing downs, Spikes has proven himself to be an effective part-time player, specializing as a run defender. Before signing with New England in the summer of 2015, the Dolphins were among the teams to show interest in him.
On an admittedly small sample of passing downs, the advanced metrics from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) were actually kind to Spikes’ pass-coverage abilities in 2014, as he ranked fourth-best at his position in yards per coverage snap and coverage snaps per reception. Still, you can expect to see him mostly against the run if he is given another NFL shot. Overall, he graded as PFF’s 13th-best inside linebacker in the league in 2014 thanks to his run-stopping ability. Spikes finished ninth against the run at his position in 2014 and ranked No. 1 against the run in both 2012 and 2013.
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Titans Claim Tyler Patmon From Dolphins
- The Titans have claimed cornerback Tyler Patmon, off waivers from the Dolphins, as Jim Wyatt of Titans Online tweets.
Teams Monitoring Dolphins Defensive Ends
Rival teams are keeping an eye on the Dolphins’ defensive end situation, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). With the 53-man roster crunch looming, teams know that Miami will be forced to cut at least a couple of intriguing bookends, Beasley hears, and he wonders aloud if that could make for a trade possibility. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Haven’t Ruled Out Reworking Reshad Jones’ Deal]
Of course, Dion Jordan stands as the Dolphins’ most notable reserve defensive end. Reinstated just days ago, the Dolphins got an unpleasant surprise when they learned that Jordan got knee surgery during his time away from football. As the former No. 3 overall pick recovers, Miami has placed him on the NFI list. Jordan is expected to be back on the field within two to three weeks, but there’s no guarantee that the Dolphins will want to carry him on the roster this season. In theory, Jordan could be a release or trade candidate and one has to imagine that there will be teams with interest given his innate talent.
The Dolphins plan on using free agent additions Mario Williams and Andre Branch in the starting defensive end roles. Behind them should be the newly-restructured Cameron Wake and another recent free agent pickup in Jason Jones. After that, Jordan, Chris McCain, Terrence Fede, Jordan Williams, and Julius Warmsley are all fighting for a spot on the team, as shown on Roster Resource.
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Dolphins Haven't Ruled Out Reworking Reshad Jones' Deal
The Dolphins have not ruled out renegotiating, or even extending, the contract of safety Reshad Jones, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Jones was planning a holdout in the hopes of landing an extension from Miami, and reportedly even mulled a season-long boycott, but eventually reported to camp in June. The 28-year-old Jones doesn’t seem very worried about his deal at this point, telling Jackson that he’s “just worried about helping [his] team win.”
Dolphins Sign Brandon Harris, Waive Tyler Patmon
- The Dolphins have signed cornerback Brandon Harris and waived cornerback Tyler Patmon, according to a tweet from the team’s official website.
More On Dion Jordan; Dolphins Activate Arian Foster
- The Dolphins placed Dion Jordan on the non-football injury list today, and there is some intrigue surrounding the move. Per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (via Twitter), head coach Adam Gase and the rest of the Miami brass were unaware that Jordan had knee surgery prior to his reinstatement, and as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald tweets, Jordan declined to say how he injured his knee while not playing football since 2014. For what it’s worth, Gase did say that Jordan “has a fresh start with me. Whatever happened in the past is irrelevant” (Twitter link via Adam Beasley of The Miami Herald).
- In addition to placing Jordan on the NFI list, the Dolphins made a couple of cornerback moves and activated Arian Foster from the PUP list, according to this team’s official website (via Twitter). Foster practiced with his new club this morning.
NFL Reinstates Dion Jordan, Dolphins Place Him On NFI List
SUNDAY, July 31: The Dolphins will place the newly-reinstated Jordan on the non-football injury list, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, and Jordan will not earn his $1.7MM roster bonus. Per Florio, Jordan failed a physical on Saturday and is currently recovering from a knee problem that required arthroscopic surgery. Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald tweets that Jordan is expected to be back on the field within two to three weeks.
FRIDAY, July 29: Dion Jordan has been reinstated to the NFL, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, Jordan’s reinstatement is conditional. The defensive end will be in counseling and will be reevaluated before the start of the season. 
[RELATED: Armando Salguero Of The Miami Herald Talks To PFR About Jordan, Dolphins Offseason]
The 26-year-old needs to prove to the league office that he can stay on the straight and narrow. When it comes to the Dolphins, he needs to prove that he can produce on the field. Through 26 games in 2013 and 2014, Jordan registered only 46 tackles and three sacks.
Jordan is not the only notable name to run afoul of the league’s policy on substance abuse. In recent years, Josh Gordon, Justin Blackmon, Martavis Bryant, Aldon Smith, and Daryl Washington have all been sidelined by the NFL and as Jordan has witnessed, those missteps can sometimes be career threatening or ending. For his part, Jordan has said that he’s not going to squander that opportunity if it is given to him.
“I’m not about to waste it. I can’t waste it. And I (expletive) love doing it,” Jordan said in May. “Who doesn’t love running out in front of 30,000-plus fans and you get that rush? But it’s also things that you can get that rush from that can be very satisfying and can carry you on to a successful life after football…I just turned 26 years old, so life starts to hit you in the face. Who are you outside of those shoulder pads and helmet? And it’s weird, but I feel like it’s a blessing for me at this point in time to think about it, instead of waiting ‘til they really tell me I can’t play football no more.”
In recent weeks, there was a great deal of talk as to whether the Dolphins would pay Dion Jordan his $1.69MM roster bonus if were to be reinstate. As it turns out, the Dolphins don’t really have a decision to make with regards to that payout. While the Dolphins will be required to pay that bonus on Aug. 1, Jordan must also repay his $3.35MM signing bonus to the team as a result of his suspensions. That money has not been fully returned yet and Jordan owes the Dolphins more money than they owe him. So, a reinstated Jordan would not be cut by the team in an effort to save money. However, the Dolphins could theoretically release or trade Jordan if they do not want him on the roster for football reasons.
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AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Pats, Jets, Robinson
The Dolphins were never mentioned as a suitor for cornerback Sean Smith during the free agent period, but Smith’s agent met with Miami general manager Mike Tannenbaum in the spring and pitched his client to the club, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The Fins, who originally drafted Smith in 2009, weren’t interested in reuniting with the veteran defensive back, who ultimately signed with the Raiders for nearly $10MM annually. Passing on Smith was a mistake, opines Salguero, who adds that Miami is still looking for a press cornerback opposite Byron Maxwell, where the leading contenders for playing time are Xavien Howard, Tony Lippett, and recent signee Rashaan Melvin. Another defensive back could be on the way, as the Dolphins worked out former Bear Al Louis-Jean today, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Let’s take a look at more from the AFC East:
- Given that they’ll enter next offeason with more than $60MM in cap space, there’s no reason the Patriots can’t reach extensions with a decent number of their defensive free agents, explains Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Linebackers Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins are the high-profile names, and New England could use the franchise tag to retain at least one of that duo. Defensive end Jabaal Sheard is also heading for free agency, while Malcolm Butler will be a restricted free agent. Further down the list, defensive backs Duron Harmon and Logan Ryan and defensive linemen Rob Ninkovich, Chris Long, and Terrance Knighton will all see their contracts expire.
- Now that the Jets have re-signed Ryan Fitzpatrick, the conventional wisdom states that the club won’t carry Fitz, Geno Smith, Bryce Petty, and Christian Hackenberg on the 53-man roster, but head coach Todd Bowles downplayed that notion, telling Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk it’s “conceivable” that New York brings all four signal-callers to Week 1. However, as Florio notes, Bowles’ stance could merely be posturing in the hopes that another team will offer to trade for one of Gang Green’s reserve quarterbacks.
- Jets owner Woody Johnson doesn’t appear to have meddled in contract negotiations with Fitzpatrick, as Darryl Slater of NJ.com writes. “…Woody is knowledgeable of what’s going on,” said general manager Mike Maccagnan. “From a negotiation standpoint and all that stuff, we communicate with him because he owns the team and he runs the team, but he lets us do our jobs and hopefully do it well.”
- Running back Khiry Robinson isn’t close to appearing in Jets camp as he recovers from a broken leg, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Robinson, 26, fractured his leg in November and was subsequently non-tendered by the Saints in the spring. He agreed to a one-year deal with New York that includes $80K guaranteed and $370K in per-game roster bonuses, so Robinson will be missing out on a decent chunk of money every time he misses a regular season contest.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
Dolphins Sign Rashaan Melvin, Waive Jake Stoneburner
- To make for Melvin (listed below), the Dolphins have waived tight end Jake Stoneburner, the club announced. Stoneburner, who was offered a restricted free agent tender this spring, managed five receptions in 11 games for Miami last season.
- Fourth-year cornerback Rashaan Melvin signed with the Dolphins, according to agent Mike McCartney (via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com, on Twitter). Melvin started two games for the Ravens in 2014 and spent 2015 with both the Ravens and Patriots, playing in eight games for the latter.
Dolphins Unlikely To Sign Antonio Cromartie
Multiple reports in recent months have linked the Dolphins to free agent Antonio Cromartie, but it turns out head coach Adam Gase isn’t a fan of the 32-year-old cornerback, a source told Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Gase’s aversion to Cromartie stems from the success the former offensive coordinator’s attacks had against the defender in the past, according to Salguero.
[RELATED: NFL Reinstates Dion Jordan]
Cromartie, a 10-year veteran and four-time Pro Bowler, has been on the open market since the Jets released him in February. That was the end of Cromartie’s second stint with New York, which lasted only one season. It’s worth noting that his first, from 2010-13, began via trade when Dolphins executive vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum was Gang Green’s general manager. Given Gase’s opinion of Cromartie, though, it seems as if Cromartie’s connection to Tannenbaum won’t be enough to make a reunion in Miami possible.
Aside from Byron Maxwell, the Dolphins are lacking proven options at corner, as their depth chart shows, but Salguero reported Thursday that they’re “pretty comfortable” with their current group. With second-round rookie Xavien Howard on the sidelines after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in June, the Dolphins are down to Tony Lippett as the starter opposite Maxwell. Lippett didn’t play much as a fifth-round rookie last year, however, and was a receiver at Michigan State. Gase has expressed confidence that Howard will be back in time for Week 1, but that would mean missing all of camp and the preseason, placing the first-year man behind the 8-ball immediately.
Thanks to their paucity of high-end corners, it seems the Dolphins could use more help at the position – especially after their 2015 pass defense finished 29th in DVOA and 27th in both YPA and quarterback rating against (7.8 and 97.4, respectively). That aid won’t come from Cromartie, it appears, and even if Gase did want him, it’s debatable how much he’s capable of contributing at this point. Cromartie is coming off a poor season, one in which Pro Football Focus ranked his performance 87th among 111 qualified corners, and reportedly has a hip issue that could threaten his career.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.