Details On Cameron Wake's New Deal
- Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake took a pay cut from $8.4MM to $7.125MM for 2016, but can make up the difference if he reaches certain sack incentives, says Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter links). For 2017, Wake has another $7MM due, including $3MM fully guaranteed — he can also earn an extra $2MM in ’17 if he racks up 15 sacks this season, per Pelissero.
Dolphins Concerned About Defense Keeping Up With Offense?
- Dolphins sources are concerned that the team’s defense is not built to handle the team’s up-tempo offense, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). In instances when Miami’s offense sputters, the team’s D will be forced back on to the field quickly, and some Dolphins people are concerned that aging vets like Ndamukong Suh, Cameron Wake, and Mario Williams may not be able to keep up.
- Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald provides an update on the progress being made by the Dolphins as they attempt to lock up their entire draft class to rookie contracts.
- In the view of ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, the Bills and Patriots had solid offseasons, while their division rivals – the Dolphins and Jets – weren’t quite as successful over the last few months. Barnwell assigned B grades to Buffalo and New England, with Miami receiving a D+ and Gang Green getting a D.
Peyton Manning Advises Ryan Tannehill
- Peyton Manning paid a visit to the Dolphins this offseason, but it wasn’t as a free agent. As Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald details, Manning was in Miami to meet with his former offensive coordinator, Adam Gase, as well as Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, and explained some of the nuances of Gase’s offense to Tannehill. “It was really cool just to be able to sit and pick his brain about things he’s done in this offense and football things in general: snap counts, things you like, the way you want guys to run routes, little details about the game,” Tannehill said. “We really just got to talk the game, which is something we both love.”
Dolphins Sign Cameron Wake To Extension
The Dolphins have signed veteran defensive end Cameron Wake to a two-year extension, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets that the deal is worth $15MM over two years, with $10MM in fully guaranteed money.
Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweets that Wake was due $8.3MM in 2016, so the 34-year-old ultimately got an extra $1.7MM with the extension. Meanwhile, his expected $9.8MM cap figure should decrease.
The extension is somewhat surprising considering Wake’s age and injury history. The seven-year veteran made only seven appearances last season due to a torn ACL, but Salguero believes the extension is an indication by the organization that Wake is fully recovered. Furthermore, Schefter tweeted that the Dolphins wanted to pay Wake “for what he’s done and will do.”
The team tried to address Wake’s contract in February to no avail, but the sides reconvened for a more successful post-draft result. Wake was previously set to enter the final season of a four-year, $33.2MM accord. After restructuring Ndamukong Suh‘s massive cap hit down to $12.6MM, Miami entered Saturday with more than $18.6MM in cap space. A sizable portion of that will go to its veteran-stacked defensive front.
While decreasing Wake’s ’16 cap hit was probably part of the reason for Miami’s decision, it may ensure one of the franchise’s best signings will finish his career in South Florida. A former UDFA, Wake is coming off a season derailed after seven games by a ruptured Achilles’ tendon. Yet, the former CFL import still registered seven sacks. He’ll team with fellow veteran Mario Williams on the edge for the Dolphins, who have secured a pair of aging-but-effective pass-rushers for the next two seasons.
A four-time Pro Bowler who earned first-team All-Pro recognition in 2012, Wake did not suit up in an NFL game until 2009 and didn’t become a full-time starter until a year later at age 28. And although he’s coming off one of the more severe injuries with which football is associated, the former Penn State product played in at least 15 regular-season games from 2010-14. Vance Joseph said earlier today he expects Wake to be ready for Week 1 despite suffering the injury in late October of last year.
Now that Miami is without Olivier Vernon, whose transition tag the team rescinded to pave a path for a massive Giants-commissioned raise for the former second-round pick, Wake will again serve as a vital component for the Fins’ pass rush. He’s registered double-digit sacks three times — compared to Vernon doing so once — and enters his eighth season with 70 for his NFL career. That total trails only Jason Taylor (139.5) in Dolphins history.
Sam Robinson contributed to this report
Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images
Dolphins Sign Jakeem Grant, Jordan Lucas
- The Dolphins signed sixth-round selections Jakeem Grant and Jordan Lucas, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald reports (on Twitter). Miami traded up to No. 186 to take Grant, one of the best slot receivers in the draft despite standing 5-foot-7, and took Lucas — a defensive back from Penn State who’s seen time at both corner and safety with the Nittany Lions — at No. 204.
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Dolphins Eye Week 1 Return For Wake; Xavien Howard No Lock For Starting Lineup
- New Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph guesses Cameron Wake will be ready to play come Week 1, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports. Wake is recovering from a ruptured Achilles’ tendon and entering his age-34 season. The four-time Pro Bowler registered seven sacks in seven games last season before going down with the Achilles injury in October.
- Identifying second-rounder Xavien Howard as a “six-foot guy with 5-10 corner movement skills,” Joseph said the rookie corner will vie for a Dolphins starting job with Byron Maxwell and Tony Lippett, per Salguero.
Dolphins Station Laremy Tunsil At Guard; Clyde Christensen Stunned He Was Available
A three-year starter with the Rebels exclusively at left tackle, Tunsil told media (including Jackson) he has never played guard but expressed willingness to line up anywhere on the Fins’ front. Branden Albert and Ja’Wuan James remain as the Dolphins’ tackles, leaving Tunsil to join Billy Turner on Miami’s first unit at guard. With Albert, James and Mike Pouncey in the fold, guard has been a troublesome spot for the Dolphins recently.
Despite being selected at No. 13 overall, Laremy Tunsil is slotted at a foreign position to him. The Dolphins are currently planning to station the Ole Miss left tackle at left guard, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.
A three-year starter with the Rebels exclusively at left tackle, Tunsil told media (including Jackson) he has never played guard but expressed willingness to line up anywhere on the Fins’ front. Branden Albert and Ja’Wuan James remain as the Dolphins’ tackles, leaving Tunsil to join Billy Turner on Miami’s first unit at guard. With Albert, James and Mike Pouncey in the fold, guard has been a troublesome spot for the Dolphins recently.
Pro Football Focus graded the Dolphins as the league’s No. 31 line, ahead of only the injury-ravaged Chargers, with former starting guard Dallas Thomas receiving the site’s worst marks among its starters. PFF graded Miami as the league’s worst run-blocking line last season.
Dolphins Sign Laremy Tunsil, 12 UDFAs
The Dolphins have locked up their first-round pick, announcing today (via Twitter) that offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil has signed his rookie contract. The team also confirmed that seventh-round quarterback Brandon Doughty has signed his deal, as reported on Thursday.
Tunsil, the 13th overall pick last Thursday, had been expected to be the No. 1 overall pick before the Titans sent that selection to the Rams in a pre-draft trade. Tunsil continued to slip on draft night when, less than an hour before the event got underway, a video surfaced of the former Ole Miss tackle smoking marijuana out of a gas-mask bong.
While the Dolphins were thrilled to have Tunsil fall to them, there’s still some lingering concern within the organization about how he may have been affected by the pre-draft leak, and whether that leaker may continue to attempt to do damage, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Still, those concerns aren’t significant enough to postpone Miami’s signing of Tunsil, and the rookie lineman’s contract contains no unique clauses to protect the team, says Werder.
In addition to signing Tunsil, the Dolphins also announced that they have added 12 undrafted free agents to their roster. Here’s the full list of Miami’s UDFAs:
- LB Akil Blount (FAMU)
- LB James Burgess (Louisville)
- C/G Ruben Carter (Toledo)
- LS Ryan Disalvo (San Jose State)
- LB Tyler Gray (Boise State)
- S A.J. Hendy (Maryland)
- TE Gabe Hughes (Florida Tech)
- DE Farrington Huguenin (Kentucky)
- K Marshall Koehn (Iowa)
- CB Lafayette Pitts (Pittsburgh)
- WR Rashawn Scott (Miami)
- WR Brandon Shippen (Temple)
Dolphins Sign Brandon Doughty
- The Dolphins have signed seventh-round quarterback Brandon Doughty, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (on Twitter). The former Western Kentucky signal caller drew interest from scouts in large part because of his pinpoint accuracy.
Latest On Dion Jordan’s Potential Reinstatement
The NFL has not reinstated Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan from suspension at this point, but a source close to the team tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that he is working hard to get back to football. There is no definitive word on whether Jordan will be allowed back by the NFL, but a tweet from agent Doug Hendrickson on Wednesday night may be hinting at an impending comeback. 
Jordan is eligible for reinstatement this year following multiple violations of the league’s substance policy. Despite his missteps, Dolphins coaches are open to giving Jordan another chance because of his talent, willingness to listen to coaches, and generally agreeable demeanor, Jackson writes.
After repeated violations of the league’s policy on recreational drugs, the Dolphins could theoretically cut the former No. 3 overall pick without being on the hook for what would have previously been guaranteed money. However, they’d rather see Jordan fulfill his vast potential.
Prior to Jordan’s diluted sample in April 2015 and his subsequent year-long ban, the Dolphins were reportedly nearing a trade with the Eagles that would have paired the Oregon product with Chip Kelly. Jordan, 26, appeared in 26 games for the Dolphins in 2013 and 2014. In that time, he totaled 46 tackles and three sacks.