NFL Injury Updates: Bell, Herbert, Armstead, Rodgers, Vea, Pacheco
The Browns were able to escape Duval with their first win of the year but saw wide receiver David Bell carted off the field in the third quarter. According to Josh Alper of NBC Sports, head coach Kevin Stefanski told the media that Bell had been diagnosed with a dislocated hip.
While surely a painful situation, Bell seems to have avoided a more serious outcome. Despite leaving the field on the cart, Bell will be able to fly home with his teammates and seek treatment in Cleveland.
Here are updates on a few other injuries from around the NFL this week:
- On a big day for the Chargers, there was a moment of worry when quarterback Justin Herbert got “rolled up” in the game, per Kris Rhim of ESPN. Los Angeles performed an x-ray on their starting passer, but more tests will be necessary to determine the extent of Herbert’s injury. The 26-year-old was noticably limping after the game.
- While the notable injury in Miami on Thursday night was clearly that of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, left tackle Terron Armstead was also notably absent from the second half of the Dolphins‘ loss to Buffalo with a shoulder injury. In an update the next day, head coach Mike McDaniel clarified that Armstead avoided the worst-case scenario and would be returning “sooner than later,” per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. There was initially some fear that the injury could be a season-ending ailment, but it seems Armstead’s absence will only a couple weeks at most.
- After sitting out the entire 2023 season due to a gambling suspension, Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers missed the team’s 2024 season opener with a hand injury. This week, we found out from Rodgers that his hand was broken on the last day of training camp when a teammate went to punch out a ball and punched his hand instead, according to Andrew DiCecco of 975TheFanatic. His hand is improving, and he has returned to practice.
- Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea suffered a knee injury in today’s win over the Lions. Following the game, it was reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that Vea is believed to have suffered an MCL sprain. The veteran lineman will undergo further MRI testing tomorrow to determine the severity of the injury, but the team is optimistic.
- Lastly, from the afternoon slate of games, Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco suffered an ankle injury in the team’s walk-off win over the Bengals today. Per ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, Pacheco is set to undergo tests and x-rays on his ankle. The team was extremely cautious with the young rusher, though, as he was seen leaving the stadium on crutches and in a walking boot.
Tua Tagovailoa Suffers Concussion; Dolphins To Make QB Addition
Thursday’s night’s contest saw the Dolphins’ record drop to 1-1 but the main takeaway was quarterback Tua Tagovailoa exiting the game with a concussion. Miami’s franchise passer has a history of head injuries, and this latest one will lead to a depth move being made. 
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said after the game that Tagovailoa – who went down late in the third quarter during a scramble which produced a collision with Bills safety Damar Hamlin – will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis. Tagovailoa’s history with head injuries is a factor which will be taken into consideration when evaluating his recovery process, which does not have a timeline at this point. McDaniel added he and Tagovailoa will speak later today.
[RELATED: Assessing Dolphins’ Financial Options With Tagovailoa]
After a college career which included several ailments (one of which was a concussion), the Alabama product dealt with at least two more concussions during the 2022 campaign. That cost him five combined regular and postseason games and led to signficant changes to the NFL’s concussion protocol. The 26-year-old’s ability to progress through the protocol will now be critical as he and the team evaluate his rehab. Until more is known about Tagovailoa’s condition, no decision regarding an IR stint will be possible.
In the meantime, Miami will move forward with Skylar Thompson under center. The 2022 seventh-rounder served as third-stringer behind Mike White last season, one in which Tagovailoa remained healthy. White was let go during roster cutdowns this summer, however, paving the way for Thompson to operate as QB2 in 2024. He will be counted on to lead the offense moving forward, but the team is now eyeing an addition to serve as healthy depth.
“The team and organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said during a Friday press conference (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). “There’s a reason he is our backup quarterback. We will bring in someone. I’m expecting Skylar is the next man up.”
Assessing Dolphins’ Financial Options With Tua Tagovailoa
After he left last night’s loss against the Bills with a concussion, many have been speculating about the future of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. An extensive history of head injuries has many wondering if yesterday’s latest brain trauma will lead to the end of Tagovailoa’s NFL career. 
Last night offered another scary scene for those who have followed Tagovailoa throughout his time in Miami. After lowering his head into a tackle by Damar Hamlin, who is no stranger to scary injuries, Tagovailoa exhibited signs of unconsciousness as he laid writhing on the ground demonstrating what is called a fencing response. It was the second such instance in the past two years.
In a Week 3 game against the Bills in 2022, Tagovailoa left the contest with a reported back injury before returning to finish the game. Many suspected that the team may have violated concussion protocols by letting him return, but he was back in the starting lineup the following week, regardless. In the Week 4 matchup with the Bengals, Tagovailoa was sacked and demonstrated the fencing response for the first time, leading to an exit and a two-game absence. He later missed the last two games of the season under concussion protocol.
After a fully healthy 2023 season, Miami rewarded Tagovailoa with a four-year, $212.4MM extension, including 167.17MM in guarantees. With so many wondering about the potential end of Tagovailoa’s career due to the frequency of his brain injuries, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald took a look at what that would mean financially.
Firstly, it seems wildly unlikely that the Dolphins would make the decision to move on from Tagovailoa if he is medically cleared. First of all, they gave him his extension under the assumption that he would be their quarterback of the future. If he is able to return, they’ll likely stick with that assumption, especially after his 2023 season. Second, releasing a healthy Tagovailoa would require the team to eat $83.65MM in dead money.
On Tagovailoa’s side, if the 26-year-old were to pass a physical but still decide to retire, the Dolphins would be left with $33.6MM in dead money, per Jason Fitzgerald of OvertheCap.com, which they would be able to spread over the 2025 and 2026 seasons. That option seems unlikely, as well, though, as it would require Tagovailoa to pass up several of millions of dollars that he has already been guaranteed.
Though many are worried for the health and safety of the former Alabama passer, his recent extension makes it difficult to see a swift end to NFL career. Decisions may be made to limit his exposure and playing time if injuries continue to occur, but with so much money on the table, expect both Tagovailoa and the Dolphins to keep working to forge a way forward together.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/12/24
Thursday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: DE Kingsley Jonathan
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on IR: CB Myles Harden
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: WR Robbie Chosen
Harden, a seventh-round rookie, is dealing with a shin injury. Today’s move means he will be out for at least four weeks, further delaying his chance to make his regular season debut. Harden was inactive for the Browns’ Week 1 loss.
Dolphins-Jevon Holland Extension Talks Have Not Picked Up
Jevon Holland‘s contract year started off well. The fourth-year safety’s goal-line punch-out denied Travis Etienne a potential back-breaking touchdown, keying a Dolphins comeback win over the Jaguars.
The Dolphins lost their other two safety regulars from last season — Brandon Jones, DeShon Elliott — but Holland remains, and the team identified him as an extension candidate in the spring. In the months since, this process does not appear to have gained steam. As several clubs moved to extend key players before the start of last season — one notable Texas-based deal coming hours before kickoff — Holland remains on his rookie contract.
[Offseason In Review: Miami Dolphins]
Miami has not intensified its extension talks with Holland, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler offers. The former second-round pick cannot speak with other teams until March’s legal tampering period, but the Dolphins went through a busy offseason on the extension front. They paid offensive cornerstones Tua Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle and came to a rework agreement with Tyreek Hill, a transaction that reminded of Chris Grier‘s Xavien Howard payday in 2022 in that both players had three years left on their existing deals. The Dolphins then re-upped Jalen Ramsey, who had already seen the team greenlight more guarantees upon acquiring him via trade.
Starting 43 games for the Dolphins since being chosen 36th overall in 2021, Holland has now forced four fumbles over the past 18 games. The Oregon alum is in his age-24 season, and while this year featured some twists and turns in the safety market, teams showed — via the Xavier McKinney Packers signing and Antoine Winfield Jr. Buccaneers extension — they are still willing to pay top-market rates for difference-makers. Holland has displayed that talent.
Pro Football Focus rated Holland as a top-five safety in 2021 and again last year. The Dolphins have again changed their defensive scheme, making a coordinator change (from Vic Fangio to Anthony Weaver) for a third straight year. Perhaps the team wants to gauge Holland’s fit in Weaver’s system before accelerating talks, but the closer the Dolphins come to free agency, the more difficult it stands to be to retain the young defender.
Following an offseason that featured a cap situation that effectively prevented a Christian Wilkins franchise tag and led to he and Robert Hunt leaving in free agency, Miami is not expected to carry much in the way of 2025 funds. While it is still early here, the Dolphins sit with the NFL’s third-worst 2025 projection (per OverTheCap). That would make a franchise or transition tag more difficult, and while teams have a way of navigating troubled waters (see: New Orleans) to pay the players they want, Wilkins’ defection — after extensive Dolphins efforts to retain him — shows cap trouble brings consequences.
Two safeties — Winfield and Kyle Dugger — were tagged this offseason, with the Patriots transition-tagging the latter. Both signed lucrative extensions. This path could be a viable Dolphins path with Holland, but the team still has some time to avoid a lofty cap hold hitting its payroll via a March tag.
Extra Points: Hill, Watson, Prescott
Following Tyreek Hill‘s detainment before yesterday’ game, Andy Slater of Fox Sports 640 South Florida released the bodycam footage from Miami-Dade Police. The release of the video follows a statement by the Miami-Dade Police earlier today in which they said that Hill was not immediately cooperative with officers (per Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com).
The video shows that Hill was initially pulled over for speeding while approaching Hard Rock Stadium. After the Dolphins wide receiver was pulled over, he was asked to keep his window down. As ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques and Xuan Thai detail, the “incident escalated when Hill didn’t comply.”
After exiting his vehicle, Hill was grabbed “by the back of the head and neck area” and forced to the pavement before being placed in handcuffs. After being walked to the sidewalk, Hill was forced to the ground again after not immediately complying to an officer’s demand to sit down, with the wideout citing recent knee surgery.
The footage also shows the police tensely interacting with tight end Jonnu Smith, who parked about 25 feet away from Hill. Smith “was ultimately given a citation.” Defensive lineman Calais Campbell can also be seen in the footage approaching police with his arms raised.
Following the release of the footage, the Miami Dolphins released a statement. While the organization lauded the release of the video and acknowledged their relationship with the Miami-Dade Police, they also requested “swift and strong action against the officers who engaged in such despicable behavior.” Per Armando Salguero of Outkick.com, the officer at the center of the video “was placed on administrative duties” and has hired a lawyer.
More notes from around the NFL…
- Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is facing a new civil lawsuit claiming him of sexual assault and battery during an incident in October 2020, per ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi. Watson “sexually assaulted the woman for several minutes” before storming out of her apartment. Watson was previously accused of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct by more than two dozen women. He avoided criminal charges but was served an 11-game suspension after the league and the NFL Players Association reached a settlement. Watson settled 23 of his 24 civil lawsuits, and this latest suit joins the one remaining civil suit from 2022. An NFL spokesperson declined comment when asked about the matter, per Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS.
- Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com has the details on Dak Prescott‘s new contract with the Cowboys. The four-year, $240MM extension features an $80MM signing bonus and $129MM guaranteed at signing. The quarterback will have another $40MM guaranteed next March, and another $45MM will be guaranteed the following March. The deal also includes a no-trade clause, a no-franchise tag clause, and a no-transition tag clause.
- The NFL sent a memo to more than 20 players and their respective teams before Week 1, warning the players that they could face suspensions if they violated the safety and sportsmanship policies. While the players’ identities weren’t revealed, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes that the individuals “have been penalized and scrutinized in the past,” with all of the players having been suspended over the past two years for on-the-field incidents.
Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill Briefly Detained By Police
4:35pm: After the game, Hill confirmed (via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques) he was pulled over for speeding while adding he did not attempt to identify himself to get out of the situation. He denied any verbal abuse of the arresting officer.
Calais Campbell was one of the players who intervened once Hill was handcuffed. Campbell said he too was placed in handcuffs for “disobeying a direct order” (h/t Louis-Jacques). Campbell was cited but not arrested. The league has been in contact with the Dolphins as part of an investigation into the situation, as noted by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. One of the officers involved in Sunday’s incident has been placed on administrative duties, Miami-Dade Police director Stephanie V. Daniels announced.
11:04am: Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was briefly detained by police on his way to Hard Rock Stadium for the team’s regular season opener against the Jaguars today, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Schefter’s ESPN colleague, Jeff Darlington, says that Hill was pulled over for speeding, and he subsequently got into a verbal altercation with police.
As a result of the altercation, Hill was put into handcuffs, as shown in a video. A statement released by the Dolphins indicates that several of Hill’s teammates saw the incident and stopped to offer support. Ultimately, Hill was released with a reckless driving citation, and he will play in today’s game.
Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, is in attendance at Hard Rock Stadium, and prior to the game, he spoke with Darlington (video link). Rosenhaus said that the incident was, “completely unnecessary. I’m very distraught about it. We’re going to have to look into it. … It’s mind-boggling to me” (via Schefter).
This will surely not be the last time this situation is discussed, but for now, the upshot is that Hill is on the field as expected and is reprising his role as the Dolphins’ top wideout. Just last month, player and team hammered out a new deal that allowed Hill to keep pace with his elite WR peers, a deal that added $65MM in guarantees to Hill’s existing contract without adding new years to the term.
Hill, 30, was the first receiver to join the $30MM/year club, but the average annual value on his original Miami contract was inflated by a non-guaranteed salary in its final year that pushed the AAV to the $30MM mark. Assuming Hill continued producing at a high level after he arrived in South Beach via a trade with the Chiefs in March 2022, it was always a given that the two sides would come to terms on some sort of restructure.
That is exactly what happened, as Hill has topped 1,700 receiving yards in both of his first two years with the ‘Fins en route to consecutive First Team All-Pro honors. He is now on a “true” $30MM pact, which reflects his status as one of the league’s best pass catchers.
While Hill is no stranger to legal issues and controversy, it would seem that — outside of his reckless driving ticket — he will not face any long-term repercussions from today’s incident.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/7/24
Here are all the NFL’s minor transactions for Saturday, including the gameday callups leading into the first Sunday of the 2024 season:
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: WR Chris Blair, CB Kevin King
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: OL Will Clapp, DE Kameron Cline
Chicago Bears
- Elevated: DE Byron Cowart, LS Scott Daly
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: WR Kendric Pryor
Cleveland Browns
- Signed to active roster: WR Jaelon Darden
- Elevated: CB Mike Ford, T Germain Ifedi
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: FB Michael Burton, WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: DE Chris Smith
- Elevated: WR Tom Kennedy, DT Kyle Peko
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: CB Chris Lammons, K Spencer Shrader
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: S Terrell Edmunds
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: CB Sam Webb
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed to active roster: TE Eric Tomlinson
- Elevated: LB Shaquille Quarterman
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: T AJ Arcuri
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: WR Robbie Chosen
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: RB Myles Gaskin, S Bobby McCain
New England Patriots
- Elevated: DT Trysten Hill, G Michael Jordan
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: LB Khaleke Hudson, DT Kendal Vickers
New York Giants
- Elevated: LB Carter Coughlin, LB Ty Summers
- Released: LB Curtis Bolton
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: WR Ben Skowronek
- Placed on IR: DT Logan Lee
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: S Marquise Blair, CB Artie Burns
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: DT C.J. Brewer, DL Mike Greene
Tennessee Titans
- Elevated: LB Luke Gifford, DL James Lynch
With regular kicker Matt Gay listed as questionable for the season opener after hernia surgery, the Colts will call up Shrader from the practice squad as an emergency option. The 25-year-old has not made a regular season appearance in his career, but that could very well change tomorrow.
Dolphins Extend CB Jalen Ramsey
In advance of his second Dolphins season, Jalen Ramsey has agreed to another big-ticket deal. The All-Pro corner has worked out a three-year, $72.3MM extension, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Cameron Wolfe. Head coach Mike McDaniel has since confirmed the news.
This pact will include $55.3MM guaranteed, Rapoport adds. Ramsey and the Dolphins worked out the agreement a few days ago, but the news has now broken in preparation for his return to the practice field. Ramsey is a candidate to suit up for Week 1 on Sunday with the title of the league’s highest-paid corner. 
Patrick Surtain moved the top of the position’s market forward earlier this week when he agreed to a Broncos extension averaging $24MM per season. Ramsey’s deal checks in at $24.1MM annually. The 31-year-old had two years remaining on his existing pact (the five-year, $100MM extension he inked in 2020), one which was restructured this spring to clear 2024 cap space. No guaranteed salary was in place for 2025, but that will no doubt change in the wake of today’s news.
Acquired via trade with the Rams last offseason, Ramsey was limited to 10 games in his debut Miami campaign due to a knee injury. He recorded three interceptions and five pass deflections during that span, though, and returned in time for the team’s wild-card game. The former No. 6 pick earned his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl nod in 2023, setting himself up another notable payday. Ramsey rose to the top of the pecking order on his 2020 deal, and he has now managed to replicate that feat four years later.
The Dolphins moved on from Xavien Howard this offseason, one in which Kendall Fuller was added in free agency. The Ramsey-Fuller tandem will be counted on to anchor the team’s secondary as Miami has a number of inexperienced options on the depth chart, although it remains to be seen if they will both be on the field for Week 1. McDaniel- who himself recently landed a multi-year extension – noted during his Thursday press availability that he is unsure if Ramsey will get enough practice time in between now and the season opener to be able to play (h/t Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald).
Miami has qualified for the postseason in each of the past two years, bowing out in the wild-card round both times. The team will be expected to improve in that regard in 2024, with many key players on offense (quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in particular) landing sizable new contracts to remain in place for the foreseeable future. The Dolphins ranked 15th against the pass last year, so taking a step forward in that regard will be a goal for the coming campaign. Ramsey is positioned to handle a central role in that effort through the 2028 campaign.
Just like the Surtain deal, this pact will represent a target for extension-eligible corners next offseason. The likes of Sauce Gardner, Derek Stingley and Jaycee Horn will be in line for new deals in the spring. The previous high point for the position in terms of AAV was $21MM, but a new benchmark has been established. It will be interesting to see how the market takes shape once the next wave of monster extensions comes about in 2025.
Offseason In Review: Miami Dolphins
Making back-to-back playoff berths for the first time in more than 20 years, the Dolphins have elevated their operation under Mike McDaniel. The drivers of that effort became more expensive this offseason, and the team again replaced its defensive coordinator. The Dolphins ranked first in total offense for the first time since Dan Marino‘s age-33 season (1994), but another late-season letdown — albeit with significant injury problems — became the lead story for this team.
As they attempt to shake off a no-show for a frigid Kansas City wild-card game, the Dolphins also lost some key pieces in assembling their 2024 puzzle. But they sure took care of their cornerstones as well.
Extensions and restructures:
- Reached four-year, $212.4MM ($132.17MM guaranteed) with QB Tua Tagovailoa
- Reworked WR Tyreek Hill‘s deal, finalizing three-year, $90MM agreement ($54MM guaranteed)
- Agreed to three-year, $84.75MM extension ($35.98MM guaranteed) with WR Jaylen Waddle
- Extended CB Jalen Ramsey at three years, $72.3MM
- LT Terron Armstead accepted $4.25MM pay cut in exchange for $10MM in guarantees
- Extended RB Raheem Mostert on two-year, $9.08MM deal ($4.13MM guaranteed)
- Gave RB Jeff Wilson pay cut from $2.6MM to $1.13MM
- Restructured DT Zach Sieler, FB Alec Ingold, TE Durham Smythe contracts, saving $8.86MM in cap space
Even though a partial hold-in took place to open training camp, the Dolphins’ negotiations with Tagovailoa were not especially rocky. But the value debates here did become interesting during the months-long talks.
While most teams with first-round quarterbacks they plan to extend complete extensions after the player’s third year, the Dolphins were understandably hesitant about this deal. Tua submitted inconsistent work during Brian Flores‘ tenure and sustained at least two (but most likely three) concussions in 2022. Early retirement consideration transpired in 2023, but the NFL’s lone active southpaw QB1 stayed healthy last season and set himself up for a payday on a soaring market.
The NFL’s passer rating and yards per attempt leader in 2022 (105.5, 8.9), Tagovailoa showed his breakthrough (when healthy) was not a fluke by pacing the 2023 field in yardage (4,624) during a season in which both Hill and Waddle — not to mention most of Miami’s O-line — missed time. The sides began negotiations in April, but by midsummer, the fifth-year passer had rejected one offer. A subsequent report indicated the Dolphins were aiming to avoid extending their QB at a top-market rate.
Guarantees became a sticking point for the team as well, but the Dolphins were not the team to buck this growing trend of giving promising but unspectacular (to date, at least) passers $50MM-plus per year. Tagovailoa joined Goff, Lawrence and Jordan Love in expanding the $50MM-AAV club to eight this offseason. The Dolphins, who had last authorized a franchise-level QB payment upon extending Ryan Tannehill (at $19.25MM per year) in 2015, needed to adjust the per-year salary near the end of the negotiations to complete the deal.
Tagovailoa’s “the market is the market” assessment reminded of the reality the Dolphins faced. Even second-tier QBs carry tremendous leverage, and the Dolphins waiting until Year 5 to pay theirs further equipped the player. The team navigated a difficult cap situation this offseason, and a Tua 2025 franchise tag would have placed a cap hold beyond $40MM on the payroll. Another productive year with the historically explosive Hill-Waddle tandem also would have upped Tagovailoa’s price, with Dak Prescott likely set to raise the market’s ceiling once again.
The Dolphins did avoid paying Tua $55MM per year, but they both settled on the Goff $53MM-AAV level and agreed to a rolling guarantee structure that protects the QB long term. The 26-year-old passer’s 2026 base salary ($54MM) will become fully guaranteed in March 2025. This deal also gives the Dolphins two fewer years of control compared to what Lawrence gave the Jaguars or Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow provided their teams (by agreeing to five-year deals before their fourth seasons). Miami waiting until Tagovailoa’s contract year and then agreeing to a four-year deal bolstered his negotiating position, and the Alabama product will be on track to cash in again — provided he stays on this trajectory — by his age-30 offseason.
Hill might not be in a Dolphin by that point, but he has transformed the team’s early-Tua-years offenses and may well have secured first-ballot Hall of Fame entry during his Miami tenure. Although Hill’s ugly off-field incident in college and his 2019 issue in Kansas City will always be tied to his legacy, the elite speed merchant has climbed up the WR ranks historically in Miami despite separating from Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.
Hill, 30, was on pace for the NFL’s first 2,000-yard receiving season before suffering an injury in early December. Shortly after his second Dolphins slate wrapped, the eight-year veteran began angling for an updated contract despite three years remaining on his 2022 extension.
The Dolphins had Hill on a four-year, $120MM, but that contract featured what amounted to a phony final year to inflate the AAV to $30MM. Still, the Dolphins had the All-Pro target under contract through 2026. Teams do not make a habit of redoing deals with players signed for three more seasons, but GM Chris Grier had shown a precedent by reworking Xavien Howard‘s through-2024 contract back in 2022. That gave Hill’s camp ammo; the deep threat’s impact on Tagovailoa’s performance certainly did as well. While Hill indicating he would not seek a trade to force the issue hurt his leverage, the Dolphins took care of him anyway.
The revised contract turned Hill’s 2024 and ’25 salaries from nonguaranteed to fully guaranteed. Hill remaining on the Dolphins’ roster in 2026 — his age-32 season — would bump the guarantees to $65MM. The Dolphins probably knew they would have to complete a reworking with Hill after they paid Waddle, who has shown tremendous promise but has resided as the team’s clear-cut No. 2 wideout since the Hill trade.
Grier quickly took Waddle out of consideration during the Jonathan Taylor trade talks last summer, and the 2021 first-round pick is 3-for-3 in 1,000-yard seasons. Although Hill is the more dangerous weapon, Waddle also brings elite speed for a speed-obsessed team. The former No. 6 overall pick, who cost the Dolphins a future first-rounder to acquire in 2021, led the NFL with 18.1 yards per catch in 2022. That came after a far less explosive 2021 attack used Waddle as a short-area target (9.8 YPC). McDaniel quickly revamped Waddle’s role, and the Dolphins agreed to a deal that should keep their current WR2 rostered longer than their WR1.
Waddle’s $28.25MM-per-year deal checks in seventh among wide receivers. In terms of total guarantees, Waddle’s $76MM surpasses both the contracts Hill has agreed to with Miami. The 25-year-old pass catcher’s 2026 base salary will lock in by March 2025. On Day 3 of the 2026 league year, $15.2MM of Waddle’s 2027 base salary ($23.39MM) will become fully guaranteed.
At this rate, Waddle profiles as the Dolphins’ long-term top receiver. With this three-year extension giving Waddle a chance to cash in again before age 30, he will have some time to grow back into that WR1 role during Hill’s remaining seasons.
Friday marked Ramsey’s second Dolphins agreement in two years. The team reworked Ramsey’s deal to add guarantees upon acquiring him and has now — two days after Patrick Surtain‘s landmark Broncos accord — made him the NFL’s highest-paid corner. (Miami had also restructured Ramsey’s previous deal earlier this offseason to save nearly $20MM.) This move will push out Ramsey’s contract through 2028.
Playing lead roles for the Jaguars and Rams, Ramsey secured another megadeal despite going into his age-30 season. The full guarantee is not yet known, but Ramsey will see $55.3MM in total guarantees. The NFL now having two $24MM-per-year corners — after the position’s ceiling had been $21MM for more than two years — represents good news for Sauce Gardner in 2025.
Grier has again paid a player with at least two years left on his previous deal; Ramsey’s ran through 2025 but did not include any guarantees for next year. The only active corner with three first-team All-Pro nods, Ramsey has now secured two extensions (the first with the Rams in 2020) and a key reworking. He only played in only 10 Dolphins games last season, undergoing meniscus surgery. Pro Football Focus graded Ramsey’s first Dolphins season modestly, assessing him as the NFL’s 57th-best CB in 2023. But last year’s trade, which sent a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long to the Rams, keeps the veteran in place as Miami’s top cover man. The team will hope Ramsey can continue to play well into his 30s, which is far from a given at this position.
Armstead has navigated numerous injuries with the Dolphins but still submitted upper-echelon work. The team parted ways with starters Robert Hunt and Connor Williams, doing so after receiving assurances its veteran left tackle was planning to play at least one more season. Armstead, 33, has missed 11 games since signing a five-year, $75MM Dolphins deal. This continued a trend of injury-limited seasons for the Pro Bowl blocker. The Dolphins would take on $18.5MM in dead money if Armstead retires next year.
The fantasy universe expects De’Von Achane to usurp Mostert this season, but the veteran back parlayed a monster 2023 season into some more guaranteed money. Despite going into his age-32 season, Mostert — a journeyman special-teamer until becoming a 49ers RB regular in 2019 — has only 766 career touches. This career arc has allowed the 2015 UDFA to play this long, and McDaniel extracted plenty from his ex-San Francisco charge last season.
Mostert joined Achane among the top 10 in rushing yards over expected and led the NFL with 21 touchdowns. Injury-prone in San Francisco, Mostert has missed just three games since 2022. Injuries significantly limited the backfield speedster in the two years prior, but the Dolphins’ deep backfield supplies insurance.
Free agency additions:
- Aaron Brewer, OL. Three years, $21MM ($10.22MM guaranteed)
- Jordyn Brooks, LB. Three years, $26.25 ($9.5MM guaranteed)
- Kendall Fuller, CB. Two years, $15MM ($7.98MM guaranteed)
- Jonnu Smith, TE. Two years, $8.4MM ($3.96MM guaranteed)
- Odell Beckham Jr., WR. One year, $3MM ($3MM guaranteed)
- Benito Jones, DL. One year, $1.79MM ($1.79MM guaranteed)
- Jordan Poyer, S. One year, $2MM ($1MM guaranteed)
- Anthony Walker, LB. One year, $1.38MM ($918K guaranteed)
- Calais Campbell, DL. One year, $2MM ($790K guaranteed)
- Siran Neal, DB. One year, $1.95MM ($650K guaranteed)
- Marcus Maye, S. One year, $1.38MM ($568K guaranteed)
For a UDFA who did not play too much over his first two seasons, Brewer has done well for himself. He started 17 games in each of the past two years — no small feat on injury-battered Tennessee O-lines — and drew a second-round RFA tender salary in 2023. Shifting from guard to center last year, Brewer did not distinguish himself among the position’s best. But he still commanded an eight-figure guarantee from a team in need. PFF viewed Brewer as a better center, where he played in spurts during each of his first three years at Division I-FCS Texas State, ranking him 11th at the position in 2023.
McDaniel’s offense has not highlighted the tight end position much. Mike Gesicki‘s franchise tag went to waste in 2022, and the team rolled out a top-heavy passing attack last season. No one came between Jaylen Waddle (1,014 yards) and Durham Smythe (366) among Tagovailoa targets. Smith will be poised to change that, depending on how much McDaniel will be keen on utilizing this position. Arthur Smith sure did, infuriating Kyle Pitts fantasy GMs by regularly incorporating Jonnu (582 yards) into the offense. Topping 400 yards twice as a Titan, Smith no-showed as a Patriot. But the Dolphins could certainly use more from this position, especially with Beckham on the PUP list.
Seeing their Xavien Howard–Byron Jones tandem last just two years, the Dolphins did not opt to extend their Howard-Ramsey partnership past one. Fuller will be asked to team with Ramsey. Defecting from a rebuilding Commanders team, Fuller is coming off a year in which he was charged with a whopping nine touchdown passes allowed as the closest defender. Illustrating how the NFL coverage metrics are not exactly on par with MLB-level advanced stats, PFF ranked Fuller seventh among corners last season. Fuller, 29, has 93 career starts on his resume and has extensive experience inside and outside. For now, the Dolphins are using Fuller outside and Kader Kohou at nickel.
Poyer (33) opted to re-sign with the Bills last year, but their 2024 cost-cutting mission included the veteran safety. Poyer intercepted 22 passes in seven Bills seasons, starting 107 games as part of one of this century’s premier safety duos (alongside Micah Hyde). Maye provides an interesting third safety option, coming off a suspension- and injury-marred Saints season. The former Jets franchise player is now 31. This will be a transition for Maye, a starter throughout his seven-year career. The Ravens used three-safety looks often; Maye would give Anthony Weaver this option in Jevon Holland‘s contract year.
Brooks steps in for longtime starter Jerome Baker, though this switch came from two free agent signings rather than a Dolphins-Seahawks trade. The 2020 first-rounder made it back from a January 2023 ACL tear to start 16 games last season, putting together his third 100-plus-tackle campaign. A starter alongside Bobby Wagner in two of the past three years — as the ILB legend left Seattle and then returned — Brooks added 4.5 sacks in his contract year. Brooks, 27, comes slightly cheaper than Baker, who was tied to a three-year, $37.5MM deal.
Miami waited on the two biggest names in its 2024 FA class. Campbell is the league’s oldest defender, turning 38 earlier this week, but has remained durable and productive. A college teammate of Devin Hester and Frank Gore, the 2008 Cardinals draftee has started the fourth-most games (225) by a D-lineman in NFL history. Only Bruce Smith, Jim Marshall and Reggie White have that beat. Campbell crossed the 100-sack barrier last season, adding a Falcons-most 6.5 to his career total. Among active players, only Von Miller and Cameron Jordan have Campbell beat for sacks.
The former Miami Hurricane is near the end of a remarkable career, but he should help the Dolphins’ post-Christian Wilkins solution up front. This signing reunites Campbell and Weaver, with the ex-Ravens assistant in place on John Harbaugh‘s staff during the accomplished D-lineman’s final two Baltimore seasons.
