Miami Dolphins News & Rumors

NFL Minor Transactions: 8/1/25

Here are the first minor NFL moves in August:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

S Minkah Fitzpatrick Aiming For Long-Term Dolphins Tenure

Minkah Fitzpatrick is back where his career began thanks to the trade which sent him from Pittsburgh to Miami. In the wake of that deal, the All-Pro safety worked out a restructured contract with the Dolphins.

As a result of the alterations to his pact, Fitzpatrick received a signing bonus to help take the place of money which was not previously guaranteed. No new years were added to his pact, though, so the decision to accelerate compensation for 2025 did not add any term to Fitzpatrick’s second Dolphins stint. The five-time Pro Bowler is currently set to see his contract expire after the 2026 campaign, but he is interested in a long-term Miami tenure.

“I know it was reported that I wanted a new contract,” Fitzpatrick said (via the Associated Press through Fox Sports), “but I just wanted to know that I was going to be here for more than a season and I got that. And now, I’m going to go out there, play All-Pro, Pro Bowl level and hopefully earn the respect of my teammates and the organization to have that long-term contract.”

The restructure created $11MM in immediate cap space for the Dolphins, a team in need of financial flexibility given its cap situation prior to the Fitzpatrick reworking and the growing need for healthy contributors in the secondary. Of course, the move will inflate Fitzpatrick’s cap charge for 2026, providing further incentive on the team’s part to work out a multi-year commitment. Efforts on that front will be tied to how the 28-year-old fares in his return to South Beach.

Fitzpatrick’s request to be traded during his second season resulted in the swap which sent him to the Steelers. Over the course of course of 88 regular season games with Pittsburgh, he amassed 18 interceptions and 45 pass deflections. The past two seasons have seen Fitzpatrick notch just one pick, however, and a return to his previous form will be needed if he is to secure another lucrative pact. With an AAV of $18.25MM at signing, his current deal ranks fourth amongst safeties. Another accord could be in store next spring depending on how things play out.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/30/25

Here are today’s midweek minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

The Chiefs have signed Lassiter, fresh off a spring season with the UFL’s Memphis Showboats, to help cover for the lack of camp bodies at the position. Xavier Worthy, Skyy Moore, and Marquise Brown are all currently sidelined with injuries.

In other Chiefs-related news, Niang will get a new opportunity in Washington for training camp. A former third-round pick in Kansas City, Niang was tried at starter for a bit before ultimately getting demoted to the practice squad last year. The Chiefs released him from the p-squad in November, and he’s been a free agent ever since.

AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Pats, Myers, Bills

Zach Sieler is not holding in at Dolphins practice, but the veteran defensive lineman has let it be known he is seeking a new contract. Tied to a three-year, $30.75MM extension, Sieler has delivered a considerable return for the Dolphins by posting back-to-back 10-sack seasons — for a team decimated at the edge rusher positions.

I do feel like I want to get,” Sieler said, via the Miami Herald’s Omar Kelly. “I do feel that respect coming. I think I’ve earned it. I know I’ve earned it.”

The interior defender, though, is signed for two more seasons. Dolphins GM Chris Grier has bent on a few occasions to extension-chasing players with more than a year left on their deals. Grier rewarded Xavien Howard, Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey in doing so. The Howard and Ramsey decisions burned the Dolphins, as substantial dead money emerged following their respective exits. Sieler signed his extension shortly before the first of those 10-sack seasons. Set to turn 30 in September and sitting 31st in AAV among interior D-linemen, the former seventh-rounder is looking to capitalize on his performance and cash in while still in his prime.

Here is the latest from the AFC East:

  • The Dolphins brought in Mike Hilton and Jack Jones at cornerback, but they have lost Kader Kohou and Artie Burns for the season. Hilton had spoken with the Dolphins months ago. The former Steelers and Bengals slot corner expected to draw more interest, but he is now 31. He still expected to wind up in Miami, via ESPN.com’s Marcel Louis-Jacques.
  • Hilton arrived after multiple instances of Dolphins-Rasul Douglas negotiations. The Douglas talks would pertain more to Jones, who is an outside CB. Douglas remains in free agency after rejecting a Dolphins offer, The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson reports. Ranked behind veteran corners D.J. Reed, Byron Murphy, Carlton Davis and Charvarius Ward in PFR’s top 50, Douglas has been tied to the Dolphins and Seahawks and, per Anderson, has received more interest lately. It should be expected the soon-to-be 30-year-old DB signs somewhere soon, but his value will not approach the three-year, $21MM Packers deal he inked in 2022.
  • The Dolphins signed James Daniels after an Achilles tear, and they do not have top interior backup Liam Eichenberg available yet. The versatile O-lineman is weeks away from returning from the active/PUP list, Mike McDaniel said (via Jackson). McDaniel confirmed this issue is “not a season-ender.” The Dolphins re-signed Eichenberg (one year, $2.25MM) after seeing Isaiah Wynn miss all of last season due to a 2023 injury. Wynn is no longer on the roster, but second-round pick Jonah Savaiinaea is set to replace Eichenberg in Miami’s lineup.
  • Good news for the Patriots, who have seen their new DC (Terrell Williams) return to work at camp. A spring health scare sidelined Williams, but the Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi notes he is back ahead of his first year as a coordinator.
  • Josh Myers did not see his four years of starter experience lead to a noteworthy free agency deal, reminding of Teven Jenkins‘ market. The four-year Packers center starter, who received just $2MM from the Jets, did say (via SNY’s Connor Hughes) the team informed him upon signing he would move into a center competition with incumbent Joe Tippmann. We heard during OTAs the Jets would put Tippmann — a 2023 second-round pick — in a position battle with Myers, and it is ongoing. Both players are ex-second-round picks, though Myers’ 56 starts better Tippmann’s 31. Pro Football Focus ranked Tippmann eighth last season, slotting Myers in 38th among centers. Two years remain on Tippmann’s rookie deal.
  • Vince Carter does not intend for his Bills ownership stake to bring a silent partnership role. “I’ve sat with the GM, president, owner, the big boss,” Carter said, via the Daytona News-Journal’s Chris Vinel. “I’ve sat with everybody, and we’ve had conversations, and I just listen and learn. I don’t just want to have a name on it. I want to be involved.” While Carter is unlikely to represent the Bills at any owners meetings, he is one of many to take advantage of the NFL loosening restraints on private equity ownership recently.

Dolphins CB Kader Kohou Out For Season

The Dolphins’ cornerback situation keeps getting worse. The latest development will continue to differentiate this year’s group from the cadre Miami deployed in 2024.

Last week, Artie Burns went down with a season-ending ACL tear. Today, head coach Mike McDaniel announced that fourth-year cornerback Kader Kohou suffered the same injury in Saturday’s practice, per ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques. Kohou will undergo surgery and is expected to spend the entire 2025 season on injured reserve.

The 26-year-old is Miami’s only returning starter at cornerback after the team released Kendall Fuller and traded Jalen Ramsey this offseason. Kohou was expected to move outside in 2025 after playing the vast majority of his snaps in the slot in his first three seasons. That job will now be up for grabs among the several young corners on Miami’s roster in what appears to be a wide-open competition.

Second-year UDFA Storm Duck is the only rostered player with multiple starts at cornerback for the Dolphins. McDaniel has also made it clear that the team is looking for more out of 2023 second-rounder Cam Smith, who hasn’t logged a single start in his first two years with just 153 total defensive snaps. Third-year corner Ethan Bonner has primarily played special teams in his seven career appearances and seems unlikely to seriously factor into the starting cornerback competition.

The Dolphins didn’t invest premium resources into the position this offseason, but they still made two veteran additions to their cornerback room. Jack Jones, who started 17 games for the Raiders in 2024, will have a shot at earning a starting job on the boundary, especially after Kohou’s injury. Longtime Steelers and Bengals nickel Mike Hilton should be the favorite to occupy the same role in Miami.

This represents brutal timing for Kohou, who had emerged as a UDFA to be a Dolphins regular during a time of uncertainty at the position. Arriving during the Xavien HowardByron Jones experiment, Kohou stepped in as an immediate starter in 2022 and played a key role as the Dolphins moved on from Jones (via a post-June 1 cut) in 2023. Ramsey played only half the season that year, and after the Dolphins designated Howard a post-June 1 release in 2024, Kohou logged 13 more starts. A host of unknowns are now in place following Kohou’s setback.

Kohou logged a 76% snap rate in the 13 games in which he was healthy, remaining a fixture under Anthony Weaver. Pro Football Focus assigned him a mid-pack grade (57th) among CB regulars, and the Dolphins tendered him as an RFA ($3.26MM) in March. Kohou may need another one-year deal in 2026, with his contract year set to be erased. The Division II product will turn 27 in November, as this season will turn from a platform year to a lost campaign.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/25

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: CB Keni-H Lovely

Baltimore Ravens

  • Activated from non-football injury list: LB Jake Hummel

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Activated from active/NFI list: S Josh Minkins

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Jenkins, who switched to center this offseason, was dealing with a back injury in training camp and participated in a limited capacity on Monday, per USA Today’s Ryan Wood.

Evans, a sixth-round pick by the Rams in 2023, played in 10 games as a rookie but didn’t make the 53-man roster in 2024. He joined the Jets’ practice squad in December and signed a reserve/futures contract in January, but opted to retire instead.

Dolphins To Host TE Noah Fant

Noah Fant‘s free agent tour will include a third visit. The veteran tight end is meeting with the Dolphins today, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports.

Fant’s first visit took place with the Bengals last week, but it was reported at the time interest was being shown from other suitors. As such, the Saints hosted him shortly after Cincinnati did the same. With no deal in place yet, Miami will explore another addition at the tight end spot.

After it became clear no extension would be worked out with Jonnu Smith, the Pro Bowler was included in the Jalen RamseyMinkah Fitzpatrick trade. That move created a vacancy at the tight end position, and the Dolphins moved quickly in taking an unexpected route to fill it. A trade was worked out with the Giants to acquire Darren Waller, who has unretired to play at least one more NFL campaign.

If healthy, Waller should be able to operate as Miami’s top pass-catcher at the tight end spot. The same would also be true of Fant if he were to join the team, however. The 27-year-old has not struggled to line up suitors in the wake of his Seahawks release. Fant has recorded at least 40 catches in five of his six NFL seasons, notching 500 or more yards on four occasions.

Similar production could be expected if Fant were to join the Dolphins, although Waller could also occupy a notable complementary role to wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle if things go according to plan in his case. Miami opened up cap space with yesterday’s restructure of Fitzpatrick’s contract, creating the possibility of a short-term signing amongst the veterans still on the market. Fant will now be a name to watch on that front as he contemplates his options.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/25

Here are Sunday’s minor transactions to close out the weekend:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • Activated from active/NFI list: RB Amar Johnson

Kansas City Chiefs

New York Jets

Arizona is adding the brother of Stephon Gilmore after placing two cornerbacks on injured reserve earlier today. Thomas-Oliver was released by the Lions a day after suffering a hamstring injury in practice. He had returned to practice only three days ago from the active/non-football injury list.

Dolphins, S Minkah Fitzpatrick Agree To Reworked Deal

Shortly after hiring agent Drew Rosenhaus, Minkah Fitzpatrick has secured a reworked deal from the Dolphins. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports, Miami has added a $16.245MM signing bonus to Fitzpatrick’s thru-2026 contract, which previously contained no more guaranteed money (Schefter’s ESPN colleague, Marcel Louis-Jacques, offered a minor correction on the bonus amount, which is reportedly $16.435MM).

No years were added to the pact, so Fitzpatrick remains eligible for free agency after the 2026 season. He was previously due to earn $15.5MM in base salary in 2025, and while he was not in jeopardy of missing out on that money given that he was just acquired in the blockbuster trade that sent Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith to the Steelers, the extra security and expedited cash flow is surely a welcome development.

Rosenhaus said he and Fitzpatrick are comfortable with the restructure and will continue to work towards an extension. It is nonetheless fair to wonder how anxious the ‘Fins will be to put an extension in place since they do not yet know how their former first-round pick will fare in new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s scheme. Plus, despite earning Pro Bowl accolades in each of the last two seasons, Fitzpatrick was not as effective from either an advanced metrics or ball production perspective over the 2023-24 campaigns as he was earlier in his career.

The revised pact will result in a $2MM bump in 2025 pay for Fitzpatrick, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. That money was moved from what Fitzpatrick was due to earn in 2026, so the 28-year-old will thus be in line for $17.5MM in 2026 and $15.6MM in 2026, and the salary-to-signing bonus mechanism (as confirmed by ESPN’s Field Yates) will result in $11MM in cap savings on this year’s ledger. That represented a key need for the Dolphins, who had just over $1MM in cap space and who now have increased flexibility to conduct in-season business.

Re-acquiring Fitzpatrick was part of Miami’s major offseason overhaul in the secondary, which will see four new starters in 2025. The club recently signed Jack Jones and Mike Hilton in an effort to address a dire cornerback situation that was exacerbated by the Ramsey departure.

Dolphins Sign CBs Jack Jones, Mike Hilton

After a season-ending injury to Artie Burns, the Dolphins are making two veteran additions to their cornerback room.

The first is former Patriots and Raiders cornerback Jack Jones in a signing made official on Saturday, per a team announcement. Jones started 16 games for the Raiders last season and led the team with three interceptions and 16 passes defended.

The second, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, is veteran slot corner Mike Hilton. Hilton started 23 games over the last two years as the Bengals’ primary nickel, a role he has held in both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh over the last eight seasons.

Cornerback has long been a need for Miami, even before the team traded Jalen Ramsey to the Steelers. Jones primarily plays on the boundary, where he will likely compete for a starting job, while Hilton could be the starting nickel right away if Kader Kohou moves outside. Kohou also appeared to suffer a minor injury in Saturday’s practice, per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe.

Jones, a 2022 fourth-rounder, began his career with the Patriots and started two games as a rookie. He was cut five games into the 2023 season after disciplinary issues in New England and claimed off waivers by the Raiders. Jones earned a starting job in Las Vegas by the end of the year and continued it into 2024 but was released by the Raiders in April, presumably as part of the roster turnover that comes with regime change.

Originally an undrafted free agent signing by the Steelers, Hilton is one of the league’s most experienced nickels. His 36 career starts don’t properly represent his contributions, as he maintained a snap share around 60% during his four years in Pittsburgh and stayed above 70% for his next four in Cincinnati. His last two seasons were arguably his best, racking up 13 passes defended and 157 tackles with a whopping 24 tackles for loss.

Hilton earned grades of 77.4 and 75.9 from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) in 2023 and 2024, respectively, his two best marks outside of his breakout rookie season. With a slew of younger corners on the roster, however, the Bengals declined to retain Hilton when his contract expired this year.

The Dolphins waived Ryan Cooper Jr. in a corresponding move to their signing of Jones. Cooper appeared in one game for the Ravens last year and finished the season on the Seahawks’ practices squad.