Dolphins To Sign DB Siran Neal
Siran Neal will be sticking in the AFC East. The former Bills defensive back/special teams ace is signing with the Dolphins, according to ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques.
The 2018 fifth-round pick had spent his entire career in Buffalo, missing only a pair of regular season games in six seasons with the organization. Neal got a look on defense for a handful of years before mostly playing on special teams between 2022 and 2023 (108 defensive snaps vs. 658 special teams snaps). Over that two-year span, Neal has compiled 32 tackles, giving him 115 for his career.
Thanks to his special teams performance in Buffalo, Neal was becoming a popular name on the free agent circuit. NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reported earlier this week that the special teamer was expected to meet with the Giants, and Wolfe later added that Neal was set to meet with the Falcons.
Ultimately, the Dolphins won out. Neal will be following his teammate Jordan Poyer to Miami, as the veteran safety agreed to a deal with the organization yesterday. While Neal will likely see a similar role with his new squad, he could end up earning some defensive snaps. At the moment, the Dolphins are only rostering five other cornerbacks in Jalen Ramsey, Cam Smith, Kader Kohou, Nik Needham, and Ethan Bonner.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/13/24
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Amen Ogbongbemiga, OL Matt Pryor
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Tony Brown, TE Giovanni Ricci
- Re-signed: P Corey Bojorquez
Houston Texans
- Signed: OT David Sharpe
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: LB Caleb Johnson
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: RB Salvon Ahmed
New Orleans Saints
- Re-signed: FB Adam Prentice
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-signed: DL Kevin Givens
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OL Nick Harris
- Re-signed: CB Artie Burns
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: RB Julius Chestnut
Washington Commanders
- Re-signed: S Jeremy Reaves
Dolphins To Sign DL Neville Gallimore
Neville Gallimore is heading to Miami. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the defensive lineman is expected to sign with the Dolphins. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes it’s a one-year deal, adding Gallimore turned down slightly better offers from other teams.
Gallimore spent his entire four-year career in Dallas after being selected in the third-round of the 2020 draft. Once rated the top Canadian draft prospect, Gallimore got an extended look on defense as a rookie, starting nine of his 14 appearances. After an elbow injury limited him to only five contests in 2021, the defensive lineman has mostly seen a backup role over the past two seasons.
Gallimore started one of his 33 appearances between 2022 and 2023, with the lineman playing in 691 defensive snaps between the campaigns. He collected 16 tackles and one sack in 17 games this past season, with Pro Football Focus ranking him 69th among 130 qualifying interior defenders.
In Miami, the defensive lineman will work with defensive line coach Austin Clark, with Rapoport noting that the two have trained together during the offseason. Gallimore will be part of the team’s answer to replace Christian Wilkins, with the team having also added Isaiah Mack and Daviyon Nixon for reinforcement on the defensive line.
Dolphins To Sign S Jordan Poyer
After getting cut by the Bills last week, Jordan Poyer is joining a division rival. The veteran safety is signing with the Dolphins, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It’ll be a one-year deal for Poyer.
The safety was set to earn $5.5MM in 2024 and was attached to a $7.72MM cap hit. With a roster bonus due later in March, the Bills decided to move on from their defensive mainstay. The move created $5.72MM in cap space for Buffalo while generating a dead money charge of $2MM.
The former seventh-rounder tested his value on the open market last offseason. After failing to receive much in the way of outside interest, he agreed to a two-year, $12.5MM re-up in Buffalo. That was his third contract with the organization, with Poyer having originally signed with the Bills back in 2017 before inking an extension in 2020.
Poyer earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2021, and he received a Pro Bowl invite the following season. After racking up a combined nine interceptions and 17 pass deflections during that span, however, those totals fell to zero and four in 2023. Pro Football Focus graded Poyer 46th among 95 qualifying safeties in 2023, the second-straight year he’s finished near the middle of the pack at his position.
Considering the relatively deep safeties free agent class, Poyer’s declining production, and the veteran’s rising age, he wasn’t expected to garner a long-term commitment from any teams. The Dolphins are a logical landing spot considering both DeShon Elliott and Brandon Jones hit free agency. The team did re-sign Elijah Campbell, but he profiles as more of a backup. The Dolphins can now confidently pencil in Poyer opposite Jevon Holland.
Dolphins To Sign OLB Shaquil Barrett
After seeing his Buccaneers tenure come to an expected end, Shaquil Barrett became one of the top veteran edge-rushing options on the market. He has now found a new home, having agreed to a deal with the Dolphins (h/t Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz).
Barrett will land a one-year Dolphins deal worth up to $9MM, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. This will be team No. 3 for Barrett, who began his career in Denver before ascending to a Pro Bowl-caliber pass rusher in Tampa. The Bucs were open to bringing Barrett back at a reduced rate, but their recent cap-casualty decision will lead the former UDFA to another Florida destination.
This signing will reunite Barrett with Bradley Chubb; the two were teammates on the 2018 Broncos. Chubb and Von Miller served as Denver’s top edge rushers that year, and Barrett angled for more playing time by taking a “prove it” Bucs deal in 2019. The former Miller sidekick certainly proved it in Tampa, leading the NFL in sacks in 2019 and playing a lead role in the Bucs going from the No. 5 seed to a Super Bowl title a year later.
Mounting consistent pressure on Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes to close out the Bucs’ Super Bowl LV-winning season, Barrett then scored a four-year, $72MM deal. Barrett collected his second Pro Bowl nod in 2021, a 10-sack season, but saw the 2022 campaign stall his momentum. After sustained a torn Achilles midway through the ’22 season, Barrett only produced 4.5 sacks and eight QB hits last season. That production and a restructure-generated high cap hit for 2024 made Barrett a Bucs release candidate.
Barrett now moves into position to return to a role as a rotational rusher. Should Chubb and Jaelan Phillips recover from their ACL and Achilles tears, respectively, they will be Miami’s starters with Barrett the top bench rusher. After the Dolphins needed to turn to veteran free agents to fill out their roster late last season, they are planning ahead this time. They will bet on Barrett, 31, regaining some of his pre-injury form being nearly two years removed from his setback.
Dolphins To Sign OL Aaron Brewer
Losing Robert Hunt and having both Connor Williams and Isaiah Wynn unsigned, the Dolphins have some work to do up front. They have brought back fill-in starter Robert Jones, but they look more likely to use their latest free agency addition at center.
Aaron Brewer is signing with the team, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Miami is giving the former Tennessee center and guard starter a three-year, $21MM deal. Brewer will head to Florida after two years as a Titans starter.
Although Williams fared better than Brewer during the past two seasons, the former UDFA has held his own. The Titans gave Brewer a second-round RFA tender, keeping him as they changed just about everything else about their O-line in 2023, and Pro Football Focus rated him as the league’s No. 11 overall center.
Jones’ return may cap the changes on Miami’s front to two, as he filled in at points last season. But the Brewer move would stand to ensure Williams does not come back. The two-year Dolphins center, who was attached to a $7MM-per-year deal as well, suffered a torn ACL in Week 14 of last season. Williams skipped minicamp in protest of his contract, but the Dolphins did not adjust his deal. The knee injury will hurt Williams this offseason, though he should still be expected to command a decent market.
Brewer, 26, has displayed durability since moving into the Titans’ starting lineup in 2022. He has not missed a game in that span, and the Dolphins will be counting on him to keep going as their offense becomes more expensive — with Tua Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle in the extension queue.
Dolphins To Sign LB Jordyn Brooks
Jordyn Brooks is heading to Miami. The former Seahawks linebacker is signing with the Dolphins, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Brooks is signing a three-year deal worth $30MM.
After an ACL tear late in the 2022 season, Brooks returned by Week 1 and managed to start 16 games for Seattle last season. Back alongside Bobby Wagner last year, he added 4.5 sacks — more than his 2020-22 season totals combined.
That performance set Brooks up for a nice pay day. Among the four linebackers to see his fifth-year option declined in 2023, Brooks was the most productive of the bunch, with 184- and 161-tackle seasons under his belt. The Texas Tech proved that he was nearly back to his previous playing level following the 2022 injury, and the Dolphins will surely be counting on big things from the LB in 2024.
David Long Jr. is expected to anchor the linebackers corps in 2024, but the Dolphins suddenly had major holes elsewhere on the depth chart. With Andrew Van Ginkel heading to the Vikings and Jerome Baker having been released, the Dolphins were actively in the market for some reinforcement at the position.
The team added Anthony Walker earlier today, providing one dependable player at the position. Brooks will provide the Dolphins with even more options at linebacker, with the organization having completely revamped their depth in only a few hours.
The Seahawks will now have a significant hole to fill at inside linebacker with Brooks gone. Bobby Wagner is also a free agent, meaning the team could be eyeing a completely new grouping in 2024.
Dolphins, LB Anthony Walker Agree To Deal
Not long after moving on from Jerome Baker, Miami is set to have a new linebacker in place. Anthony Walker has agreed to a one-year Dolphins deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Walker spent the past three seasons with the Browns, where he started 27 of his 28 appearances. He was limited to only three games in 2022 thanks to a torn quad, but he bounced back and got into 12 games in 2023. He finished this past season with 44 tackles, with Pro Football Focus grading him 31st among 82 qualifying linebackers.
The former fifth-round pick made a name for himself with the Colts, where he transformed into a dependable starter for the organization. After emerging as a full-time player in 2018, he topped 100 tackles in two of his final three seasons for the organization.
Suitors Emerging For Chiefs’ L’Jarius Sneed
MARCH 10: Add the Dolphins to the list of Sneed interested parties. Miami is not in good cap shape and may well lose both Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt in free agency. But with the team cutting Xavien Howard, cornerback help will be sought. The Dolphins are believed to have looked into the prospect of acquiring Sneed, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes.
MARCH 6: As expected, the Chiefs were among the teams which applied the franchise tag before Tuesday’s deadline, keeping L’Jarius Sneed off the free agent market in the process. The standout corner is far from certain to remain in Kansas City, though, as a tag-and-trade maneuver is on the table. 
Sneed has served as a full-time starter for nearly his entire Chiefs tenure (70 regular and postseason games), developing into a key member of the team’s vaunted secondary. The tag will cost $19.8MM in 2024, though, using up significant cap space on a team already needing a new deal for Chris Jones. The latter is the defending champions’ priority, and a re-up will not come cheaply. A long-term Sneed pact could also approach or reach the $20MM-per-year-mark his one-year tender is valued at.
Knowing Sneed could very well be on the trade block, Tyler Dragon of USA Today Sports reports seven teams have emerged as interested suitors. That list consists of the Vikings, Colts, Titans, Patriots, Lions, Falcons and Jaguars. Many of those teams are among those set to have the most spending power ahead of free agency and therefore the ones most capable of absorbing Sneed’s cap hit as it stands while working out a lucrative long-term deal.
Of course, teams like Minnesota, Indianapolis and Jacksonville could see sizable changes to their cap situations in the near future. The Vikings have two of the top pending free agents in Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter, and meeting the stated objective of retaining both will use up much of their cap space. The Colts and Jags, meanwhile, used the franchise tag on wideout Michael Pittman Jr. and edge rusher Josh Allen yesterday; long-term deals with either could lower their 2024 cap figures and free up room for an aggressive Sneed pursuit.
The Falcons – presumed to be a strong Cousins suitor – will likely wait until their quarterback addition has been made before authorizing a costly move (in terms of draft capital and finances) like a Sneed acquisition. New England and Tennessee rank second and third in respective cap space as things stand, meaning those teams could outbid other suitors and immediately make a deal for the 27-year-old a priority. Detroit reportedly has cornerback at or near the top of the organization’s offseason to-do list, so a Sneed trade would come as little surprise.
With respect to compensation, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer predicts a second-round pick could be required to convince the Chiefs to green-light a trade. Losing an effective contributor will no doubt induce Kansas City to generate as many bidders as possible and land better draft capital than what a 2025 free agent departure would yield (a third-round compensatory pick the following year). With free agency one week away, it will be interesting to see how much of a market develops for Sneed if the Chiefs move forward with exploring a trade.
Dolphins Re-Sign G Robert Jones
The Dolphins have lots of contracts to address on the offensive line this offseason, and they’ll start with re-signing offensive guard Robert Jones, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The third-year undrafted lineman out of Middle Tennessee State is set to return to Miami on a new one-year deal.
Jones has proven to be a valuable backup for the Dolphins over the past three seasons. Though never designated as a full-time starter on the offensive line, Jones has made 13 starts in 32 game appearances. Most recently, he filled in for an injured Isaiah Wynn this year, which graded out as an improvement, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). With starting guard Robert Hunt expected to earn a massive payday elsewhere, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Jones should return as a strong option to step into a full-time starting role in 2024.
While Miami still needs to deal with the expiring contracts of Hunt and center Connor Williams, they did receive some good news concerning starting left tackle Terron Armstead. Though Armstead was undecided on whether or not to hang up his cleats, a return to the field in 2024 has been trending. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, things continue to move in the right direction for Armstead to play next season. Armstead and Miami are even close to finalizing a new adjusted contract to reduce his cap hit in 2024. It’s not done yet but should reportedly be done soon.
With Jones and Armstead expected back and right tackle Austin Jackson under contract through the 2026 season, the Dolphins are set with three possible starters heading into next year. Decisions on Hunt and Williams should come soon, allowing the team to make plans on how to move forward with or without them.