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Cordrea Tankersley

AFC East Rumors: Gronk, McCoy, Fins, Jets

July 21st, 2019 at 9:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

The AFC East’s teams will report to training camp this week. Here is the latest surrounding the Patriots and their perennial challengers:

  • The Rob Gronkowski comeback talk has escalated considerably, with Gronkowski doing the speculating and predicting how restless he will be when Patriots camp and games begin. It won’t be Gronk’s relationship with Bill Belichick that stands in the way, Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston notes. After 2017 featured tension between Gronkowski and Belichick, Curran adds that the two “greatly” improved their relationship last season. This came despite the Patriots at one point planning to trade Gronk to the Lions last year. This improved relationship could point to Belichick signing off on a Gronk mid- or late-season return. The Patriots’ shaky tight end depth chart would seemingly have the defending champions eager to have the 30-year-old back in uniform.
  • One of Gronkowski’s former sidekicks in New England, Dwayne Allen will not begin camp on time with his new team. The Dolphins placed the veteran tight end on their active/PUP list on Sunday. Cornerback Cordrea Tankersley and linebacker/special-teamer Mike Hull joined Allen in receiving this designation before Miami’s camp. Tankersley tore an ACL in November, so this additional delay was not unexpected. He started 11 games at corner as a rookie but played in only six, as a reserve, last season.
  • Might third-round rookie Devin Singletary‘s performance put a potential Hall of Famer on the outs in Buffalo? LeSean McCoy is entering the final season of a five-year, $40MM Bills contract, and his cap savings ($6MM-plus) would benefit the Bills more than releases of Frank Gore or T.J. Yeldon. This led an NFL scouting director to call the McCoy situation one to monitor, per Albert Breer of SI.com. On a limited Bills offense last season, McCoy averaged a career-low 36.7 yards per game. His 3.2 yards per carry were nearly a yard shy of his previous-worst figure. The idea of a McCoy trade has surfaced this offseason, too.
  • Despite Leonard Williams being one of Mike Maccagnan‘s highest-profile investments, the New York Post’s Brian Costello predicts, barring unrealistic contract demands, Williams will end up staying on a long-term deal. The defensive end’s positive off-field reputation and standing within the locker room supports the notion the new regime, in Costello’s view, regarding him as a cornerstone player going forward. Speculation in league circles emerged that Adam Gase wanted to move on from Williams, but nothing has developed on that front in weeks. Williams, 25, is set for a fifth-year option season at $14.2MM.

Dolphins’ Cordrea Tankersley Out For Year

November 2nd, 2018 at 12:06pm CST by Zachary Links

Dolphins cornerback Cordrea Tankersley is out for the year with a torn ACL, head coach Adam Gase announced. Tankersley will be placed on injured reserve with a targeted return in 2019. 

Tankersley suffered the injury during practice on Thursday. It’s a bad blow to an already iffy secondary that has allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 66.8% of their passes.

Tankersley, a 2017 third-round pick, started 11 games for the Dolphins as a rookie. This year, he has taken on more of a reserve role with an emphasis on special teams. The Dolphins will move forward with Xavien Howard and Bobby McCain as their starters with Torry McTyer and rookie Cornell Armstrong as the backups, but they’ll probably add another corner to the mix soon.

The Dolphins are 4-4 after dropping their last two games. They’ll look to get back in the win column when they take on the Jets in Miami on Sunday.

Dolphins Sign Five Draft Picks

May 5th, 2017 at 6:31pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Dolphins have locked up the majority of their seven-player draft class, announcing deals with second-round linebacker Raekwon McMillan (Ohio State), third-round cornerback Cordrea Tankersley (Clemson), fifth-round offensive lineman Isaac Asiata (Utah), sixth-round defensive tackle Vincent Taylor (Oklahoma State) and seventh-round wide receiver Isaiah Ford (Virginia Tech).

Raekwon McMillan

The most significant signing of the group is clearly McMillan, who was a three-year standout at Ohio State. As the 54th overall pick, McMillan is in line for a four-year contract worth $4,697,532, including a $1,556,388 signing bonus, per Over the Cap. After starring as an inside linebacker as a member of the Buckeyes, with whom he eclipsed the 100-tackle mark in each of the two previous seasons, it’s unclear where McMillan will line up as an NFL rookie. The Dolphins already have a veteran middle man in free agent pickup Lawrence Timmons, so McMillan could join Kiko Alonso on the outside of a remade linebacker corps in 2017.

McMillan represents one of five defensive draft picks by Miami, whose ‘D’ finished last season a below-average 19th in DVOA. The team’s most notable rookie is Missouri defensive end Charles Harris, the 22nd overall selection. He and fifth-round defensive tackle Davon Godchaux are the only Dolphins draftees without contracts.

Pauline’s Latest: Cowboys, Pats, Redskins

April 24th, 2017 at 5:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Alabama’s Cam Robinson now appears likely to become the first offensive lineman off the 2017 draft board, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com. Initially viewed as one of several potential Round 1 tackle options along with Utah’s Garett Bolles and Wisconsin’s Ryan Ramczyk, Robinson’s combine workout reportedly intrigued NFL clubs and proved that he could man left tackle in the pro game. Indeed, there’s been an “uptick” in the amount of teams traveling to Tuscaloosa to meet with Robinson over the past few weeks, per Pauline. Also working in Pauline’s favor is that he’s still only 21 years old, while Bolles — for example — will be 25 when the 2017 campaign gets underway.

Here’s more on the 2017 draft, all courtesy of Pauline:

  • The Cowboys have a first-round grade on USC cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, and also like Clemson cornerback Cordrea Tankersley an “awful lot,” reports Pauline. Jackson may be available for Dallas at pick No. 28, and he’d likely be immediately inserted into the club’s starting lineup after the Cowboys lost both Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne during the free agent period. The former Trojan would also add value as a dynamic special teams maven. In 2016, Jackson averaged 29.5 yards on kick returns and scored two touchdowns, and posted 15.8 yards per punt return (and scored twice more).
  • Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis has drawn the interest of both the Colts and Redskins, per Pauline. Meanwhile, multiple teams have Davis slotted as a Day 1 pick, while some clubs even have him rated as a top-20 selection (it’s unclear if Indianapolis and Washington are indeed those teams). Davis is expected to be the second off-ball linebacker selected this week (following Alabama’s Reuben Foster) after posting a 4.56 40-yard dash and 38.5 inch vertical jump at his Pro Day.
  • The Cowboys hosted Florida safety Marcus Maye last week, and Maye is also receiving “a ton of interest” from the Saints, Cardinals, and Patriots, according to Pauline. Originally viewed as a mid-round pick, Maye is now moving off draft boards and could be selected by the middle of Round 2. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compares the Florida senior to Detroit defensive back Glover Quin, noting Maye’s “rangy” tackling ability and “ready-made safety frame.”
  • While the Patriots currently aren’t slated to make a selection until pick No. 72 (early third round), New England is expected to make a move into the second round via some “maneuver,” says Pauline. Originally, the Patriots could have traded up through a Malcolm Butler deal, but the veteran cornerback is now expected to stay put in New England.

AFC East Rumors: Pats, Ramczyk, Bills, Fins

April 19th, 2017 at 1:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

James White‘s three-year extension with the Patriots is worth $12MM, but can max out at $15MM, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. White, 25, picks up $4.69MM in guaranteed money, which likely means his $690K base salary for 2017 is now fully guaranteed. A hero of New England’s Super Bowl LI victory, White rushed only 16 times is 2016 and did most of his work through the air. On 86 targets, White managed 60 receptions for 551 yards and five touchdowns.

Here’s more from New England and the rest of the AFC East:

  • The Patriots hosted Wisconsin offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk on Tuesday, according to Rapoport (Twitter link). Offensive line is something of an underrated long-term need area for New England, especially given that incumbent left tackle Nate Solder is entering the final year of his contract. As such, the Patriots could look to secure a successor on the left side, although Ramczyk probably won’t be an option for New England unless it trades up (the Pats currently don’t have a pick until the third round). Ramczyk is viewed as one of the draft’s best tackle prospects along with Utah’s Garett Bolles and Alabama’s Cam Robinson.
  • Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly visited the Bills on Monday, reports Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Kelly, the nephew of Bills legend Jim Kelly, is considered a Day 3 prospect thanks a multitude of injury concerns and off-field issues. After recovering quickly from a ACL tear, Kelly underwent wrist surgery in early April and won’t be able to throw for three months. Buffalo may be looking for a developmental quarterback in this year’s draft, as Tyrod Taylor‘s new contract doesn’t tie him to Buffalo for long.
  • The Dolphins visited with Clemson cornerback Cordrea Tankersley and Florida safety Marcus Maye this week, tweets Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. Tankersley is expected to come off the board on Day 2, and Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compares him to Cincinnati’s Dre Kirkpatrick. Maye, too, is thought to be a Round 2 or 3 selection, but Eric Galko of the Sporting News, for one, calls Maye a darkhorse first-rounder.