Tank Carradine

NFL Workout Updates: 11/18/19

Today’s updates from the workout circuit:

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

Dolphins To Release Tank Carradine

The Tank is no longer part of the plan in Miami. Tank Carradine, that is.

On Tuesday, the Dolphins released the defensive end, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). Carradine was a healthy scratch on Sunday against the Cowboys, so the news does not come as a major shock.

The Dolphins, Jackson hears, have been thinking about adding a wide receiver or offensive lineman to the roster, since they are looking thin at both positions. A corresponding move could come shortly, to give a new player time to prepare for Sunday’s game against the Chargers.

Carradine was part of the Dolphins’ final cuts back in August, but was re-signed on September 12. The former 2013 second-round draft pick has yet to live up to his draft status, but should be able to hook on somewhere else this year. For his career, Carradine has 80 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in 46 career games.

Dolphins Re-Sign Tank Carradine

In a series of corresponding moves, the Dolphins announced earlier this morning that they had signed defensive end Tank Carradine and placed defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter on injured reserve.

Carradine was part of the Dolphins’ final cuts back in August after he started three of four preseason games and registered only a single tackle. The former 49ers 2013 second-round draft pick has failed to live up to his draft status thus far, totaling 77 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in 45 career games. Since Carradine was released before Week 1, the Dolphins were not required to guarantee his salary of $880K for the 2019 season.

Ledbetter, an undrafted free agent from Georgia, signed with the Dolphins back in May, and started for the organization in last week’s ugly loss against the Ravens. Ledbetter played well in the contest, however, making four tackles and registering half a sack, while playing 66% of the team’s defensive snaps.

Dolphins Cut Kiko Alonso

The Dolphins cut Kiko Alonso en route to reaching the 53-man max. Both moves were rumored this week, but the Fins were waiting to see if they could arrange a trade for the linebackers before letting them go.

Alonso requested a trade during training camp when he realized that he would be squeezed out of the Dolphins’ plans in one fashion or another. New coach Brian Flores is overseeing a defensive overhaul and he didn’t have much use for the veteran, despite his three years of starting experience in Miami. Originally drafted by the Bills in the second-round back in 2013, Alonso won’t play out the two years left on his four-year, $28.9MM deal.

Here are the other moves made by Miami to make their roster kosher by Week 1:

Dolphins Cut DE Tank Carradine

Tank Carradine‘s tenure with the Dolphins has ended after four preseason games. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that Miami has released the veteran defensive end.

While the 29-year-old ended up sitting out most of the 2018 season, it still sounded like the Dolphins had relatively high hopes for him. After joining the team in February, Carradine started the first three preseason games for Miami, but he was limited to only a single tackle during those appearances. With the Dolphins in the midst of a rebuild, the organization decided to ultimately go with the younger route.

Carradine has yet to live up to his status as a 2013 second-round pick. The edge rusher’s best season came in 2014 when he had three sacks in nine games. However, Carradine has done a decent job of generating pressure off of the edge, despite his low sack totals. In 2017, his production would have placed him among Pro Football Focus’ top 50 edge defenders if he had enough snaps to qualify. Therefore, it wouldn’t be shocking if he catches on with a team in need of defensive-line help.

Dolphins Sign DE Tank Carradine

The Dolphins signed defensive end Tank Carradine, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets. The veteran has 77 tackles and 5.5 sacks to his credit across 45 career games.

Carradine signed with the Raiders last spring, but was cut in early October after playing limited snaps. Afterwards, he hit the workout circuit, but did not find a new home for the 2018 season.

Carradine has yet to live up to his status as a 2013 second-round pick. Last year, he notched just 1.5 sacks and 19 tackles for Oakland.

The edge rusher’s best season came in 2014 when he had three sacks in nine games. On the plus side, Carradine has done a decent job of generating pressure off of the edge, despite his low sack totals. In 2017, his production would have placed him among Pro Football Focus’ top 50 edge defenders if he had enough snaps to qualify.

The Dolphins also inked cornerback Jomal Wiltz to a deal. Wiltz was on the Patriots’ practice squad in 2018.

Extra Points: Bell, Raiders, Cowboys, Ravens

Steelers franchise-tagged running back Le’Veon Bell didn’t report earlier this week, meaning he won’t play in 2018 and will likely leave Pittsburgh next spring (the Steelers could still use the transition tender, but that wouldn’t bind Bell to Pittsburgh). Given that Bell will hit the open market, Mike Sando of ESPN.com (ESPN+ subscription required) asked NFL executives where Bell will play in 2019, and for how much. The Jets and Buccaneers are seemingly viewed as the favorites to land Bell, while clubs like the Packers and Redskins are viewed as under-the-radar candidates to add the former All-Pro. As far as price tag, execs believe Bell could ask for $16-17MM annually, but will ultimately fall in the $15MM/year range. Sando’s entire piece is well-worth a full read.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • Veteran edge defender Tank Carradine worked out for the Cowboys today, but Dallas doesn’t have any plans to sign the free agent, reports Todd Archer of ESPN.com. The Cowboys currently have five defensive linemen on their injury report, so they could be shorthanded when they face the Falcons on Sunday. Carradine, for his part, signed with the Raiders in the spring but was cut in early October after playing limited snaps. He’s worked out for four clubs since, but the 28-year-old — who appeared in 44 games with the 49ers from 2014-17 — has yet to find a new home.
  • Cowboys center Travis Frederick hasn’t played this season after being diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome near the end of training camp, but he recently regained feeling in his hands, as David Moore of the Dallas Morning News writes. Frederick still doesn’t have any feeling in his feet, and it doesn’t sound as though he’s particularly close to returning to the field, but the news is certainly noteworthy nonetheless. “I mean the fact there is some light at the end of the tunnel is definitely a positive,” said Frederick. Without Frederick available, Joe Looney has taken over at the pivot for Dallas.
  • Thing aren’t going well in Oakland, where the Raiders have posted a 1-8 record under head coach Jon Gruden, and the stress of a dismal 2018 campaign seemed to boil over following Sunday’s loss to the Chargers. “I gotta get the (expletive) outta here,” one anonymous veteran said in full view of reporters, per Matt Schneidman of the Mercury News. Per Football Outsiders, the Raiders have a 54.5% chance of securing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft and a 95% chance of receiving a top-five selection.
  • Ravens cornerback Jaylen Hill has been on the physically unable to perform list all season after tearing his ACL last December, but the second-year defensive back returned to practice today, the club announced. Hill, who joins Maurice Canady as the second Baltimore cornerback to come back to practice this week, played in six games for the Ravens in 2017 after going undrafted out of Jacksonville State. Baltimore now opens a three-week window during which it must either activate Hill or leave him on PUP for the remainder of the year.

NFL Workout Updates: 11/6/18

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • LB Christian Kuntz

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Oakland Raiders

  • T Roubbens Joseph (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Redskins

NFL Workout Updates: 10/30/18

Here’s the latest from the workout circuit. All links to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account, unless otherwise specified.

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

NFL Workout Updates: 10/17/18

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account:

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Washington Redskins