I was very against signing OBJ, but that was when the contract numbers were reportedly to be $12-15M per year. I can tell you for the sum we’re paying him, which will max out if Odell Beckham reaches every performance incentive, is $8.5M. Well done Dolphins! We brought in a battle tested, crafty wide receiver who at this point in his career, is less about blowing past people and more about knowing where to be, and making the clutch catch and helping his team. Let me say this though, some uninformed feel OBJ was the big offseason move but I believe picking up TE Jonnu Smith was the most important move this team made. I’ll spend the rest of this article outlining just how necessary acquiring both of these players was for the Miami Dolphins.
We’ve been dreaming about having a TE in Miami who is a legitimate receiving threat. We had TE Mike Gesicki, and we so strongly hoped he’d be that guy. He was capable of making some difficult catches, especially some one handed wonders, but what Mike Gesicki could never do was get open and beat coverage, and run after the catch. He was a long strider, and once he made the catch, lacked the power and tenacity to beat a defender and escape tackles, even by a much smaller defensive back. In 2024, enter Jonnu Smith. Let me preface this by saying Jonnu has had a very modest career so far, but this guy is trending up! Smith was not the starting TE, or the most targeted TE, as the Falcons had drafted TE Kyle Pitts 4th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. As it turns out though, Pitts only out-targeted Smith by 20, Pitts had 90 targets while Jonnu had 70, but the most telling stat is Jonnu Smith only had 3 less receptions than Pitts, and only 85 yards less receiving, Pitts 667 yards, Smith 582, and both TE’s had 3 TD’s.
I’m not going to disparage our current TE Durham Smythe, who I believe was always intended to be a 2nd TE, an able blocker to help with the run game as a blocker, and occasionally catch a pass here and there. Despite the revolving door of young, promising guys we’ve brought in behind Durham, he ends up the starter because he’s reliable, both in knowing where he needs to be, and even more paramount, his ability to block. Hunter Long, Julian Hill, Tanner Conner, Tyler Kroft, bring ’em on baby, and Smythe outlasted and outpaced all of them. This season there are some all hot about Jody Fortson, who backed up Travis Kelce in KC. Jonnu Smith with be the leading receiver at TE for the Dolphins, and then Durham Smythe will be next, and Smythe will remain the starter and get more snaps than Smith, but Smith will be crucial for us this season, and mostly be a huge help to QB Tua Tagovailoa.
Let me start this paragraph with this – NO MIAMI DOLPHINS TE CAUGHT A TD PASS IN 2023!! No typo, not one TD reception for ANY Dolphins TE. I’ll tell you that Jonnu Smith is going to change that! He had 3 TD’s last season, I boldly say he will double that this season. First off, Falcons QB only threw 12 TD’s last season, and RB Bijan Robinson had 4 of them. While Tua struggled last season in the red zone, I strongly feel that Jonnu Smith will be the elixir. It’s such a different dynamic here in this Miami Dolphins offense, with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, even sprinkle in a little OBJ, I think Jonnu will feast here in this situation. Jonnu Smith caught 71% of his targets, while Kyle Pitts caught only 58%. He’s reliable, and has huge run after catch ability, something we haven’t had here at that position for far too long. Think of how much opposing defenses have to spend in numbers trying to defend Hill and Waddle, then add in OBJ, and you can just picture how Smith will be in single coverage with a LB or S, and how he can have his way with Tua’s accuracy and timing.
OK, now to the OBJ portion of this article. It’s not that either starting WR missed a lot of time, Jaylen Waddle missed 3 games, while it was nearly impossible to keep Tyreek Hill out of the lineup, he missed only 1 game. The problem though was that Tyreek was hurting, playing hurt, and he was compromised. Now props to Tyreek for battling through the injuries and taking the field, but the bigger problem was that the Dolphins really didn’t have a Plan B without Tyreek. The very first game Jaylen Waddle missed, the Dolphins obliterated the Denver Broncos 70-20, just covering the 48 point spread (Joking!). Where it really hurt the Dolphins was at the end of the season against both the Ravens and the Bills in Games 16 and 17. Let me let you in something pretty amazing. When Tyreek Hill says Tua is the most accurate QB, he ain’t lying! There were games this season where Hill caught an astounding 91% of his targets, and trust me, they weren’t screen passes, and I’m not talking 3 targets, I’m talking 11. In games where they were clicking, and there were a few, 6 to be exact, where Hill was targeted 74 times and he caught an amazing 58 of them. That’s over 78%, which if you don’t realize is practically absurd. The problem though with Hill hurting, and Waddle either OUT or also hurting, or both hurting, that number drops precipitously to 50% for Hill, and therein lies the problem. I think OBJ can step in and replace either Hill or Waddle for short stints without a significant dropoff. That’s so important to the way this offense functions. We must have 2 WR’s that threaten the defense.
What I’d like to see more of this season is a different wrinkle to our offense, something that suggests that our HC Mike McDaniel is evolving, and can use his personnel to better adapt to the opponent. I think he’s great offensive mind, and I think that will be something we see here in his 3rd season as Head Coach. I’d like to see some games where we go just go run heavy, and I think drafting RB Jaylen Wright will facilitate this. I love Raheem Mostert, but I was afraid to overuse him, and getting Wright, and more importantly, another Jaylen so no team could conceivably have more Jaylen, Jaelan, or Jalens than the Miami Dolphins. Seriously though, we can lean on Wright for carries, while you didn’t want to stretch Mostert too far, and couldn’t rely on a big workload for rookie sensation De’Von Achane. Maybe some 2 RB sets, and some 3 TE sets, or 6 OL sets, and just pound some teams. Apparently our run blocking should be better up the middle with new OC Aaron Brewer, and we already know we can run outside with any team, so it would be nice to give the little guys like Hill and Waddle a little rest and just run the ball over and through some defenses.
Anyway, very happy to have TE Jonnu Smith who was my favorite roster add, and then OBJ for the right price. Great signing, even if we were bidding against no one. Both of these players will have big value for us this season. As you know, not everything is sunshine and rainbows, and I hope what we’ve done for the defense is enough. Still very suspicious of that D-line, despite retaining Zach Sieler. Zach Sieler and Christian Wilkins had a great dynamic, they fed off of each other, both on and off the field, but it’s on the field I’m afraid is what we’ll miss. If no one else on the D-line becomes a legitimate pass rush threat, and the OLB’s aren’t doing enough, you know Sieler will get a lot of attention, and that will limit his effectiveness. I know a lot of people have brought up Calais Campbell, including myself, and why not? Campbell at age 37 played 17 games, played 63% of the defensive snaps and added 6.5 sacks, 17 QB Hits and 10 tackles for loss. That’s probably more than everyone else not named Zach Sieler combined on our D-line. I say if we’re going for it, sign Calais Campbell!
GO DOLPHINS!!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
MIAMI IS PRIMED TO WIN THE AFC EAST THIS SEASON
Posted by Austin Dobbins
While increasing our depth addresses one of last year’s concerns, there are still some players I could see Miami adding: safety Justin Simmons, veteran defensive end Calais Campbell, and guard Dalton Risner. Adding any of these players would add veteran leadership and fill some gaps. This year’s team is deep and ready to take back the East.
M13, I agree all of these guys just regurgitate adding Risner, without even understanding he’s just played LG, we need RG
…and 10
Instead of just run heavy some games I’d rely more on Jonnu and OBJ, then at winning time unleash Tyreek and Waddle
Actually I’d use that formula in the first half against all good teams
Any kind of adjustment where we really change things up and make adjustments because things aren’t working or just because whatever change we make works better against a particular opponent would be welcome. I’d like to see more in game adjustments too, adapt to what the team is taking away and beat them
Great article MikeE! I don’t know why some are hyped about Fortson. I seriously doubt he makes the team. We will keep 7 WR’s before we keep 4 TE’s, IMO.
Thanks Mike! What’s really is amazing is Tyreeks catch % is higher than the WR most people think is the best in the league, Justin Jefferson, and that’s also with a very accurate QB, Kirk Cousins
8.77% of our 2024 cap is dead cap
Of course, it will go up after we start making cuts for the final 53 as there are only 3 players on the current roster with no dead cap if cut (Cotton, Ahmed and Cracraft)
Yes, but some guys not on the current 51, with a lower cap hit than guys on the 51 (that won’t make the team), will make the 53
Of course, that is why our dead cap will go up.
On O comparing this year with last year, we’re better at WR, TE, RB and OT, we should be better at QB with a slimmer/1 yr more experiences Tua, same at RG, worse at RG and OC, but we didn’t get a lot of snaps from Williams and Hunt, so…
Overall we’re deeper and more balanced, hopefully Tua spreads the ball around more, Hill doesn’t need 200 yards vs Cheats each game
I’m worried about DL drop-off, too, Mike E. It’s hard to replace Wilkins, but if Calais can do what he did last year, this year for us, then hell yeah if we can pay him. Lots of ifs…lol.
Thanks again!
You guys like to pick the spots we’re worse off, and don’t seem to look at the big picture
If we traded Tua and Tyreek for Mahomes, you’d stress over not having Tyreek, instead of what Mahomes brings
C’mon Steve, any good fan looks at everything. Not everything is positive about what we’ve done, and you know it. I just presented a very positive article, and the last paragraph mentioned something I’m worried about. You should be worried too, how can you not be?
I look at it as a negative, but don’t harp on it, would rather look at the big picture
It’s one thing to mention it, which I’ve done, but I don’t write about it every day like I’m losing sleep over it
Lol…you aren’t even close with that comment. I know what the team looked like last year. This year, it’s a never before seen/unproven team. I’m a little excited and Mike E’s article was one of the areas I’m excited about.
Left field shit…lol
Steve – I like to keep it real. Some people are in La La Land when it comes to our team, we can do no wrong, and they’ll make excuses for every single move. I feel the need to even it out, express my negative opinions to level the playing field. Besides, it’s fucking boring as hell when everyone falls in line that the team is great and everything is perfect. Why bother reading or posting if that’s what we’re all saying here?
Steveccnv, you’re way off target in your comments…just wow. I even liked the acknowledgement the team draft BPA at NEED….lol
Maybe, probably am, I’m just commenting on the perception of the posts
Then your perception radar is fucked…lol
a monkey wrench could by put into the spread the ball around philosophy, if Tyreek is still into selfishly going for 2k, it hurt us at the end of last year, because he was beat up
That’s great! He looks so smooth, and man does he accelerate out of his breaks. Also, so many of those passes were money!
Second photo. Patrick Paul IS huge!
Which second photo?
oops
@schadjoe
Dolphins rookie RB Jaylen Wright: “When (Mike McDaniel is) drafting someone, he’s doing it for a reason. And I feel like he’s, I mean, I’m somebody that he trusts and I’m ready to prove my point on the field.”
I think he’s going to see a good amount of work this year
It seems like they definitely targeted him.
Dolphins players have some new uniform numbers . . .
WR Odell Beckham Jr. – #3
LB Anthony Walker – #6
TE Jonnu Smith – #9
LB David Long Jr. – #11
QB Skylar Thompson – #19
LB Jordyn Brooks – #20
S Jordan Poyer – #21
RB Jaylen Wright – #25
DB Ethan Bonner – #27
CB Kendall Fuller – #29
S Patrick McMorris #32
S Siran Neal – #33
LB Chop Robinson – #44
LB Cam Robinson – #47
LS Blake Ferguson #48
LB Mo Kamara – #50
LT Patrick Paul #52
C Aaron Brewer – #55
LB Shaq Barrett – #58
OL Jack Driscoll – #75
WR Tahj Washington – #82
WR Malik Washington – #83
TE Jody Fortson – #88
DL Daviyon Nixon – #90
DL Neville Gallimore – #91
DL Da’Shawn Hand – #93
DL Teair Teart – #94
DL Benito Jones – #95
DL Isaiah Mack – #97
Dl Jonathan Harris – #98
44 is my lucky number
I can’t believe a guy named Porkchop is now our new 44
The sun is finally shining on me
Do not buy it. 🤪
The Waddle highlight reel got me pumped up for some football. I love Waddle, but someone should tell him guys his size shouldn’t be doing the muscleman flex thing, lol.
lol
Is word press just going to constantly tinker with the comment box for the rest of eternity? WTF? You don’t have to reinvent the damn wheel.
LOL – Sometimes I think it’s just me. I have no idea what they’re doing, and it’s likely they don’t either
The comment box team probably brings in new ideas every Monday with the donuts.
“Hey, why don’t we make it so that if the cursor is at the beginning of the text in the comment box and they hit backspace, it’ll delete everything?”
“Brilliant! You are going places with ideas like that! Go ahead and get yourself two donuts, Todd.”
🤣
every day they mess with something
LOL @ Kong
I actually don’t mind the gray box, at least it’s straightforward and works properly
Piggy – I don’t believe in the jersey curse anymore. Get yerself a Pork Chop jersey!
Netflix and the NFL are working on a deal that would see both Christmas Day games broadcast on the streaming giant, according to a recent report from WFAN’s Boomer Esiason.
John Ourand of Puck News reported that the NFL-Netflix negotiations aren’t finalized and could “fall apart” at any moment. He also reported the negotiations are to blame for the delayed schedule release from May 9 to May 15.
ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss added more details, reporting the “expectation” is the four teams that play on Christmas Day also will play the previous Saturday and all will be from the same division.
“I could be wrong, but I don’t think I am,” Esiason said. “Do not be surprised if the NFL and Netflix get in bed for a nice little Christmas Day football games. I would not be surprised.”
Per NFL Schedule Update on X, the New York Jets and New England Patriots are the Jaguars’ most likely London opponents.
What’s Been Confirmed for the 2024 NFL Schedule?
Well, not much, but more than what you might assume. The NFL already has confirmed certain details, such as international “home” teams, Thanksgiving hosts, and a Week 1 matchup.
Here’s what we know:
The Chiefs will be at home for the NFL season opener on Thursday, Sept. 5.
The Eagles and Packers will play in Brazil on Friday, Sept. 6.
The Jaguars, Bears, and Vikings will “host” games in London.
The Panthers will “host” a game in Munich, Germany.
The Cowboys and Lions will host games on Thanksgiving.
Recording artist P!NK will perform at MetLife Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 3, per her official tour website.
That eliminated the possibility of either the New York Jets or New York Giants hosting the Week 5 edition of “Thursday Night Football.” Either team still could host a game on Sunday or Monday, however.
I think the NFL wants football on every day of the week someday. But I don’t think that’s a great idea.
Not at all.
Music Friday is now food Friday. lol
Amazing…lol
@schadjoe
“My brother called me last night. He said, you know, ‘You made it to the locker room.’ So that’s all it means. It just means I just made it to the locker room. Nothing else. I still gotta’ prove myself.” – Mo Kamara, Dolphins rookie
I have always felt one of the things that made the NFL special was that it was a short season, and that they played on Sunday and then Monday night. Then they started the Thursday bullshit, then Saturday, and like Tim said they would prefer to play every day, in more countries to make more money
Yep! It was special and you planned for it. They’re watering it down.
Yeah! Loved this from the first time I heard it way back in the day. Awesome song from an extremely talented band….and their hyper fast live version on the Midnight Express tv show is even more insane. Jan Akkerman one of the best guitarists around IMO.
Yodeling>>>>>>>everything
lol
One of my favorite songs. Thanks!
🤘
https://youtu.be/H-kA3UtBj4M?si=CM4LYWxV3F4po-Li
Excellent song.
I thought this was pretty cool. I don’t play guitar, wish I could, but it does sum up how I feel about music. 🎶🎸🎶
https://youtu.be/qCdDpjZPREU?si=esCi5k_s6334m3Ln
I’m a big fan of Jeff Daniels. Dude is a talented. Recently watched him as the antagonist in Godless on Netflix. Excellent western series.
lol
‘Dude is a talented artist’
steveccnv
says:
May 10, 2024 at 11:40 am
MIAMI IS PRIMED TO WIN THE AFC EAST THIS SEASON
Posted by Austin Dobbins
While increasing our depth addresses one of last year’s concerns, there are still some players I could see Miami adding: safety Justin Simmons, veteran defensive end Calais Campbell, and guard Dalton Risner. Adding any of these players would add veteran leadership and fill some gaps. This year’s team is deep and ready to take back the East.
M13, I agree all of these guys just regurgitate adding Risner, without even understanding he’s just played LG, we need RG
————–
Thank you, man! Much appreciated.
Can’t figure out why so many Phins fans and ‘writers’ are so infatuated with Risner. Not only is he a strict LG, he strictly sucks.
Scott’s not quite Shock G on the keys, but DAMN close… and Morgan is just absolutely incredible. One of my faves from a few years back…
I like seeing the Panthers sticking it to the Bruins. Screw Boston, lol.
such poor losers
Stick a fork in ’em
.My cousin from Miami, some of you met him at a fest, texts me during game 1 Panthers 1-0, before I could respond Boston scores, then another quickly
Tonight he waits until it’s 4-0 and again Boston scores before I can respond, then another shortly ther after
I told Schleprock he was off the hook after the shorty, that made it 5-2
Holy crap, Twice. I’d never seen or heard the Midnight Special live version of that song. That was freakin’ awesome! Thanks for that.
Don’t know if this story is true or not, but it makes sense why they played it at about x1.5, lol.
Hocus Pocus had become their well-known radio hit … which, notably, on the album is played at a much slower tempo, clocking in around 7 minutes in length. As the recording of the Midnight Special drew to a close, the producers warned Focus that only five minutes of showtime remained, so could they please play another, shorter song … to which the Dutch group replied “No, it is not a problem, we will simply play our intended song much faster!” And so they did!
That’s freaking cool! Loved that song as a kid!
https://bleacherreport.com/videos/569240-dolphins-minicamp
Rock, this will make you happy (not).
OBJ’s contract hit the books. The 3 mil is 100% guaranteed then has the incentives.
They actually signed him for 2 years so they could spread out his signing bonus over 2 years, then voided the second year.
So, his 2024 base salary is only 1,210,000 then a 895,000 signing bonus totaling his 2024 cap hit at only 2,105,000. That only affected the top 51 cap by about 1 mil.
The other half of his signing bonus of 895,000 will be a 2025 dead cap hit due to the voiding of the second year. Also, most of his incentives met will be added dead cap to the 2025 season which we won’t know what it is until February 2025.
I’ve never heard a team hide incentives until the next year, pretty sure we’ll know what they are soon
I heard that OBJ had at least 1-2 better offers from playoff potential teams than what the Dolphins were offering. Though the Dolphins came back with a couple adjusted offers. OBJ decided to take the Dolphins latest offer even though it was not the best one on the table. He wanted to play in MM’s offense more than he wanted to make a little more money.
This according to Josina Anderson.
—————
I could see some truth to this. Especially if there are some easy to reach incentives.
They said from day 1 he had better offers on the table, but what does that mean?
This seems to suggest it means base or guaranteed money was more elsewhere, then Fins came back with incentives he felt he could reach to make Fins offer overall higher and why he took it
That is where I am leaning.
I think OBJ signed with us because the money was close, especially w/o state income tax, and it was a good opportunity for him on a good team, in a place where he probably wants to live. All those things probably factored in
steveccnv
says:
May 11, 2024 at 3:35 pm
I’ve never heard a team hide incentives until the next year, pretty sure we’ll know what they are soon
——————
They aren’t hiding incentives until next year. Just some of them won’t affect the cap until next year, 2025 cap. Yeah, we should know what they are soon.
@Ihartitz
Most yards per reception on screens in 2023 (PFF) RB: Chase Brown (14.9) TE: Jonnu Smith (12.6) WR: Deebo Samuel (11.9)
@OmarKelly
Did you know that only 5 players at the NFL combine did more bench press reps than Dolphins rookie OT Patrick Paul, who lifted 225 pounds 30 times?
once again, he did it with a couple of tree branches, 36 1/4″ arms!
Right!
For those who wanted to draft Johnny Newton:
@AdamSchefter
Commanders second-round pick Johnny Newton will undergo surgery to repair an injury to his left foot — about four months after the defensive tackle had a procedure done for a similar injury on his right foot.
Jonnu Smith’s game is perfect for our system. He doesn’t have to be great or put up huge numbers. Just be an available outlet at times and keep the chains moving. He’s a savvy TE that we didn’t have last year.
OBJ upgrades our skill level at WR. He can still challenge secondaries. We’re going to be hard to defend.
It’s exciting to think about
Patrick Paul is so massive that size alone he gets in the way. He does over power opponents but in the NFL he’ll get tested with speed against his somewhat choppy footwork. He could develop into our future LT though. He provides good young depth.
we can be patient with him
I love this version of the Dolphins where we aren’t rushing guys into immediate production
people sometimes forget – we’ve been signing guys like Armstead and Albert to insert them at LT
but good teams don’t do that – they bring guys up
tunsil played LG for us as a rookie and it was great for him
Paul might play this year – but whether he does or not – he’s gonna learn
Paul has the talent, needs to be coached up in our scheme and he will.
We’re going to sign Justin Simmons and Dalton Risner… I can see it. And then, I’m going to lose my shit and confidence in this FO.
Risner has some talent but overestimates himself. He played okay for MN but nothing more than that. The word up here is that he wanted to be paid like a starter, and he’s probably not worth a lot of money.
They should have snagged G/C Cody Whitehair while they had the chance. He signed with the Raiders a couple weeks ago right before the draft.
The key to our secondary is Cam Smith, if he can hold down an outside CB spot it will allow Weaver to move Ramsey around, where he can do the most damage from week to week
Why can’t Holland do that?
I agree on Holland. We have a crafty vet in Poyer. Then, for 3 safety looks we have former CB Campbell who is a decent cover safety and Needham who will be decent in coverage and stout in the box. Needham has always been a solid hitter/tackler.
Happy Mother’s Day to our pal Herd, have a great day. Hope your kids kiss your ass properly
Happy Mother’s Day to the rest of your wives and Mother’s.
Happy Mother’s Day Herd!
Happy Mother’s Day to all the blog mothers (Herd)
I don’t really think we should sign anyone else who’s not already under contract
I think we should maximize the rollover cap space we have left and focus on the contracts for Tua, Waddle, Holland and Phillips
if we need depth – we can sign it later
You play to win the game, if that involves acquiring more talent so be it
I also have no problem rolling it over
What a dumbass
I’d guess we’re going to be running a fast hitting offense….duh…and a defense built to force long drives. A 3 safety defense is basically intended to keep everything in front of you and keep everything bottled up…not really pressuring the offense. The offense should be fine, but they still have to prove they can in big games against top tier teams. The defense is still a big question mark. We have no idea what it will look like let alone if it will work. Depth could end up being huge. It always ends up being about exploiting matchups.
Ravens sure pressured Ds
Happy Mother’s Day Herd! Thanks for all you do here for the blog and of course for the Dolphins (All that laundry!). 🙂
Happy Mother’s Day, Herd! Proud momma, for sure!
Non-Menstruating Person Wishes Menstruating Person’s A Happy Birthing Person’s Day! 😉
are you trying to get into an Ivy League school?
Most universities unfortunately
Can anyone think of a pure 40-speed faster 1-2-3 RB corps than we have?
This might be the fastest ever.
Happy Mothers Day Herd.
And also to all the moms associated with this blog.
Achane 4.32
Mostert 4.34
Wright 4.38
lol at Wyoming
I agree
—————
@NFL_DovKleiman
The #Patriots drafted QB Joe Milton III in the sixth round because he has ‘Too much talent’ to pass up, per Eliot Wolf.
Me too
Happy Mother’s Day!
From Mark Lever (@MarksFinsfan):
One more free agent, you want the Dolphins to sign before the season?
Hey Mark, has to be Calais Campbell, who would flush out that defensive line rotation very nicely and bring along great veteran leadership on top of that.
*****************************
I agree 100%. Would love to see him on the team. Bonafide pass rushing, big DE. Would make me feel better about the D-line
If Campbell can still get you 30 and 5, he’d be a great signing. His influence in the locker room might be even more valuable.
I agree, 30 HRs and 5 SBs would be great😜
Agree with you all about adding Campbell. His vet experience like Randy said could be most impactful.
Just bonded this guy out who is a massage therapist who specializes in deep tissue massage. He had 7 counts of misdemeanor battery against a patient/client. They set his bond at 10,000 per count.
The lady went to him 7 times and after each time she had pictures taken of bruising that occurred after her sessions. Decided to file charges on him stating that he was extremely aggressive and abusive. State attorney decided to go with it and issue the warrant.
I told the guy after he got out that it seemed like BS to me. He said, yeah, when you have to do deep tissue massage through 7 inches of fat on a person over 50 there is likely to be some bruising. Even crazier, not sure if true, but he said after every session she felt better. lol
That’s BS, it was so bad she returned 6 more times
By keeping records she’s just looking for a payoff
I think Campbell would be a good add also. The only guarantees on the final 53 for the DL right now is Seiler, Benito Jones and Gallimore. I say this because Jones and Gallimore’s contracts are 100% all guaranteed money. So if either of them are cut we take a 1.79 mil dead cap hit on either one or both of them.
Jonathan Harris has 625K guaranteed. Hand and Tart only 167K guaranteed. Then, Nixon, Mack and Pili have 0 guaranteed.
Jones, Gallimore and Harris have all logged a good # of snaps in the NFL and even as starters from time to time due to injury. Except Jones who was a regular starter last year for the Lions.
Seiler, Jones, Gallimore, Harris and adding Campbell would be a decent rotation as far as stuffing the run. Seiler and Campbell on passing downs.
If we sign Campbell, I think Tart would have to beat out Harris in TC and preseason. Or, if we don’t add anymore DL, then I think Tart would be the 5th DL on the 53.
The best will make it, those minimal contracts aren’t going to have much effect, other than maybe a tie breaker
Mike E.
says:
May 12, 2024 at 9:14 am
Why can’t Holland do that?
He can, but in the 3 high safety look you want your best player in the middle of the field as much as possible, to have the greatest impact
Happy Mother’s Day Herd
Happy Mother’s Day to the rest of you muthers🤪
Thanks for the Mothers Day wishes.
Did any of you see the northern lights this weekend? Much better Friday night here. I’d post a pic or two but I can’t even post a YouTube link anymore. 😂
Ravens will open their season on the road at the Chiefs. Nice
I hope they make both of them play another Thursday game or maybe it’s better this way, they both seem to always have Home short week Thursday Night games, we had one once about 10 years ago
Sure would be nice, if the Matos investment pays off, his size and athleticism would be a great asset. He could also drop a few pounds and play TE
https://www.si.com/nfl/dolphins/news/getting-to-know-the-big-dolphins-udfa-with-the-big-personality-and-great-story-01hxjha2ndtr
cats seek chaos
How do you post this? I can’t post anything but a link….grrrrrrr!!!!🤬
Antoine Winfield Jr., Bucs Agree to 4-Year, $84.1M Contract; NFL Record for Safety
——————–
What will Holland be asking for? If they didn’t want to pay Wilkins, they won’t want to pay close to this much for Holland.
This is what messes the cap up for teams. Outrageous contracts that sets the new bar at every position.
^^^
LOL @ Kong! That’s a good one
Goff extending For $212 million and 170 million guaranteed. Every quarterback that signs is costing us more for Tua
And Winfield juniors contract may have just made Holland unsignable for us
I really wish that Tua contra ct would get done
I’m pretty sure that’s what’s preventing us from moving on to the other contracts like waddle and holland
and the long we wait – The higher the price gets
Have to wait until June. Big cap relief from X.
In case you are wondering Pro Football Network has Winfield rated the #1 safety in the nfl, and Holland as #8
https://www.profootballnetwork.com/best-safeties-nfl-rankings/
so there’s a chance that the Holland contract is treated as a contract for a lesser player….but probably not too much lesser
The figures above for Winfield are just stroking his agents wanker, they don’t mean shit without the details
Like Tyreek’s contract 30m avg per year, then we see the details and it has a huge non guaranteed, never to be paid, 50m+ final, with actual avg per year closer to 24m
The 212m means nothing the 170m guaranteed says he’ll at least avg 42.5m per year, with the other 42m TBD
read it and weep worrywarts
Eichenberg was really valuable all
over the OL last year
he’s probably ready
Development
I trust Kyle Crabbs more than I do Omar, so I’m not buying what everyone’s favorite whooping boy is selling
When watching Eichenberg I see a guy that’s come a long way, but still isn’t there yet, avg starter at best, especially with his limited athleticism in our scheme
And I trust some of US more than I do Kyle Crabbs… who of course is more reliable than Omar.
IMO, Eich should have broken out by now. He came from Notre Dame and was taken in the 2nd round.
Steve, I agree with ya 100% regarding Eich.
What’s more, he’s WAY too light in the pants (306 pounds) to be playing a classic RG role. He’s going to replace 330 pound Robert Hunt? I don’t see it.
The idea was to draft either Cooper Beebe (322 pounds) or Christian Haynes (317 pounds) to replace Robert Hunt at RG. BOTH of whom are very fleet of foot for their sizes.
Eichenberg seems like backup versatile C/G.
Cooper Beebe’s father follows me on Twitter (nice!). Looks as though Coop is going to become a Center for the Cowboys.
Tim Knight
says:
May 13, 2024 at 9:44 pm
Eichenberg seems like backup versatile C/G.
————-
Agree with ya on that, Bro. Eich doesn’t suck and he provides important depth. However, he’s massively under-performed his R2 selection status. We shouldn’t put that on the player, for he had no control over where he was selected.
IMO, I thought Eich was going to be a STUD… and I don’t think I’m alone on an island with that thought. Perhaps he flourishes under Butch Berry… I certainly hope so. But in the meantime, I think Omar is FOS (Full Of Shit) when he states he heard Eich could be a solid starter at RG.
We shall see… we shall see…
Agreed
Yessir! And I hope for the best.
McDaniel has talked about development and coaching since he’s been in Miami. He likes players he can trust. He also likes speed. Lots of it. 😂
Dolphins sign OL Ireland Brown after rookie minicamp tryout…still looking
Dolphins sign CB Jason Maitre after rookie minicamp tryout
….I can’t get away from this shit!!!
…and then I read, “3 dead, 18 are hurt in shooting at party in Ala.”
Lmfao…only in America!
Dolphins twitter is ablaze with so many twidiots. All talking about how Tua was getting over $55M per before Goff signed his contract. I don’t see how, or why you pay him like that, but I’m not the Dolphins FO. Goff doesn’t have an injury history and he plays just about every game. He’s also won playoff games and took his team to the Super Bowl, and even though he’s 4-4 in the playoffs, he’s thrown 8 TD’s and only 2 INT’s. He knows how to show up in a big game.
THE DOLPHINS MUST IMPROVE ON SPECIAL TEAMS IN 2024
Posted by Austin Dobbins | May 13, 2024 | Dolphins News | 0
Since the departure of long-time special teams coach Darren Rizzi, the Dolphin’s special teams unit has progressively worsened yearly. In the annual special teams rankings compiled by Rick Gosselin, Danny Crossman’s special teams have ranked 7th in 2020 and since 22nd, 27th, and 31st this past season.
Whereas special teams coach, Darren Rizzi has gotten five top-five finishes since joining the Saints. Gosselin’s rankings factor in coverage, returns, blocks, penalties, turnovers, kicking, and more.
McDaniel has defended Crossman this off-season, stating, “And although the results haven’t been there, what I’ve seen is players responding appropriately to things that Danny has to offer.”
Now, while player response is crucial, the numbers speak for themselves: The Dolphins must improve. We have repeatedly seen momentum-changing returns, like Deonte Harty’s game-winning punt return in Week 18 vs. Miami, bad punting, penalties, and missed kicks this past season.
Many of these mistakes have come from outkicking our coverage, bad pursuit angles, and undisciplined play.
Despite Crossman being on the hot seat, there’s an opportunity for a turnaround, especially with the off-season signings and a new rule.
This off-season, the NFL implemented the XFL’s return style following the lowest kickoff return rate in NFL history. The goal is player safety and increased returns, leading to better field position.
Who better to take advantage of this than the Miami Dolphins, a team filled with fast, elusive ball carriers? Crossman must figure out how to scheme under the new rule, ensuring our special teams don’t falter and capitalize on it.
Now, who could return kicks this season? With so many options for the Dolphins, we could have a rotation of players returning kicks and punts. I look for change because the Dolphins have not had a kickoff return touchdown since Jakeem Grant in 2019 and no punt return touchdowns since Jakeem Grant in 2020.
With the new rule’s safety in mind, I expect the Dolphins to move on from Berrio’s returning kicks. He has expressed excitement for the new rule and says he has been studying its use in some spring leagues, but the one-time all-pro returner has not been a great return man for the Dolphins. I expect Miami to use the halfbacks. Not only are they the fastest unit, but they have the vision as a ball carrier and the elusiveness to take advantage of this new rule.
Our running back room is full, and there is potential for a three-man rotation.
But the new kickoff rule is a perfect way to ensure everyone touches the ball. Achane, Mostert, and Wright’s ability to break tackles and make big plays will be interesting to watch throughout training camp, and this is not to say the receivers get in on returning kicks as well.
The Dolphins have many options to take advantage of this new rule, save Danny Crossman’s job, and turn his career around in Miami.
____________
I don’t get why he has a job in the Dolphins’ organization. One of the few decisions I oppose MM…lol.
I hope so……
5 new Miami Dolphins players who will be upgrades this season
The Miami Dolphins saw a lot of turnover since the 2023 season ended, but several moves made them betterBy Brian Miller | 6:00 AM EDT
The Miami Dolphins lost five impact starters after the 2023 season. Some of the losses obviously hurt more than the others, including guard Robert Hunt leaving South Florida for a massive contract with the Carolina Panthers.
However, on both sides of the ball, general manager Chris Grier worked around the clock to bring in some new faces. These five additions in particular were quite head-turning and we think they’ll be able to improve Miami overall in 2024:
5. Kendall Fuller over Xavien Howard
When the Dolphins decided to move on from Xavien Howard, it was based on the salary cap, but the truth is, Howard wasn’t the player he used to be. Kendall Fuller has been more consistent over the last two seasons and he will be cheaper.
Howard’s release on June 1 will save the Dolphins $18 million in cap space. While Howard remained a fan favorite, his production was starting to deteriorate on the field. This happens as players get older, and even the best eventually crash back to Earth.
Both players were drafted in the 2016 NFL Draft, with Howard being taken in Round 2 and Fuller in Round 3. Fuller has 17 more games played than Howard, 117-110, but Howard is far more impressive with his 29 interceptions to Fuller’s 16. Fuller, however, has 366 tackles compared to Howard’s 258. Howard has four Pro Bowls and two All-Pro selections. Fuller has none, but does come with a Super Bowl ring from his two years with Kansas City.
Since 2016, both players have taken over 82 percent of their defensive snaps. Fuller has been targeted 501 times, according to ProFootballReference.com, and has given up 328 receptions. Comparatively speaking, Howard has been targeted 429 times with 240 receptions. Howard has done much better in that department than Fuller. The problem, however, is throughout the last couple of seasons.
Statistically, Howard is slightly better, but many of his stats are high due to his two phenomenal years. Fuller will make the Dolphins better because he hasn’t started his decline yet. Given the money Miami had tied into Howard and the visible coverage issues the past two seasons, Fuller can step in and should provide more of an impact or, at the very least, have the same impact Howard has had the last two campaigns.
4. Jordyn Brooks over Jerome Baker
Jerome Baker gave everything he had to the Dolphins, but his production on the field wasn’t equal to his salary. When Anthony Weaver became the defensive coordinator, the writing appeared to be on the wall for Baker.
Baker was good, but lacked the physicality to become elite at times. Jordyn Brooks isn’t elite, but he has the physicality to become that. Baker has been in the NFL since the 2018 draft, while Brooks was taken in the 2020 draft. Brooks made an impression with the Seahawks, and the Dolphins got him relatively easily.
Brooks will give Weaver a starting middle linebacker with the mental awareness to go with his athleticism. In their comparative careers, Baker is better statistically. More sacks, 22.5 – 6.5, 382 solo tackles compared to 309. Brooks has 23 tackles for loss, only eight less than Baker in two fewer seasons.
Weaver wants his linebackers to be instinctive and attack the ball carriers at the line of scrimmage. Baker was solid, but his reactions started slow. Brooks is quick to discern between a pass and a run and reacts quickly. The speed Brooks plays at will help improve the Dolphins’ linebacker unit.