NFL free agency is almost here, and the rumors and reports are flying. Legal tampering begins March 11, the league year starts two days later, and teams are making moves in preparation. Here’s a tracker of everything Miami Dolphins when it comes to signings, rumors, news, or anything else.
Miami Dolphins Free Agency News and Rumors
As of March 7 at 6:00 p.m. ET, the Dolphins are $20.4 million over the cap, meaning they still need to clear more money to get below the $255.4 million salary cap limit.
Some moves that have already been made include releasing cornerback Xavien Howard, linebacker Jerome Baker, defensive back Keion Crossen, and defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah. Miami then made one key move in the secondary on Saturday.
Dolphins Bringing Back Nik Needham
First reported by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Dolphins are re-adding Nik Needham to the secondary — with the move coming Saturday.
Considered one of the top undrafted finds for Miami, Needham has brought versatility to the Dolphins’ secondary as a cornerback and safety. Needham has six career interceptions, 25 pass breakups and has started in 25 total games.
NFL Network league insider Mike Garafolo later confirmed Needham’s signing, stating “deal with DB Nik Needham is done.” Terms of the contract have yet to be released.
Dolphins Sign Jonnu Smith
Besides making cuts to free up space, the first move the Dolphins have made is signing a tight end. Smith was cut by the Atlanta Falcons, where he spent his 2023 season, to clear $6.5 million in cap space.
The Dolphins and Smith met and quickly came to terms on a two-year deal worth $10 million, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. In seven seasons with three teams, Smith has caught 219 passes for 2,423 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Dolphins Not Franchise-Tagging Christian Wilkins
While the Dolphins will want to add new talent to the roster in free agency, there are multiple players on their own roster that they want to keep there. No. 1 on that list is defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, who was playing on the last year of his rookie deal in 2023.
The two sides had already dealt with a hold-out and tried to come to terms on a new deal before 2023 started but were unable to. It was rumored that the Dolphins could franchise tag Wilkins if a deal wasn’t agreed upon, but that will not happen, according to Rapoport.
Wilkins will be one of the top free agents on the market. In his five seasons in the NFL, all with the Dolphins, Wilkins had 355 tackles, 20.5 sacks, and one interception. He had a career-high nine sacks in 2023.
Robert Hunt and Dolphins in Talks?
While Wilkins is likely the top Dolphins free agent, there’s also standout guard Robert Hunt, who is an impending free agent as well. It’s likely that Hunt will hit free agency, but there’s nothing ruling out the two sides signing a deal to keep them together.
On March 6, Hunt posted on his Instagram that he was at the Dolphins facilities. Considering there are no football activities going on, this could mean the two had conversations about a potential deal.
Dolphins Re-Signing Elijah Campbell
In the spirit of keeping their own talent around, the Dolphins are re-signing defensive back Elijah Campbell to a one-year deal, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Campbell was a restricted free agent heading into the new league year but will officially return.
KEEP READING: Xavien Howard on Possible Return to Miami Dolphins
In four years, Campbell has played in 41 games, starting just two of them. All but three of those games came with the Dolphins from 2021-2023, with him compiling 29 tackles.
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