The Miami Dolphins had a frenzied Thursday afternoon in free agency.
The biggest news, of course, was adding cornerback Kendall Fuller on a two-year deal.
But don’t let three lower-profile moves go unnoticed. The Dolphins also reportedly brought back defensive tackles Benito Jones and Da’Shawn Hand and added tight end Jody Fortson.
Recapping Miami Dolphins’ Thursday Roster Moves
The biggest of the three new names is Jones, who is back in South Florida after blossoming in two years with the Detroit Lions.
Jones entered the league in 2020 as a Dolphins rookie free agent. He appeared in just six games during his two-year stint with Miami before Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel made him preseason cut in 2022.
The Lions picked him up on waivers, and in the two years since, he has appeared in all 34 games, starting 15, for Dan Campbell.
Jones, at 6-1, 335 pounds, will play nose tackle this year for Miami, replacing Raekwon Davis, who signed a free agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts this week.
In his two seasons with Detroit, Jones had 2.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, and three tackles for loss.
He will be part of a defensive tackle rotation that should include Hand, Zach Sieler, and Neville Gilmore.
In 2023, Hand had 17 tackles and three quarterback hits in 16 games.
These moves should not preclude the Dolphins from taking a defensive lineman early in the 2024 NFL Draft, but they no longer should have to feel like they must.
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As for Fortson, he’s essentially a lotto ticket. He missed the entire 2023 season with a shoulder injury and has just 14 catches for 155 yards and four touchdowns in his career, all spent with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Fortson was teammates with Tyreek Hill in Kansas City in 2021.
“Now this is the news I been waiting on 🥹,” Hill wrote on X after the news broke.
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