The Miami Dolphins lost a lot on Monday. But it wasn’t all bad on the first day of free agency.
The first reported Dolphins addition of legal tampering? Former Cleveland Browns linebacker Anthony Walker — who agreed to a one-year deal late Monday afternoon.
Miami Dolphins To Sign LB Anthony Walker
This is the fourth straight season that Walker has been on a one-year contract. His last one provided excellent value for Cleveland.
In 2023, Walker started 12 games for the Browns, with 44 tackles (one for loss), four passes defensed, and two recovered fumbles.
Walker was solid in coverage, holding opposing passers to a 66.7% completion percentage and 6.5 yards per pass attempt in his last year in Cleveland.
Walker, a South Florida native who was a fifth-round pick after a second-team all-conference final season at Northwestern, has 26 tackles for loss, four recovered fumbles, and 4.5 sacks in six NFL seasons.
He is a bit of an injury risk, however. He has appeared in just 85 of a possible 115 games since entering the league in 2017.
Walker will presumably be in the mix to replace the snaps lost by Jerome Baker, whom the Dolphins cut in a cost-saving move last week.
He and David Long are the Dolphins’ top two projected off-ball linebackers, although it is important to remember just how early Miami is in the talent acquisition process. The Dolphins also have linebacker Channing Tindall under contract.
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Tindall, a 2022 draft pick, has largely been a special teams contributor in his short NFL career.
Walker’s addition is a good first step for a Dolphins team that is down at least six starters from last year. Baker, Xavien Howard, and Emmanuel Ogbah have all been cut and Christian Wilkins, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Brandon Jones all agreed to contracts with other teams.
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