The Miami Dolphins have some decisions to make on players who are entering their fourth NFL season.
There is a spring deadline for the fifth-year option, a full season ahead of when the option is set to go into effect. Performance helps dictate the fifth-year option salary for each position.
Miami Dolphins News Today
Miami has several decisions to make this offseason. With the NFL Draft coming up, will they spend a first-round pick on an immediate contributor or long-term depth? Could they take a quarterback at some point?
That and more in today’s Dolphins news.
Dolphins Set To Pick Up Fifth-Year Option for Jaylen Waddle and Jaelan Phillips
The Dolphins are set to pick up the fifth-year option for both Jaylen Waddle ($15.6 million) and Jaelan Phillips ($13.3 million), Pro Football Network Dolphins Insider Adam H. Beasley reported.
General manager Chris Grier spoke about the situation to reporters.
“We’ll end up picking it up on them,” Grier said. “I’m comfortable saying that. There’s no reason to sit here and lie to you guys and hide it.”
Phillips is returning from an Achilles injury that he suffered in November. The typical recovery time is a full year. Waddle, of course, is one of the best young receivers in the sport.
KEEP READING: Updates on Miami’s Fifth-Year Options
Miami Still Committed to Tua Tagovailoa Extension Despite Potentially Selecting QB
Grier continued with the media and confirmed some previously-expected thoughts on the Tua Tagovailoa situation. First, the team wants to negotiate a new long-term deal with the 26-year-old quarterback. Second, the team could draft a developmental quarterback.
“I would say that’s not something I’m looking at in the first round,” Grier told reporters. “It’s not a position that we have been talked about. There are some good players, but we’re very happy with Tua and where he is with us. But at some point — I wouldn’t say we’re not gonna draft a quarterback at any point.
“We took Skylar [Thompson] here in the seventh round. We always look at opportunities for where you can add depth in your roster and I think that goes for across the board at any position.”
Tagovailoa is set to enter the final year of his rookie contract, earning $23.171 million this year per Spotrac. The 26-year-old has passed for 12,639 yards in his career to go with 81 touchdowns, 37 interceptions, and a 97.1 passer rating.
CONTINUE READING: Could the Dolphins Draft a Quarterback?
Odell Beckham Jr. Talks Have Stalled
As for the potential pairing of the Dolphins and free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., those talks have stalled.
“Nothing imminent on it. We’ve had some discussions back and forth a little bit, but as of right now, there’s nothing in the works to get anything done.”
Beckham Jr. is coming off his first season since returning from an ACL injury. He had 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns in his lone season with the Baltimore Ravens.
READ MORE: Where Does Miami Stand With Odell Beckham Jr.?
Amarius Mims Is an Option at No. 21 — Could He Replace Terron Armstead
Pro Football Network NFL Insider Adam Caplan has the Dolphins selecting Georgia tackle Amarius Mims. At 6-foot-8, 340 pounds, Mims is a large tackle prospect who could potentially be the replacement for Terron Armstead in the future.
“Amarius Mims has enormous potential, and the raw but talented prospect will be prepped this season to start in the future,” Caplan wrote.
Grier also spoke to media on Tuesday about Armstead’s future. The veteran left tackle has flirted with the idea of retirement in the past and there’s potential for the team to better prepare for it in the draft.
“You’re always trying to take a two-year look into the future, what [your roster] could be,” Grier said Tuesday.
“We always knew that possibility could be with [Armstead]. We’re very respectful of his time and to his credit, he is an incredible communicator. I’ve gotten to know him over the last couple years — he is a fantastic person.
“So I’m very glad he is coming back, because he has impacted that room so much with those young guys and helped Austin [Jackson] and all those guys grow and Liam [Eichenberg], so having him back is important.”
KEEP READING: Caplan’s Latest NFL Mock Draft
