If there wasn’t bad news in Dolphins land there would be no news at all.

Today we learned per NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora that “Cameron Wake wasn't present for the Tuesday morning start of the Miami Dolphins' offseason program under new coach Joe Philbin, according to a team source, and the star linebacker could be absent for quite some time.”

Miami Herald’s Salguero later tweeted “Cameron Wake did not show for 1st day of offseason conditioning as a form of protest that a contract extension is not close to done.”

The real question is now, how far will Wake take this holdout. Wake has by all means earned a big payday but at 30 years old on a rebuilding team that isn’t quite there yet there is certainly a debate whether Ireland will give Wake the money he deserves.

Most fans are going with the PAYTHEMAN motto in terms of dealing with Wake as they know by now if Wake were to be traded the odds are very likely that Ireland would be able to give them the return they are hoping for.

Wake has been a VERY effective pass rusher in the league even leading the NFL that past two seasons in total QB pressures. Wake has even surpassed the NFL’s best (Allen, Ware and Peppers) in this stat. Number 91 has light up our hearts and light up the stat sheet becoming the most entertaining Dolphins defender to watch on the team. No one knew much about Wake coming from the CFL but he has certainly made his mark on this Dolphins team.  

And as my buddy @PhinsRock tweeted “Trent Cole and Peppers got 12 million a year…Mario just got 16 million per…Wake might be 30, but he's not getting less than 60 million.”

Jeff Ireland is a very stubborn man, and if he believes Wake value is lower than Wake perceives it as don’t be surprised if the former CFL superstar will be on a plane elsewhere before the regular season starts. NFLPA official says Wake could be fined $10,000 per day if he misses the Dolphins mandatory three-day minicamp. So we shall see how long this lasts. 

Jake Long will surely be the priority of the franchise, and while securing a long term contract with Long helps the Dolphins against the cap, Wake’s contract might not. Hopefully the organization isn’t made to choose between the two but at 30 years old and a roster that needs a lot of work, Wake’s presence on this team should not be taken for granted.

No one has the answers, because no one can think as blindly as good Ole Jeff, but if I have to my say on the matter it is time to PAY THE MAN !

Also another small bit of news, Iowa WR Marvin McNutt has met with the receiver needy Dolphins, McNutt could be a nice piece for Philbin’s west coast offense. Small note also that WR's coach Ken O'Keefe was WR coach at Iowa where McNutt had a lot of success.

Miami also worked out LB Jonathan Goff, Quentin Groves, Gary Guyton.  

Sorry we haven’t been on our A game as of late, however there hasn’t been much to report on in Dolphins land.

Recent Dolphins buzz includes a tweet from the Arizona QB who tweeted, RT @BrockOsweiler Just landed in Miami...excited about my visit with the Dolphins!

For Dolphins fans who don’t know Brock, think Chad Henne but maybe even a little worse. A second round pick would be a complete waste on Brock and would essentially be another slap in the face like previous draft misses such as Chad Henne, Pat White and John Beck.

The draft now being only 17 days away has a lot of fans both nervous and excited of what the future hold.

Many fans are holding out hope that number 17 Texas A & M QB Ryan Tannehill will be the guy to take over the keys in Miami while others are hoping for Quinton Coples or Michael Flyod or even Justin Blackmon.

As we know the Dolphins brass likes to keeps everything under the table and also likes to disappoint so I wouldn’t get my hopes up to fast.

This draft could mark the beginning of something exciting or just build on the enviable frustration that Dolphins fans have become accustom too.

Either way, at least the Dolphins fans will be getting some answers shortly.

The Miami Dolphins welcomed two free agents over the last few days in Tyrell Johnson and Rocky McIntosh.  

Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post mentioned that the Dolphins would possibly use McIntosh as an inside Linebacker perhaps providing some competition or replacement of 3rd year linebacker Koa Misi. 

It is interesting to note that Koa Misi could be in hot water regarding an alleged altercation with a college student resulting on pressed charges almost one full year after the alleged incident in California.

Koa Misi frankly has not proven his worth after his first season and has not developed into the pass rusher the Dolphins brass and Jeff Ireland envisioned him to be.  Misi could be a trade target for other teams that are looking for a linebacker that can play outside or inside in a 4-3 scheme. 

The other visitor Tyrell Johnson is a safety with some pop and can really bring it. He's younger than Yeremiah Bell, so it might be that Kevin Coyle, the Dolphins new DC has a new project on his hands.  Tyrell Johnson has not played well in Minnesota, but is looking for an opportunity.

The Dolphins might be addressing some defensive holes with both of these two free agents or they might be "just browsing" and sign elsewhere.

However, I believe the Dolphins need a safety that can bring some heat to the wide receivers in this division that stretch the field and that point of contact is the key to setting the tone early in games.  Imagine Tom Brady trying to hit one of his tight ends and a Dolphin saftey lays the wood early.  Tommy won't be going after that spot on the field too often.  Plus, you need a faster guy to keep up with receivers and tight ends around the league. 

We'll see what happens...the draft is only 24 days away!

With so many needs the Dolphins have a lot of options of what to do with their first and second round draft picks in this years NFL draft. While most experts will tell you that it is always important to draft the best player available over need, the Dolphins will most likely be put in the position to fit both.

The Dolphins greatest needs is the same need they have had for the past decade and that’s to find their new franchise QB. With Luck and Griffin both set to be off the board at 8, the Dolphins most likely will have Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill and OK State QB Brandon Weeden to choose between. That being said it isn’t even a lock that Tannehill will be on the board at 8 as the Browns are also speculated to have interest.

Jeff Ireland and Coach Philbin recently visited Ryan at his pro day however it isn’t 100% known whether the Dolphins truly are that high on Tannehill. Two other big needs for the Dolphins are to find a pass rusher after failing to land one in free agency, and wide receiver after trading Brandon Marshall.

There is no shortage of either in the draft however it is essential the Dolphins find the right player and not have another draft day miss. Justin Blackmon (most likely to be off the board) is the number 1 WR in this year’s draft, with Michael Floyd and Kendall Wright right behind him.

All 3 WR’s are set to be top 20 picks with other talents like Stephen Hill, Rueben Randal, Alshon Jeffery, Mohamed Sanu going in the late 1st or early second.

Colby Fleener and Dwanye Allen are also options for the Dolphins, both are play making TE’s that should go late first or the 2nd round. While I believe the Dolphins NEED to find their guy at QB, if it’s not Tannehill or Weeden, I say PASS. The big guy Osweiler who the Dolphins also visited is not the solution and would just be another John Beck, Chad Henne solution.

It would be very nice if the Dolphins can leave the draft with Tannehill and one of these young play makers so that he has someone to throw the ball too.

On the other side of the ball while I believe it very important to find a pass rusher to go on the opposite side of Wake, I believe the priority of this team should 100% be placed on the offence. That being said a pass rusher still most likely will be given heavy attention.

Quinton Coples, Ingram, Upshaw, Perry, are all names that could be connected to the Dolphins in the first round, with more likely second round options Vinny Curry, Chandler Jones, and Andre Branch could be the solution for the Dolphins.

This draft has a lot of depth, and if the Dolphins can trade down and get good value back, I think it is definitely something that would be worth their while.

My heart tells me Ryan Tannehill and Vinny Curry, and maybe a trade getting them a WR late or mid 2nd however my brain tells me that Tannehill will be a Brown, leaving the untrustworthy Jeff Ireland having to re-shift his draft board.



Dolfan’s what needs are you hoping will be filled in this years draft?

Follow me @PhinsDaniel !  

Right before word was approaching the cell phone of FOX Sports' Jay Glazer that the Dolphins had signed David Garrard, the Dolphins terminated the contract of Yeremiah Bell.

Bell was named Co-Captain of the defense and was the longest tenured Dolphin prior to the retirement of Jason Taylor in January.  Bell was selected in the 6th round out of Eastern Kentucky by then coach Dave Wannstedt.

Bell finished with 107 tackles and can best be remembered for his ferocious and often violent hits as a safety.

The Dolphins claim to have cut over 6 million in salary with savings of 4.3 million dollars on this year's salary cap.

The Dolphins have yet to disclose the release of Yeremiah Bell, but the timing is impeccable given the demand for a safety in the NFL has dried up in the past week. 

It is possible, that Bell, who is 34 years old can still play at a high level and may play one more time at Sun Life Stadium for a competitor in the AFC.

As a fan, I am puzzled by why the Dolphins keep getting rid of good guys.  Bell was an all around good guys and mentored young players on the defense.

Jared Odrick tweet today:

"Sad to see YB go, he was a mentor to me and a lot of us. One person I def confided in my rookie season. Great player & person."

During the dreaded 2011 season, Bell, became the spokesperson and locker room presence when the excrement was hitting the fan on the way to 0-7 and the Suck for Luck campaign was in full force. 

No matter the situation, Yeremiah Bell backed up his teammates when Brandon Marshall had an altercation with Vontae Davis or when the Dolphins left all of their wins on the road in 2010 while going 1-7 at home. 

All Yeremiah Bell did was play hard for the aqua and orange.  He gave it his all.

I know that some fans see this as a blessing in disguise, but Bell is a classic Ronnie Lott type of safety where he does just enough to get to the ball and make the receiver or tight end pay for coming into his zone.

Let's not forget Bell on a Corner/Saftey blitz package who has 11 career sacks.  In total, Bell has amassed 562 tackles, and 435 solo tackles in his career.

The market does not have a lot of safeties like Bell.  The draft does and the Dolphins have signed Richard Marshall, a faster and younger Safety.  It is possible that the Dolphins made one move early to foreshadow the move they would make today.  In addition, Reshad Jones and Jimmy Wilson could compete for a safety spot on the Dolphins defense.

The Dolphins retained Soliai, but did not keep Bell or Langford.

The off season has just begun, but the Jeff Ireland churning machine is already fired up.