In a surprise move, the Dolphins and defensive end Tony McDaniel have agreed to a two-year deal worth $6 million to keep him in Miami. It’s not that McDaniel isn’t the type of player you want to keep around. He is and then some.

McDaniel had a stellar breakout campaign in 2010, highlighted by 36 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and ranking in as the 13th most productive 3-4 end in the league by Pro Football Focus. It’s just that the Dolphins are stacked at defensive end, and I’m not even sure stacked does them justice.

Randy Starks and Kendall Langford make up one of the top 3-4 end duos in the league and Jared Odrick and Phillip Merling, who could potentially be starters elsewhere, give the Dolphins outstanding depth. Either the Dolphins really value that depth and want to bolster a frightening rotation or they plan to deal one of their defensive ends in the deal for Kyle Orton that is reportedly expected to go down in the next couple of hours.

It should be interesting to see how it plays out, but the Dolphins prevented a very solid defensive end from lining up on an opposing D-line today. He’s too talented not to have a significant role on Mike Nolan’s defense.

-Dolphins also come to terms with former Cleveland Brown linebacker Jason Trusnik. Reports have it as a two-year deal, but the financial particulars are not yet known. Trusnik will provide much needed depth for the Dolphins, but perhaps more importantly will bolster what was a weak special-teams in 2010. 

                                                                            


Free Agency Day 1 has come and gone. Day 2 has already seen a few big names come off the board. It has not been historic , it wasn’t even hasnt even been that wild , but certainly there were a couple of big names moved and resigned. In terms of big news from the Dolphins, well there just wasn’t any! Hopefully in Day 2 we will see more action from Jeff Ireland and his posy.

Here is the Good, Bad, and the Ugly from Day 1 + Day 2 Morning

The Good:

Donovan McNabb to Minnesota (for a 6 round picks, possibly 2 per Jay Glazer)

I like this move for Minnesota, McNabb will take slack for last year and well deserved, but it’s hard to make the argument this doesn’t make Minnesota a better team at a cheap price. AP will certainly lighten the load for McNabb and my guess would be that this deal works out for the Purple Men.  

Tony McDaniel signs a 2 year deal with Miami for 6 mil

As Phins fans know McDaniel is a reliable player on the D-Line. The money is good, and were glad to have him back !


Matt Hasselbeck to the Titans (multi year deal per Shefty)

Locker sucks, so any way to make sure he isn’t your starting QB is a good move. Plus always nice to add a starting QB who has been to the Super Bowl before to your team.

Chargers agreed to terms with FS Eric Weddle on a multi-year contract

Weddle is a solid player and good on the Chargers for bringing him back, one of the better safeties in the league

Paul Posluszny to the Jaguars

The Jags essentially stole him from Buffalo and Buffalo will miss him, this is a very solid signing for the team that will soon be in LA.

WR Santonio Holmes reaches agreement with Jets on a five year deal.

Good move by the Jets, hope he sucks though :)


Adam Schefter Filed to ESPN: Broncos traded WR Jabar Gaffney to Washington for DE Jeremy Jarmon 

Good sneaky move by the Skins, Gaffney becomes WR2 on their roster for nothing and not big $$

The Bad:

Leonard Davis, Marc Colombo, Roy Williams and Barber cut

I understand these moves because of the Cowboys cap situation but cutting Leonard Davis is going to hurt. That being said it cleared up room to give Doug Free a new contract.

Santana Moss resigns with Redskins to a 3 year deal

This guy got 15 million for 3 years when he is worth about 7. Redskins fans better hope he isn’t still their number 1 guy by off seasons end.

DeAngelo Williams stays in Carolina 5 years 43 mil 21 guarenteed per Mike Lombardi NFL Network

I love DeAngelo but I think this is too much money, when they already have J Stewart, think Carolina had bigger needs to adress, but they do bring back an amazing back, now he has to stay healthy


The Ugly:

Carson Palmer retiring: This whole thing is a huge mess and its starting to sound like Palmer is just one big baby. As his GM said his lack of commitment should not be rewarded

Tarvaris Jackson and Matt Leinart to Seattle

I just don’t get this, well I get it but it’s dumb. It’s almost as if Seattle said Washington I know you’re starting John Beck well I think we might have a worst starting QB then you now.

 Panthers agreed to terms with K Olindo Mare on a four-year, $12 million contract, including a $4 million signing bonus.

Thats a lot of money for a kicker who is older then my Grand Father!

Dolphins Buzz

Rumors early in the day had Marion Barber going to Miami but now all the buzz is that it will either be Ahmad Bradshaw or Ronnie Brown.
Miami is said to be the favorite in the race to land Bradshaw according to Jason LaCanfora ,however the Miami Herald's Jeff Darlington says not to rule out Ronnie.

There are also MAJOR rumors that the Dolphins are going after Kyle Orton for a 3rd or 2nd round draft pick. This rumor is all over ESPN, NFL Network and the rest of the national media. The deal might be reached by the end of the night.

Other News: Vince Young will be cut on Thursday / Chris Johnson + Frank Gore + DeSean Jackson are planning to Hold out
Plax is rumored to be headed to NYG or Pitt

Redskins signed - Stokely + Stallworth

We’ve talked about quarterbacks this offseason until we were blue in the face. One quarterback we didn’t spend considerable time on was Kyle Orton.

Not because he’s not a capable solution to the Dolphins’ long-standing quarterback woes. He’s really the only option that’s been speculated about that has the makings of a franchise quarterback, assuming, of course, that Mike Brown is really going to keep Carson Palmer locked up.

I personally didn’t spend too much time on the possibility because I felt as though it was a moot point. I’ve wondered all along why he would be available at all and have said the Broncos would be crazy to let a guy go who has passed for a combined 41 touchdowns to only 21 interceptions and well over 7,000 yards the past two seasons. But we are no longer speculating about Kyle Orton’s availability.

He’s been reportedly placed on the trading block by Denver, who is either completely sold on Tim Tebow or just has a thing for riding themselves of quality players, and the asking price is at least a third-round pick.

That’s right, a third-round pick. A third-round pick for a proven starting quarterback. A third-round pick for what has been 20 TD, 10 INT production-exactly what the Dolphins are missing in order to become legitimate contenders in 2011.

With a defense on the verge of taking the next step by solidifying themselves as elite and what has the makings of a revamped running game-pending, of course, on which running back Miami brings in- Orton would instantly put the Dolphins in the discussion.

The only concern I have is whether or not he will duplicate the production he’s had the past two years without Josh McDaniels. The guy may be a nut job, but knew a thing or two about grooming a quarterback. It’s no coincidence that Orton wasn’t much in Chicago.

Then again, Matt Cassel has gone on to play well for Kansas City after leaving the tutelage of McDaniels in New England, so maybe how he’s transformed Orton will stick. And really, that’s a small risk if the asking price is only a third-round pick. A third-round pick that would be used on an unproven rookie.

Potential franchise quarterbacks are rarely had in the third round. And make no mistake about it, at only 28 years old, Kyle Orton could be a franchise quarterback in Miami. At this point, I would be surprised if the Dolphins don’t land him. It just makes too much sense. 

Before Free agency and trades begin, here a couple of names of coaches who might try to cover their ass through trades or free agency !

Coaches on the Hot Seat

Norv Turner



This team is way too talented to keep wasting it with underachieving teams led by Turner. It feels like its every year we say this is the year the Chargers can really contend yet it seems Turner is always holding them back

Tony Sparano



Our own coach! Even if some fans love the fist pump, Ross wants to win and win NOW! One home game win is simply not enough, Ross wants a playoff team and if Tony cant delivered he might get canned !

Gary Kubiak

Another underachieving team, if the Texans dont make the playoffs this year I think thats it for Gary. 

Jack Del Rio

Del Rio has done a nice job in Jacksonville but at some point every journey comes to and end and if the Jags arent in the playoffs it could be Del Rio's job.

Marv Lewis



I really dont feel the need to explain this, FIRE HIM already !


Dont be shocked if the coaches of these teams make big splashes in free agency or trade market in order to put a little water on the fire! These guys want to keep their jobs so they will do what they can to get instant success !


Next week I will have the TOP QB's on the Hot Seat, so stay tuned !! 

The signings are beginning to stream in at a pretty fluid rate tonight in undrafted free agency. Instead of making a separate post for each signing, I’m just going to continually update this post with every new undrafted rookie the Dolphins acquire. So be sure to keep hitting that refresh button to stay caught up to speed.

Not all of these “signings” have official sources. I’m going by the word on the street (a.k.a. twitter) for some. So don’t go marking any of these names down in pen until Miami is allowed to make these deals official tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.

-In their first post-lockout move, the Dolphins have reportedly addressed their pass rush and depth concerns at outside linebacker by agreeing to terms with Rutgers defensive end Jonathan Freeny who will convert to OLB in Mike Nolan’s 3-4 scheme.

-The Dolphins have reportedly added their first running back since drafting Daniel Thomas by agreeing to a deal with Arizona RB Nic Grigsby. He clocked as low as 4.38 in pre-draft workouts and appears to be Jeff Ireland's latest admission that the offense needs more big-play ability in 2011. 



-The Dolphins made arguably the biggest splash in undrafted free agency today, inking Delaware quarterback Pat Devlin. The 6-4, 220 pound FCS standout had a spectacular senior season, throwing for 22 TD's compared to only three picks and leading Delaware to the National Championship. 

Devlin  possesses solid accuracy in the short passing game, sound judgement, and capable mobility. His lack of arm stregth was the reason he went undrafted, though, as scouts have cautioned he may not be able to make every NFL throw. Still an intriguing project signing for the Dolphins.



-Offensive guard Garrett Chisolm, who played his college ball for Steve Spurrier at South Carolina, has reportedly struck a deal with Miami. Chisom has some versatility, as he's capable of filling in at tackle or guard for the Dolphins. Chisolm was a likely mid-to-late round pick before going down with a knee injury late in the year. 

-The Dolphins will address their depth at tight end tomorrow with former Nittany Lion Brett Brackett. Was a wide receiver/tight end tweener at Penn St., but will undoubtedly become a developmental pass-catching tight end in Miami. 

-Central Michigan cornerback Vince Agnew will reportedly compete for a roster spot in Miami. Agnew is obviously a small-school prospect, but he possesses NFL level measurables (4.38 40, 39.5 inch vert). 

-The Dolphins have agreed to terms with Nebraska offensive tackle D.J. Jones. The 6-5, 310-pound Jones started every game at right tackle for a very solid Cornhusker O-line a year ago. 

-Per @Omar Kelly: "The Dolphins plan to sign 11 undrafted rookie free agents, and one in the bunch will be a QB." 

-Courtesy of @Armando Salguero: "Miami Dolphins have reached agreement with undrafted free agent KR Phillip Livas of Louisiana Tech. He's 5-7 and 179. Runs 4.37."