Fine print in contracts offers clues on several Dolphins. And personnel nuggets

▪ In the days after NFL teams sign a flurry of players, contract details are posted on a restricted portion of the player union’s web site. And the details in those contracts often provide interesting tea leaves. In the Dolphins case, nearly all of their 23 March pickups signed deals either at the league minimum or just a couple of hundred thousand dollars above the minimum. Because of NFL cap rules designed to aid veteran players, many of their cap hits are slightly lower than their salaries. What’s telling, in gauging Miami’s level of trust in each player’s chances of sticking, is how much money the Dolphins guaranteed in those contracts. A few that were notable: 1). The Dolphins guaranteed all or nearly all of the $1.4 million due edge player Joshua Uche, receiver Tutu Atwell, tight end Greg Dulcich’s and cornerback Darrell Baker, among others. The first three will assuredly make the team, barring something shocking. Baker probably will be too; his experience and length could be an asset even though he was one of the league’s less effective starting cornerbacks last season, ranked 86th of 112 qualifiers by Pro Football Focus. 2). The Dolphins guaranteed none of Riley Patterson’s $1.2 million salary and only $100,000 of Zane Gonzalez’s $1.3 million. So money won’t drive the decision on who wins the kicking job. 3). The Dolphins guaranteed only half of linebacker Willie Gay’s $1.2 million, which I found surprising. 4). Journeyman Lonnie Johnson is the most accomplished and experienced safety on what now stands (for now) as the team’s weakness position. But Miami guaranteeing only $187,500 of his $1.3 million suggests the Dolphins are hardly convinced he will even make the team. By contrast, Miami guaranteed $752,500 of the $1.4 million due safety and special teams ace Zayne Anderson, who impressed Sullivan in Green Bay. Johnson has 66 career starts; Anderson has two. But Anderson has great special teams value. The 30-year-old Johnson (the oldest of Miami’s 23 additions) has become a journeyman at this stage of his career; Anderson wouldn’t fit that description. 5). The Dolphins guaranteed just $50,000 of veteran edge rusher Cam Goode’s $1.1 million. So he’s hardly a cinch to make the team, despite his special teams value. 6). The Dolphins guaranteed not a penny of the $1.14 million due incumbents Ethan Bonner or Matthew Butler if they make the team. ▪ The Dolphins have five picks in the first three rounds (11, 43, 75, 87 and 90), and Omar Kelly and I had a brief discussion on the Dolphins In Depth podcast about whether Penn State quarterback Drew Allar would be worth considering with one of those two late third-round picks. Omar said yes. I need more convincing, only because Miami has so many more pressing needs and because the Dolphins need to see what Malik Willis (and to a lesser extent) Quinn Ewers can do. Allar could be the third quarterback taken behind very, very likely No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza and potential mid-to-late first-round pick Ty Simpson, who is considered QB-2 in this draft. Or Allar could be the fifth or sixth QB drafted. “Does he have more talent than Ty Simpson? Yes he does,” ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. said. “He’s 6-5, 228 pounds. He can make every NFL throw, and he has got the ability to beat you with his legs. He needs to be better decision maker, tie his feet to his upper half better, which will allow his accuracy to improve. “Those four games late in 2024, he struggled with accuracy issues. This year he fixed that and got hurt [in game six]. If you want to draw up a quarterback that is going to look the part in the NFL for a franchise quarterback, it would be Drew Allar. But [there are] accuracy issues, decision-making issues. He could be the third quarterback taken. He could be the sixth quarterback taken.” Allar threw 61 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing 63.2 percent of his passes in 45 games at Penn State, including 8 TDs and 3 picks last season before he sustained a broken left ankle while scrambling in an Oct. 11 game against Northwestern. ESPN’s Field Yates lamented that “he doesn’t play urgently enough in the pocket. Sometimes he can be a bit methodical. Don’t know that he always processes at a very high level.” ▪ Per Spotrac, $15.2 million of Jaylen Waddle’s $23.4 million salary in 2027 has now been guaranteed, via vesting mechanisms in his four-year, $77 million extension signed under the previous regime. Barring adjustments by both parties, his cap hit will jump from $11.6 million this coming season to $33.8 million in 2027. The Dolphins should be able to stomach that, because at the moment, they have $123 million in 2027 cap space, even counting Tua Tagovailoa’s $43.8 million dead money that year. ▪ If you’re keeping track of Dolphins departures, here’s where players landed: quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (Falcons), cornerback Kader Kohou (Chiefs), safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (Jets, via trade), safety Elijah Campbell (Giants), linebacker Bradley Chubb (Bills), linebacker KJ Britt (Patriots)... ▪ Those Dolphins free agents (or players released after the season) who don’t have a new team, alphabetically: linebacker Quinton Bell, guard Daniel Brunskill, cornerback Artie Burns, offensive lineman Yodny Cajuste, guard James Daniels, safety Ashtyn Davis, safety Rasul Douglas, offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg (recovering from knee injury)... Receiver Dee Eskridge, offensive lineman Obinna Eze, receiver Tyreek Hill (probably won’t sign until knee is fully recovered, Drew Rosenhaus said on WSVN-7) offensive lineman Germain Ifedi, defensive lineman Benito Jones, linebacker Caleb Johnson, cornerback Jack Jones, offensive tackle Kendall Lamm, running back Alexander Mattison (working his way back from a neck injury)... Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu, cornerback Kendall Sheffield, tight end Darren Waller, receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr., receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and quarterback Zach Wilson. ▪ Quick stuff: Dolphins cornerback Jack Jones received an additional $1.1 million as part of the NFL’s program that rewards players who outperform their contracts and meet certain conditions. That’s nearly as much as his $1.2 million salary last season… Southern Cal receiver Makai Lemon will be one of Miami’s 30 permitted pre-draft visits to team headquarters, per draft analyst Tony Pauline. Though he’s highly productive, he’s only 5-11, and the Dolphins are believed to be seeking a taller receiver for a room that has three veterans below 6-feet in Waddle, Malik Washington and Tutu Atwell.