Dolphins Give Wake a Major Raise!

Gayle Saunders
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Dolphins have finally come to their senses by signing Cameron Wake to a four-year, $49 million extension through 2016.

In Wake’s deal he will get $20 million guaranteed. After sitting out a portion of OTAs the Dolphins gave Wake the raise he was looking for. His current salary was only 615,000 and at the age of 30, he knows that in order for him to get paid the time is now. He was entering the final year of the four-year, $4.9 million deal he signed in 2009.

The Skinny: When your one of the best 3-4 outside linebackers in the game, you should be paid like one. Wake has 28 sacks and four forced fumbles in 31 starts. In the Kevin Coyle’s 4-3 scheme he will be converted to a right defensive end. Lets hope he still continues to bring the heat in the 4-3.

Dolphins: Meet The 2012 Draft Class

ROUND 1: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

The Dolphins hadn’t drafted a franchise quarterback since Dan Marino in 1983 and hadn’t found a consistent signal-caller since Marino retired in 2000, but Tannehill ideally changes all of that. He reunites with college coach Mike Sherman, now the Dolphins’ offensive coordinator, and will eventually take over as the team’s starter.

However, Tannehill is a raw prospect, with just 19 career starts at quarterback. In contrast, he had 30 at wide receiver, where he played his first two years at Texas A&M. He needs a lot of work on decision-making and reading defenses.

His role for 2012 probably involves a clipboard and a headset. Tannehill is the Dolphins’ quarterback of the future, but he is not ready to step into a starting job, having played QB for just a season and a half in college.

The Dolphins have two veterans under contract in Matt Moore and David Garrard, so they don’t have any pressure to play Tannehill this season. Both veterans will be free agents after the 2013 season, clearing the way for Tannehill.

ROUND 2: Jonathan Martin, T, Stanford

Martin started 37 games at left tackle at Stanford, but will be switched to right tackle in Miami, which already has Jake Long. He’s got long, 34-inch arms, but at only 305 pounds, represents a shift to a lighter, more athletic offensive line that will utilize a zone blocking scheme in Joe Philbin’s new offense.

The Dolphins didn’t draft Martin to sit him on the bench. Right tackle was one of the biggest holes last year, with now-retired Marc Colombo allowing his fair share of the Dolphins’ 52 sacks last year, third-most in the NFL. Expect Martin to beat out Lydon Murtha and Artis Hicks and start at right tackle from Day 1.

Round 3: Olivier Vernon, DE, Miami (Fla.)

The Dolphins need a pass rusher, and go with the local kid who possesses a ton of talent but didn’t show it on the field in college. Vernon, who is 6-2 and 261 pounds, will help replace Jason Taylor in the lineup and ideally take pressure off Cameron Wake. But he had just 1.5 sacks in 2011 after sitting out six games due to suspension in relation to the Nevin Shapiro scandal.

The Dolphins need Vernon to make an instant impact, though he may not be a starter right away. The Dolphins also have Jared Odrick, Jamaal Westerman and Jason Trusnik to help rush the passer, but Westerman and Trusnik are more backup types, and Odrick is better used as an interior pass rusher.

Round 3: Michael Egnew, TE, Missouri

Patriots coach Bill Belichick has made tight end the trendy new position on offense, and the Dolphins picked up a dynamic one in Egnew, who caught 140 passes for 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns over his past two seasons. Joe Philbin often ran three- and even four-tight end sets when he was in Green Bay, and the Dolphins now have three dynamic ones in Anthony Fasano, Charles Clay and Egnew.

Tight end is a position that can generally have an instant impact, and Egnew, who is 6-5 and 252 pounds, should be an instant red zone target for Matt Moore or whoever plays quarterback. In fact, Egnew might even replace Fasano, who is entering the final year of his contract and has a cap number of $4.375 million.

ROUND 4: LAMAR MILLER, RB, Miami (Fla.)

The shifty 212-pound tailback makes the Dolphins’ backfield a bit crowded with Reggie Bush, Daniel Thomas and Steve Slaton also in the mix. But Miller, who rushed for 1,272 yards on 5.6 yards per carry, should split carries in the backfield this year and help out on kick returns, as well.

ROUND 5: JOSH KADDU, OLB, Oregon

The Dolphins have been looking for weakside linebackers all spring, and added another one to the mix in Kaddu, a two-year starter for the Ducks. Kaddu needs to add a little weight to his 235-pound frame, but will likely compete with free agent Gary Guyton and three-year veteran Koa Misi for the third starting spot next to Karlos Dansby and Kevin Burnett. Kaddu will also help out on special teams.

ROUND 6: B.J. CUNNINGHAM, WR, Michigan State

The Dolphins traded away former No. 1 receiver Brandon Marshall, but didn’t pursue any receivers in free agency and waited until the sixth round in the draft to take Cunningham, the Spartans’ all-time leading receiver (218 catches and 3,086 yards). He will join Roberto Wallace, Marlon Moore, Legedu Naanee, Clyde Gates and Julius Pruitt in the battle for the final three receiver spots behind Davone Bess and Brian Hartline.

ROUND 7: KHEESTON RANDALL, DT, Texas

The Dolphins are pretty well stacked at defensive tackle in their new 4-3 defense, with Randy Starks, Paul Soliai, Jared Odrick, Tony McDaniel and Ryan Baker already in tow. Randall is likely a candidate for the practice squad, but could crack the final 53 if the Dolphins cut McDaniel to shave some salary.

ROUND 7: RISHARD MATTHEWS, WR, Nevada

Matthews, who had 140 catches for Nevada in two seasons after transferring from junior college, will compete with a glut of receivers for one of the final receiver spots. Most likely, he’s a candidate for the practice squad.

Pre Draft Visits: Miami Dolphins

By Gayle Saunders
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League rules allow each team to bring in 30 players for predraft visits. No on-field work is allowed. The visits are simply an opportunity for the players to sit down with the coaches, as well as the personnel people, for any additional questions, football or otherwise.

Not every player accepts every invitation he receives, so teams don’t always get the first 30 players they requested. But coaches often will look at video with players to get a sense of their football awareness, or put them to work, marker in hand, on the dry-erase board to see how they dissect certain game situations.

One important fact to note from last years draft is, 21 of the NFL’s 32 1st round selections had confirmed pre-draft visits and/or workouts with the NFL teams they were selected by. So there is a good shot that he players below will get drafted if they’re on the board during the teams draft selection.

Below we’ll be updating the chart of pre-draft visits, if you have a player visit you’d like us to add to the chart leave a comment and I’ll add it. Thanks for your help in advance!

LAST UPDATED 4/20/12

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Brock Osweiler- QB from Arizona State
Matt Blanchard – QB from Wisconsin-Whitewater
Robert Griffin III -QB from Baylor
Chris Rainey -RB University of Florida
Zach Brown -RB from Pittsburgh
Travis Cadet -RB from Appalacian State
Justin Blackmon – WR from Oklahoma State
Michael Floyd -WR from Notre Dame
LoMohamed Sanu -WR from Rutgers
Rueben Randle – WR from LSU
Darius Reynolds -WR from Iowa State
Patrick Edward -WR from Houston
Ladarius Green – TE from Louisiana-Lafayette
Coby Fleener – TE from Stanford
Adrien Robinson -TE from Cincinnati
Brandon Brooks -G from Miami (Ohio)
David Gonzales – T/G from Washington State
Desmond Wynn – G from Rutgers
Tyler Horn – C from Miami
Levy Adcock -OT from Oklahoma State
Bobby Massie – OT from Ole Miss
Kelechi Osemele- OT from Iowa State
Desmond Wynn -OL from Rutgers
Michael Brockers -DT from LSU
Quinton Coples – DE from North Carolina
Melvin Ingram -DE from South Carolina
Chandler Jones – DE from Syracuse
Lavonte David – LB from Nebraska
Bruce Irvin -LB from West Virginia
Korey Toomer -LB from Idaho
Bobby Wagner -LB from Utah State
Trumaine Johnson – CB from Montana
Morris Claiborne – CB from LSU
Antonio Fenelus -CB from Wisconsin
Chris Greenwood – CB from Albion
Jayron Hosley -CB from Virginia Tech
Brandon Hardin -CB from Oregon State
Dre Kirkpatrick – CB from Alabama
Janoris Jenkins -CB from North Albama/Florida
Brandon Taylor -S from LSU

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Wake Moving Closer & Closer to a Hold Out

Gayle Saunders
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Miami Dolphins and their playmaking defensive end will probably not be seeing eachother anytime soon, as Cameron Wake was absent for the beginning of OTAs today.

Even though workouts are not mandatory at this time, Wake is setting the tone for the off season and he’s hoping the front office takes notice. Right now Wake is being paid $615,000 as his base salary, and will forfeit his offseason $50,000 workout bonus. The Dolphins have assured Wake they will give him an increase in his paycheck, but as they say money talks, and as of now he hasn’t seen aything. Wake, who played at Penn State, signed a four-year deal with Miami out of the CFL in which he averages just about $650,000 a season. When he signed with the Dolphins he also received $500,000.

The Skinny: When you have 32 sacks in the past three seasons and your team doesn’t recognize the value you bring to the table, you have to do what you gotta do. At Wakes age he still plays with a high motor and has much left in the tank, in my opinion. I’m sure Wake sees guys such as Mario Williams, Julius Peppers, Trent Cole and Charles Johnson making bank. With the heat he’s been bringing to QB’s doorsteps the last couple of years, Its time he got his piece of the pie.

Is Ryan Tannenhill the Browns Plan B at QB?

Gayle Saunders
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The Browns have been adamant with the media about Colt McCoy as their starter for the 2012 season, But that doesn’t mean they have a plan b in the works.

That plan b, could turn out to be Ryan Tannehill who will be one of the 30 prospects who will visit with the Cleveland Browns. There have been mixed feelings with Browns Nation these days, as to who should be the starter for the Browns. Is it “Team McCoy” or “Team Draft Somebody Else”? Since they recently failed to land the number two spot to land RGIII, the Browns have some options in this coming draft.

“We’re most likely going to stay at No. 4, and we know we’ll get a really good player there,” Heckert said Monday, according to The Plain Dealer. “But there’s about five guys we really like, so we would consider trading down — but probably only to five, six, seven or eight.”

The Skinny: The Browns could trade back in the draft to acquire more picks. Could the Browns be blowing smoke at attempting to draft Tannehill only to drive up the value, so someone can try and trade and move up.(cough cough desperate Miami) Or they could easily draft Richardson or Blackmon at the number 4 spot and still land Tannehill with the 22nd pick, but its likely that Miami could reach for Tannehill if he’s there at 8. Who will challenge McCoy next season at QB is still a big question mark.

Alex Smith Re-signs with the 49ers

Gayle Saunders
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After Smith’s brief tour of Miami, the 49ers have re-signed Alex Smith to a three-year contract which will pay him $8 million annually. The contract has $16.5 million guaranteed. If Smith plays out this new contract he could make up to $33 million.

The 49ers flirted with the idea of bringing in Manning and most likley had to pay up for the flirtation. The backlash had Smith flirting with the Dolphins who were willing to pay for Smith’s services. The Dolphins basically sweetened the pot and Smith returned home to the 49ers. So much for a Alex Smith and Reggie Bush high school reunion.

The Skinny: The 49ers still have a solid team under Jim Harbaugh that have totally bought into his system. Question here is , does Harbaugh still have Smith’s trust after the 49ers kept him dangling in the wind?

I’m still not sold on the idea that bringing back Alex Smith improves the 49ers passing game. The organization has brought in extra weapons in Randy Moss and Mario Manningham, so the jury is till out on Smith. But haven’t we been saying that for years about Alex Smith? At least he has a running game to back him up…which is the positive here.

Broncos Plan to Trade Tim Tebow

Gayle Saunders
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Adam Schefter is reporting that the Broncos are planning to trade Tim Tebow now that Peyton Manning has to decided to sign with the Broncos.

With the Broncos about to sign Manning, the only option to dismantle the circus known as “Tebowmania” is to trade Tebow asap. Denver’s front office will most likely not let Tebow be a back up to Manning, as it will only cause distraction to the Broncos.

The Skinny: The obvious suitors could be the Jaguars and Dolphins for Tebow’s services. Jacksonville and the Gators supporters would love to come out and support the University of Florida Alum. Coach John Fox and John Elway are extremely pleased to have an “out” with Tebowmania. They can now focus their energy on bringing the Broncos another championship with a bona fide star in Peyton Manning. If the Broncos have a healthy Peyton Manning to play for them…they just got extremely good!

Alex Smith & Dolphins in Negotiations

Gayle Saunders
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Looks like a one time 49er is now negotiating with the Dolphins. That 49er would be free agent Alex Smith, who is looking for an annual paycheck of $8 million if he signs with the Dolphins.

With Manning and Flynn looking elsewhere, the Dolphins franchise is in a desperate state of QB envy. Could the Dolphins really be breaking the bank for the sake of just getting a new quarterback? Flynn received $6.33 million from the from the Seahawks and from the looks of it Flynn is the more talented QB of the two. The big problem for the Dolphins is they could actually be overpaying, if they sign Smith.

The Skinny: The Dolphins left Flynn playing second fiddle while drooling over the thought of Peyton Manning and I’m sure that didn’t sit well with Flynn. When you’re looking for your qb of the future you best make him feel special and “wanted” When the Dolphins have Matt Moore…is Smith really the route you want to go? The obvious thought of fans is to get better at the position not remain the same. I hope for all Dolphins fans out there they finally get a “franchise” qb that fits, because I’m not quite sure Alex Smith is the right fit.

Brandon Marshall traded to the Bears!

Gayle Saunders
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Looks like Batman got his Robin as Jay Cutler has reunited with Brandon Marshall in Chicago!

Dolphins traded Marshall to the Bears for two third round picks, one pick in 2012 and another pick in 2013. Cutler finally has the number one receiver he’s been wanting.

A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Marshall is coming off a strong season. He finished with 81 catches for 1,214 yards, his fifth consecutive season with 1,000 yards. Marshall had only six touchdowns, but he averaged a healthy 15 yards per catch. Numbers aren’t to bad figuring he played with Matt Moore and Chad Henne.

Marshall, who will turn 28 on March 23, has three years left on a five-year, $47.3 million contract he signed in 2010. His contract calls for him to make $9.3 million next season.

Sun-Times asked Marshall about ­reuniting with his former Denver Broncos teammate Jay Cutler and if would ever appeal to him back in January.

“Maybe down the road, we may have some extra picks, and we may be able to trade for him,” Marshall said. “But we have a quarterback in place in Matt Moore. He did an amazing job [in the] second half of the season, and where we go from there we’ll see. But Jay is a special talent, and he’s a great friend.”

Marshall said he and Cutler stay in touch.

“We’re very good friends,” Marshall said. “Cutler, man, he’s an amazing guy. He’s probably got one of the biggest hearts. I played with Cutler at a time when I was very young and immature, and his guidance and leadership helped me not fall off the deep end. So Cutler is a very special ­person to me.”

The Skinny: You can def rule out a Vincent Jackson signing after the Cutler/Marshall reunion. Looks like the two have alot to catch up on.

Dolphins will not offer Henne a New Contract

By Gayle Saunders
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The Miami Dolphins will not offer former second-round pick Chad Henne a new contract when the quarterback reaches unrestricted free agency, league sources told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Tuesday.

Henne said in January that his shoulder was healing well and he wanted to remain with the Dolphins.

“I love being down here, and hopefully I get another opportunity,” Henne said. “If not, I’ll try my luck elsewhere. Obviously I want to be a starter, and I feel I can be in this league.”

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