Miami Dolphins News

The Miami Dolphins have officially agreed to send a 2026 sixth-round draft selection in exchange for former New York Giants tight end Darren Waller and a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. This trade seemingly came out of nowhere, directly following the announcement that Miami had traded Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Waller posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2019 and 2020, but he did not eclipse 700 yards in 2021, 2022, and 2023 before taking the 2024 season off. While he should not be expected to be a high-end TE1, the tight end spot is always shallow, meaning he could find his way onto the fantasy football radar in 2025. A mid-range TE2 or even low-end TE1 season is not out of the realm of possibilities. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle present fierce target competition, but they also open the middle of the field up with their explosive skill sets.

The Miami Dolphins have reached out to free-agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., according to the Miami Herald. The organization dealt All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for All-Pro and former Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick last week, so they are in the market for a veteran corner. Samuel was a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Florida State by the Los Angeles Chargers. In 50 career games, he tallied 176 tackles (148 solo), 37 pass deflections, six interceptions, and one fumble recovery. A significant shoulder injury limited the 25-year-old to just four games in 2024.

Miami Dolphins linebacker Grayson Murphy could provide situational or rotational pass-rush depth if he continues his production from offseason workouts into training camp this summer, writes ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques. Murphy made splash plays during spring practices on a team that features pass-rushers Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips and Chop Robinson. It's been difficult for Chubb, Phillips and Robinson to stay healthy, and Murphy also landed on Injured Reserve with a knee injury in August after signing as an undrafted free agent last year. The 24-year-old is healthy now, though, and appears primed to serve in a backup role at outside linebacker for Miami's defense in 2025.

The Miami Dolphins are finalizing a trade with the New York Giants on Tuesday for former Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller, who is coming out of retirement, sources tell NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Waller retired last summer after catching 52 of his 74 targets for 552 yards and just one touchdown in 12 games (11 starts) with the G-Men in 2023. Miami was desperate for an addition at tight end after trading Jonnu Smith and cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Dolphins and Giants are also swapping late-round draft picks in the Waller trade. Waller will turn 33 in September and hasn't played more than 12 games since his Pro Bowl season in 2020, but he should automatically become Miami's top pass-catching tight end. The volume alone should make him at least a TE2 target with upside in fantasy, but don't expect him to replicate Smith's numbers from last year in Miami.

Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is being traded to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for cornerback Jalen Ramsey, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Ramsey trade was announced just before it was known that Fitzpatrick was part of the deal. The 28-year-old was originally selected by the Dolphins in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Alabama, but he was dealt to Pittsburgh after just one season with the organization. Overall, the three-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection has tallied 608 tackles (400 solo), 20 interceptions, 54 pass deflections, five forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, and four defensive touchdowns in 106 career games.

ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques writes that Miami Dolphins rookie first-round defensive tackle Kenneth Grant has impressed during offseason workouts with his work ethic and mentality away from the football field. Head coach Mike McDaniel said that Grant "works endlessly" at the stuff he's asked to do. "You're hitting a home run with the team when a first-round draft pick comes in with that mindset, so we can work with that and veterans know you can count on that," McDaniel said. "There's been ebbs and flows like for every rookie, but what I've seen from him, I've seen production where he wins based on technique and fundamentals early in the snap, and I've seen late-down wins where he's straining and utilizing grit and finish to make plays." The 21-year-old is a hulking figure at 6-foot-3, 331 pounds and should quickly settle in as a full-time starter on the interior to help replace Christian Wilkins.

ESPN's Adam Schefter said on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday that Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey "would like to go to the West Coast, to Los Angeles -- Rams, Chargers, somewhere like that." The Dolphins have been looking to trade Ramsey since early April due to a relationship that has deteriorated, but nothing has come to fruition yet. The 30-year-old seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro and the Rams have mutual interest in a reunion; Ramsey played in L.A. from 2019-2022 before joining Miami the last two years. He's scheduled to make a fully guaranteed $24.235 million in 2025, and it seems likely the Dolphins will have to eat some of that money to facilitate a trade. A Ramsey trade should happen before training camp starts in roughly a month. Despite being 30, Ramsey is still playing at a high level and would be a big upgrade to a secondary wherever he lands.

Miami Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb (knee) said he is fully healed from the knee injuries that forced him to miss all of last season. He has been a disruptive force from the moment he return to the field for voluntary organized team activities, and that continued into mandatory minicamp, according to ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques. If he can stay healthy in 2025 alongside pass-rushers Chop Robinson and Jaelan Phillips, Chubb could have a nice bounce-back season. Chubb tore his ACL, meniscus and patellar tendon in Week 17 of the 2023 season, but it's promising to see that he's already looking back to his pre-injury form. The 28-year-old former fifth overall pick by the Denver Broncos in 2018 out of North Carolina State had a career-high 73 tackles (45 solo), 11 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, 22 QB hits and a league-high six forced fumbles in 16 starts before his injury in 2023.

Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said that contract talks were "still fluid." "Nothing has been resolved yet. It's still an ongoing situation." After a career year in 2024 in which Smith set franchise records for the tight end position, he's angling for an extension heading into the final year of his deal in 2025 and was a no-show at mandatory minicamp as a result. Miami would like to retain the 29-year-old, but if the two sides can't get something done before the start of the regular season this fall, it's possible that he'll be traded. Smith finished last year with 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns, ironically with Miami's offense taking a step back overall. If he remains in South Beach this year, Smith should remain a big part of the offense, but fantasy managers should probably expect a step back as a midrange TE1.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (undisclosed) has been working through an undisclosed injury during the offseason but feels ready to push himself. He said it has been an adjustment learning a new offense and is working to carve out a role behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. It sounds as though the 28-year-old pass-catcher will be ready to roll for training camp this summer. The former undrafted free agent out of Indiana had his best season in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans last year, catching 32 of his 60 targets for 497 yards and nine touchdowns in 17 games (nine starts) in his fifth year in the league. Nobody could really explain Westbrook-Ikhine's outlier season in 2024 in a bad Titans offense after he had 1,276 yards and 10 TDs his first four years. He does have a nose for the end zone and is moving to a better offense, but a repeat of last year is unlikely.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is prioritizing his health in 2025 and also said that the hip injury that ended his season in Week 17 of last year started to "feel a little better" in February and won't be an issue going forward. "Doing everything I can to stay available for the guys," Tagovailoa said after signing a four-year, $212.1 million contract extension. The third diagnosed concussion of his career sidelined him for four games last year before he was shut down for the final two games with a hip injury. In addition to the 27-year-old's missed time due to injuries in 2024, Miami's offense was less explosive in general, and Tagovailoa finished with 2,867 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and seven picks in 11 starts. He still has an excellent receiver combo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but Tagovailoa's concussion history makes him an avoidable fantasy QB in standard 12-team leagues.

Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith and cornerback Jalen Ramsey are not present for the start of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, according to head coach Mike McDaniel. Neither Smith nor Ramsey attended voluntary OTAs, either. Smith is seeking a new deal after setting franchise marks at the TE position last year with an 88-884-8 line in 17 games. Meanwhile, the Dolphins are fully expected to trade Ramsey this offseason due to a relationship that has soured. The 29-year-old Smith is heading into the final year of a two-year contract, but he wants to stick around in Miami, so this is something that could get worked out before the start of the 2025 season. Smith's fantasy value as a midrange TE1 will be strongest if he sticks in Miami as one of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's top targets next to wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (wrist) started catching passes during individual drills at mandatory minicamp on Tuesday for the first time since having offseason wrist surgery, according to NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe. Hill is just starting to get comfortable catching again, but it's a step in the right direction, and the Dolphins hope he's able to resume team drills in training camp this summer. The 31-year-old speedy wideout had multiple surgeries on a wrist injury that bothered him throughout the 2024 season, although he didn't miss any games because of it. Miami's offense wasn't the same explosive unit we saw in previous seasons, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's injuries didn't help. The Cheetah is now more of a low-end WR1/high-end WR2 target after going for an 81-959-6 line in 17 starts in 2024. RotoBaller has the five-time All-Pro ranked as the No. 14 fantasy wideout.

Miami Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright worked hard on his body in the offseason after fading down the stretch in his rookie season in 2024 with just nine carries for six yards in the final five games. "Just working hard in the offseason, working on my body," Wright said. "I probably added about, probably six pounds. I lost a lot of body fat. I gained a lot of muscle. That's why it might look like I'm a little bigger, but yeah, just off-season, working hard, focusing on my body, getting prepared for the season, so." The 22-year-old was taken in the fourth round (120th overall) last year out of Tennessee but had a limited role down the stretch behind De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert, finishing with 249 rushing yards and no touchdowns on 68 total carries in 15 games (one start). With Mostert out of town, Wright has a clear path to RB2 duties, and his big-play abilities make him a nice handcuff option to Achane.

As the Miami Dolphins and star cornerback Jalen Ramsey continue to work on a trade, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Ramsey isn't planning on attending mandatory minicamp this week, according to sources. Nothing is imminent on a Ramsey trade, but the 30-year-old seven-time Pro Bowler appears likely to be playing for a different team come Week 1 this fall. It's not a money issue, but rather a relationship issue with the Dolphins. A return to the Los Angeles Rams is possible for the former fifth overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders could also be in play to land Ramsey. In his second year with the Dolphins last year, Ramsey had 60 tackles (39 solo), a sack, six tackles for loss, two interceptions and 11 pass breakups in 17 starts.

Per the team, the Miami Dolphins have signed defensive lineman Ben Stille to a one-year, $1.1 million contract. The 27-year-old has bounced around the league quite a bit in his three campaigns, joining the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2022, but splitting time with them and the Cleveland Browns that season. Then, he'd join the Arizona Cardinals in 2023 and spend some of 2024 with the Cards and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 18 career appearances (one start), he's racked up 17 tackles (seven solo), 2.0 sacks, one pass defensed, one tackle for loss, and one fumble recovery. Stille seems set for a depth role on the organization's defensive front if he makes the cut.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (wrist) will not be cleared to catch passes until August. The 31-year-old wideout is working his way back from wrist surgery he underwent earlier in the offseason. This wrist injury bothered Hill at times during the 2024 campaign, but he did not miss any games. Last season, Hill had a disappointing campaign by his standards as he tallied just 959 yards and six scores on 81 receptions. Hill saw his production drop with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa missing time with a concussion. During his first two seasons in Miami, Hill was an elite wideout in fantasy as he tallied at least 1,700 yards per season and found the back of the end zone 21 total times. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression during training in camp, in case he faces any setbacks. If Hill were to miss time with this injury, fantasy managers should expect Jaylen Waddle and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who the team acquired in free agency, to operate as the top wideouts. Even though he had a down season in 2024, given his elite speed, Hill should be well-positioned to return to form in 2025, provided he remains fully healthy.

Miami Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright carried the ball only 68 times for 249 yards and caught three of his six targets for eight yards in his first year in the NFL in 2024. However, it was a learning experience for Wright behind Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane. With Mostert now with the Raiders, Wright is expected to carry more of the load in 2025 next to Achane. Wright is bigger than Achane, has great long speed and excels in pass protection, and he has shown a hunger for a bigger role so far in organized team activities. The second-year RB also added six pounds of muscle in the offseason. With the Dolphins committed to improving their ground game this year -- they invested in the interior of their offensive line in the offseason -- it will only help Wright's cause in his sophomore season. If Achane were to miss time due to injury in 2025, Wright would immediately become a must-start RB in fantasy.

The NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe says that both the Miami Dolphins and tight end Jonnu Smith want to continue their relationship in 2025. However, Smith has been a trade candidate of late because he's looking for a new deal after posting the best season ever for a tight end in Miami with 88 catches on 111 targets for 884 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games (six starts) in 2024. The two sides prefer to try and work something out first, but if negotiations go sideways, we could see a trade. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the one team that we know has had talks with Miami about Smith as they look for more TE depth following the torn Achilles for Donald Parham Jr. Even before the injury to Parham, the Steelers were looking for another playmaker to join receiver DK Metcalf. Although Smith has familiarity with Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, for fantasy purposes, his ceiling is probably higher in Miami.

The Palm Beach Post's Joe Schad writes that it appears Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is embracing the challenge to take complete command and become more of a leader in the same offense and under the same head coach for a fourth consecutive season. "(Tua) had the most ownership of all the players on each and every down," head coach Mike McDaniel said during the second week of organized team activities. The former first-rounder came into the league with a propensity to defer to older players, but that's not the case now as he heads into Year 6 in the NFL. "Tua in Year 6, he's definitely a lot more confident and decisive on and off the field," tackle Austin Jackson said. The 27-year-old's 2024 season was derailed by concussion and hip injuries, and he could be one more concussion away from his career being over. But if Tagovailoa can stay healthy, he has the weapons to at least be in the low-end QB1 picture.