Dolphins defensive end Derrick Shelby, one of several restricted free agents to receive a second-round RFA tender from his team, has signed that contract offer, and will officially return to Miami for the 2015 season, the team announced today (via Twitter).
By placing the second-round tender on Shelby, the Dolphins ensured that any other team hoping to sign the 26-year-old to an offer sheet would have to give up a second-round pick to land him. That decision essentially guaranteed that Shelby would return to the Fins. The one-year contract he signed today is worth $2.356MM, and will expire at season’s end, making him eligible for unrestricted free agency next March.
Shelby, a former undrafted free agent out of Utah, had 26 tackles, three sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception in part-time action for the Dolphins last season. Miami’s depth chart at defensive end features Cameron Wake, Olivier Vernon, and Dion Jordan, so Shelby likely won’t become a full-time contributor anytime soon, but managed to see nearly 400 defensive snaps last year.
Back in October, Shelby was arrested for trespassing and resisting arrest, prompting the Dolphins to suspend him. However, the team reinstated him just a week later, and Shelby presented a much different account of the night’s events than authorities did.