Jay Ajayi

Dolphins Trade Jay Ajayi To Eagles

October 31st, 2017 at 8:30am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins have traded Jay Ajayi to the Eagles, according to announcements from both teams. Miami will receive a fourth-round pick in exchange for the running back.

Ajayi goes from the middling Dolphins to the first place Eagles to help shore up their running game. Heading into the season, Ajayi was viewed as one of the league’s most talented young backs, so the deal comes as an absolute shock. The Eagles are giving up very little for the 24-year-old in light of the numbers that he put up in 2016. Ajayi is also a bargain for this year and beyond. His contract calls for a $670K cap charge this year and a $760K cap charge in the following season. He does not have a fifth-year option at the end of his rookie deal since he’s a fifth-round pick, but the Eagles have plenty of time to lock him up between now and the spring of 2019, if they choose to do so.

Through seven games, Ajayi has not been quite as productive as expected. He has 465 yards off of 138 carries, good for a 3.4 yards per carry average. He also added 14 catches for 67 yards. He has yet to see the end zone either via the air or ground. That’s not necessarily a reflection on Ajayi, however, since Miami’s offense has been anything but stable this year. The Dolphins lured Jay Cutler out of his brief retirement to fill in for Ryan Tannehill, but Cutler’s rib injury led to Matt Moore taking over as the starter. As evidenced by Thursday night’s 40-0 blowout, that doesn’t make for an effective offense.

In Philadelphia, Ajayi is expected to team up with LeGarrette Blount to split lead back duties. So far this year, Blount has been the superior back with 467 yards off of 100 carries, giving him a strong 4.7 yards per carry average. He’s also found paydirt three times in total.

Next up for Ajayi and the Eagles is a Sunday tilt against the Broncos. After that, Philly’s newest acquisition gets a bye week before facing the rival Cowboys in Week 11.

AFC Rumors: Browns, Lynch, Broncos, Jets

October 21st, 2017 at 8:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Kenny Britt is now on thinner ice with the Browns despite his lucrative free agent deal, but there’s now a report that the Browns made an exception to their curfew policy. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports the Browns previously did not enforce their 11 p.m. curfew on injured players. Both Britt and Corey Coleman were declared out for the Texans game, and Schefter reports Britt did not get back to the team hotel until around 1:15 a.m. It’s unclear why the Browns apparently changed their policy, which resulted in Britt and Coleman being sent home. Although, Schefter reports the wideouts returned to Cleveland at the same time as their team. However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk doesn’t believe the team that employs Josh Gordon and the one that drafted Johnny Manziel would have a double standard like this, where injured players could stay out much longer than their teammates who are preparing to play.

Here’s the latest from around the AFC.

The NFL revealed Friday it planned to explore fines and a suspension for Marshawn Lynch, and it came forth with a one-game ban for the Raiders running back. However, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports the league will not impose any additional fines on Lynch — other than the docked game check he’ll miss if this suspension is upheld. Lynch stands to lose $110K, from a portion of his base salary and $500K roster bonus. The maximum fine he was facing, if the NFL didn’t go through with the suspension, was $60K.
The Broncos cut both Ahtyba Rubin and Kyle Peko from their 53-man roster this week, and some of the reasoning behind these moves centered on Zach Kerr improving to the point he can contribute after a lengthy injury absence, Mike Klis of 9News notes (on Twitter). Signed in March after the Colts non-tendered him, Kerr was expected to be a key rotation presence at defensive end and nose tackle prior to suffering a preseason knee malady. He’s played in one game for the Broncos this season.
A Muhammad Wilkerson release has emerged as a key Jets topic this week, and ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini indeed expects Gang Green to follow through with this after the season (Twitter link). Wilkerson has not been the same player since signing his landmark extension at the 2016 franchise tag deadline, with injuries playing a role in that. While the Jets would incur a $9MM dead-money charge — which could be spread out over multiple years if Wilkerson is a post-June 1 cut — they would also save $11MM by parting with the seventh-year veteran.
Jay Ajayi‘s chemistry with Jay Cutler may be suffering because of a chronic knee condition that keeps the Dolphins running back out of at least one practice per week, Roy Cummings of FloridaFootballInsiders.com notes. Miami OC Clyde Christensen said Ayaji’s condensed practice time is limiting his development as a pass-catcher. Ajayi has just seven receptions (on 12 targets) for 23 yards through five games. He wasn’t used much in the passing game last season, but the third-year running back remains productive on the ground with his 391 rushing yards ranking seventh in the league.

AFC East Notes: Brissett, Ajayi, Bills

August 13th, 2017 at 10:35am CST by Rory Parks

We heard last week that Jacoby Brissett‘s place on the Patriots‘ roster may not be safe, and Ben Volin of the Boston Globe doubled down on that report this week. Volin reiterated that Brissett’s performance in the spring and in training camp has left much to be desired, and he says it is fair to wonder whether the Patriots refused to deal Jimmy Garoppolo because they believe Garoppolo represents their future, or because they have no faith in Brissett should Tom Brady be forced to miss time (in truth, it is surely some combination of the two). In any event, Volin opines that New England may have to keep Garoppolo next year, even if that means putting the franchise tag on him (at an estimated $25-26MM cost). After all, the team will still be loaded with talent and should be a championship contender in 2018, but a Brady injury could waste all of that talent if the No. 2 QB cannot adequately replace him.

Now for more from the AFC East:

Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi is still in concussion protocol, but he did practice today and the team is excited about his progress, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets. Ajayai left practice early with a trainer, but that was due to a hydration issue, Jackson notes.
Dolphins second-round draft choice Raekwon McMillan, who was expected to see significant time at middle linebacker this season, tore his ACL while playing on the punt coverage team in Miami’s first preseason tilt Thursday night. He will now miss his entire rookie season, and head coach Adam Gase has been predictably criticized for using a player of McMillan’s importance on special teams. Roy Cummings of Florida Football Insiders believes such criticism is unwarranted, writing that a head coach cannot field kickoff, kickoff return, punt coverage, and punt return teams without playing first- or second-year guys. Likewise, you cannot expect those players to perform well on special teams in the regular season if they do not see live action in the preseason.
Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News offers his take on which wide receivers will make the Bills‘ roster after the team dealt Sammy Watkins and acquired Jordan Matthews. Skurski says Matthews, Zay Jones, and Anquan Boldin will make the club, which is a given, and he adds that Rod Streater is likely to earn a spot due to his excellent camp. Skurski says he currently projects Andre Holmes and Brandon Tate to round out the WR corps, but the fact that cutting Holmes could help the team land a high compensatory draft choice next season certainly works against him. If Holmes should be cut, Walter Powell could find himself on the 53-man come Week 1.
Christian Hackenberg played fairly well in the Jets‘ first preseason game last night, thereby creating more fodder for Gang Green’s starting QB discussion. But as Laura Albanese of Newsday writes, there are other competitions worth watching. For instance, the battle for the team’s starting center position is tighter than originally anticipated, as Jonotthan Harrison is putting pressure on presumed starter Wesley Johnson. Likewise, Albanese writes that Brent Qvale and Brandon Shell appear to be neck-and-neck in their race for the Jets’ right tackle job.

Dolphins Rumors: Tannehill, Pouncey, LBs

August 12th, 2017 at 4:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Adam Gase expects Ryan Tannehill to “absolutely” be ready for the 2018 season, the second-year coach said Saturday (via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald). Tannehill made the decision to undergo reconstructive knee surgery to repair a partially torn left ACL. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reported the Dolphins expect Tannehill to be back by the time they convene for training camp next summer. Gase said the sixth-year quarterback told him of the surgery decision in the past few days; it became final on Friday night. Tannehill will rehab with the Dolphins and at other facilities, Gase said. He was at Dolphins practice Saturday aiding Jay Cutler‘s assimilation, per Beasley.

Here’s the latest coming out of south Florida.

The Dolphins are monitoring the UFA linebacker market after Raekwon McMillan was lost with a torn ACL, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. This study will continue for a few weeks, Jackson said, until it’s determined if backup middle linebacker Mike Hull can handle the job. Jackson notes the Dolphins would also be open to adding a ‘backer via trade. Jackson adds Hull or an outside addition will be summoned for base-defense duty, since Lawrence Timmons and Kiko Alonso will be the Fins’ second-level cogs in nickel sets. This is Hull’s third season with the Dolphins. The ex-UDFA played in 16 games last season and started one. Gase said he likes the trio of Alonso, Timmons and Hull together. But that’s not set yet, it appears.
Mike Pouncey returned to 11-on-11 work for the first time since suffering the hip injury that shelved him for all but five games last season, Jackson reports. The three-time Pro Bowler had done individual work leading up to the return to team drills. A decision hasn’t been made if Pouncey will play in the preseason, but the 28-year-old snapper said he has no doubt he’ll return for Week 1.
Jay Ajayi suffered a concussion on July 31 and hasn’t returned to practice. The third-year running back remains in concussion protocol, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk reports. Smith notes the Dolphins would like to have Ajayi play some with Cutler in the preseason so the duo can begin to develop a rapport, but it’s uncertain when Ajayi will return. Miami did not make any major additions to its backfield corps this offseason. The team has Kenyan Drake and Damien Williams behind Ajayi.

AFC East Notes: Revis, Ajayi, Forte

September 18th, 2016 at 8:40am CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at some notes from the AFC East before the early slate of Week 2 games get underway:

Considering Darrelle Revis‘ much-discussed struggles over the first two weeks of the 2016 season, the Patriots‘ decision not to get into a bidding war over his services after the 2014 campaign is looking especially shrewd, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. New England was never going to come close to the five-year, $70MM pact Revis received from New York, as the Pats favored a contract with option bonuses that protected them financially in the event that Revis had a sharp decline. But the Patriots did receive a lot of criticism for not making more of an effort to re-sign Revis, and although it is far too early to say Revis will never regain any of his past form, New England’s approach is pretty tough to criticize right now.
Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi was left off the travel list for the team’s Week 1 matchup in Seattle, and Miami head coach Adam Gase reportedly made that decision to send a message to Ajayi about the second-year back’s lack of professionalism. Now, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), that message has been received and Ajayi will be active for today’s game. However, as the third running back on the Dolphins’ depth chart (per Roster Resource), it remains to be seen how much playing time Ajayi will actually receive.
The Jets need to be mindful of Matt Forte‘s workload, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com opines. Through two weeks, Forte has 52 rushing attempts, which puts him on pace for 416 at season’s end. As Cimini notes, 416 is the league record, which was set by a 26-year-old Larry Johnson in 2006. Forte, however, is 30, and New York would do well to protect its investment a bit better, especially since the team saw firsthand how Chris Ivory‘s heavy workload early in the 2015 season reduced his effectiveness down the stretch.
Although it’s never a good sign when a coach is fired after the second game of a season, we learned yesterday that Bills‘ players are generally excited about what the dismissal of OC Greg Roman could mean for the team’s offense.

AFC East Rumors: Roman, Dolphins, Patriots

September 17th, 2016 at 7:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Greg Roman‘s early-season dismissal has generated consistent fallout since the Bills and their OC parted ways on Friday. The latest comes from Bills sources who are glad the firing occurred.

“I haven’t talked to anybody that isn’t excited about the move,” a Bills source told Tom Pelissero of USA Today.

According to the sources, Bills players believed their offense lacked an identity, even as the team raced to the top of the NFL in rushing in 2015. They saw an offense that would change randomly from week to week instead of building on what was working, per Pelissero, leaving the team prone to three-and-outs when big plays didn’t occur.

Here’s the latest from the AFC East.

The Dolphins did not appear to like DeVante Parker‘s approach to healing a troublesome hamstring this offseason, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes. The second-year wideout’s nutritional habits were less than ideal, per Salguero, who adds the projected starter perhaps wasn’t doing enough in practice to prepare his muscles for game speed. Parker missed Week 1 with a hamstring injury.
Similarly, the team has soured somewhat on Jay Ajayi. The second-year ball-carrier was a healthy scratch against the Seahawks and, per Salguero, did not like being deployed in Miami’s fourth preseason game. Another undetermined Ajayi action at the Dolphins’ facility helped lead to Adam Gase leaving him off the travel list for Seattle, Salguero reports, and Gase wanted to send him a professionalism-fueled message. The first-year coach told media Ajayi showed more maturity since the benching, but the 2015 fifth-round pick who was the starter before Arian Foster‘s arrival delivered the same response to nine questions Friday in a two-minute interview, Salguero reports.
The Patriots paid out varying injury settlements to defensive lineman Frank Kearse, running back Tyler Gaffney and linebacker Kevin Snyder, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports. Kearse received $201K for what amounts to eight weeks of pay, with Gaffney’s Pats divorce netting the running back $117K, or six weeks’ salary, Volin reports. Snyder’s was just $25K (one week). The trio released from the Pats’ IR cannot sign with another team until their settlements pay out.
Former New England executive Michael Lombardi has indeed resurfaced in the media, accepting a position with Fox Sports. On a Friday appearance on the Bill Simmons Podcast, the former Pats front office staffer and Browns GM categorized Jimmy Garoppolo as a superior deep-ball thrower to Tom Brady. “[Garoppolo] does things really well and in the right scheme, in the right system, he can be really effective. He throws the ball vertically down the field better than [Brady] does,” Lombardi told Simmons (via Doug Kyed of NESN.com). “And he can make throws all over the field. He can move around.” Kyed points out the 39-year-old Brady ranks 36th of 45 qualified quarterbacks with at least 100 deep attempts since 2012.

Extra Points: Spiller, Vikings, Ajayi, Bynes

September 13th, 2016 at 9:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Former Saints running back C.J. Spiller told ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson that he was surprised by his release earlier today, but he insisted that he was leaving the organization on good terms.

“This organization really believed in me during free agency,” Spiller told Anderson (via Zac Jackson of ProFootballTalk.com). “They gave me another opportunity when my contract was up in Buffalo. I have nothing but good relationships that I have built here. It’s a first class organization that gives the players everything they need to be successful. So, I definitely don’t have any hard feelings.

“Now, I’m just going to wait for the next right opportunity. I still have a lot of football left in me. I’m pretty sure in the ext day or so, me and my agent will start getting in to it.”

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFL…

Following the release of Spiller, the Saints now have $40MM of dead money on their 2016 salary cap, tweets ESPN’s Field Yates. Meanwhile, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes that Spiller’s contract included offset language, so the team “will get credit for the first $1.6 million he earns in 2016 salary elsewhere.”
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer acknowledged that quarterback Shaun Hill did well during Sunday’s win over the Titans, but he added (via Vikings.com) that the team is taking the quarterback situation “one week at a time.” It’s uncertain if the coaching staff is leaning towards Hill or Sam Bradford for this weekend’s game against the Packers.
After being inactive for the Dolphins‘ first game of the season, running back Jay Ajayi may have an opportunity to redeem himself. Coach Adam Gase said the second-year player is starting with a clean slate heading into the second week of the season. “We’re back to basically [where] he’s back in meetings, he’s back in the building,” Gase said (via ESPN.com’s James Walker). “We left him back. That was my decision and we’ve cleaned that up. We’ll move past that and basically this is a new day for him today.”
Linebacker Josh Bynes‘ injury settlement with the Lions is for four weeks, a source tells PFR (Twitter link). As such, Bynes wouldn’t be able to re-sign with Detroit until late October, given that he’s required to sit out for the duration of the settlement plus an additional three weeks. Those stipulations only apply to a potential reunion with the Lions, as Bynes an sign with another club at any time.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC East Notes: Gilmore, Butler, Ajayi, Bills

May 22nd, 2016 at 6:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore will not attend the club’s OTA sessions as he angles for a new contract, sources tell Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News. General manager Doug Whaley said in February that a Gilmore extension was a “priority,” and he reiterated earlier this month that the Bills’ long-term discussions with Gilmore (and several other players) would become more important now that the draft has passed. As Dunne details, Gilmore — who could use Josh Norman, Janoris Jenkins, and Darrelle Revis as comparables in talks — shouldn’t be considered a “holdout” unless he sits out mandatory camp activities in mid-June.

Here’s more from Buffalo and the rest of the AFC East…

“I’m not going to discuss that right now,” Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler said of his contract status while appearing on WEEI yesterday. “Whenever the time comes, it comes. I’m a football player. I’m not a GM.” Butler, 26, will play out his rookie deal in 2016 before becoming a restricted free agent following the 2017 campaign, so New England has some time before it truly needs to make a decision on its defensive back. Still, the Chandler Jones trade was thought to be made with an eye towards freeing up future cap space in order to retain Butler, Dont’a Hightower, and Jamie Collins, so it would be an upset if the Patriots and Butler didn’t come to an agreement at some point.
Speaking on WQAM in Miami, Dolphins head coach Adam Gase said that second-year running back Jay Ajayi is the man to beat in the club’s backfield rotation. “He’s been one of those guys he’s been here every day,” Gase said of Ajayi, according to Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel. “The rest of that group has done a good job to try and keep up with him, but obviously he’s kind of separated himself from that group as far as the consistency of what he does day in and day out.” Ajayi is part of a contingent, including Damien Williams, Daniel Thomas, rookie Kenyan Drake, and others, that will try to replace Lamar Miller, who left for the Texans in free agency.
One major area of weakness for the Bills is the right side of their offensive line, where John Miller is projected to play at guard while a cavalcade of players — including Cyrus Kouandjio, Seantrel Henderson, and Jordan Mills — is expected to compete for time. Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News analyzes the club’s offensive line as a whole, opining that Kouandjio, in particular, could be looking at his final opportunity to hold his roster spot. Louis Vasquez, Will Beatty, and Ryan Wendell are a few of the best offensive lineman remaining on the open market where the Bills to look for an outside addition. Free agent guard Jahri Evans is another option (and has already taken a visit with Buffalo), but a March report indicated that the club would not be signing him.

Extra Points: Raiders, Vegas, Fins, Cowboys, Orlando

May 19th, 2016 at 9:03pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee will meet again next Thursday to discuss potential funding for a Raiders stadium in Las Vegas, reports Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link). A $1.4 billion domed stadium has already been proposed, and one NFL owner said last week that the chances of the Raiders relocating to Las Vegas could be anywhere from 50 percent to 75 percent.

Dolphins Rumors: Gase, Ajayi, Williams

March 22nd, 2016 at 8:28am CST by Zachary Links

This offseason, the Dolphins whiffed multiple times on running back targets. The Dolphins saw Lamar Miller depart in free agency, signing a four-year deal with the Texans. Miami then attempted to land restricted free agent C.J. Anderson, but the Broncos ultimately decided to match Anderson’s four-year, $18MM offer sheet from the Fins. And, just days ago, they saw Chris Johnson re-sign with the Cardinals, despite having made the more lucrative offer of the two teams.

What’s the plan now? The only certainty is that rising sophomore Jay Ajayi will play a significant role, coach Adam Gase told reporters on Tuesday morning.

“We’re looking to have more than one guy. Jay is going to be a big part of what we’re going to do,” Gase said (Twitter link via Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald).

Here are the highlights from Gase’s chat with reporters:

In addition to Ajayi, the Dolphins could add running backs through the draft and the later stages of free agency, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald tweets.
When asked about new addition Mario Williams, Gase said “we’re going to see a different guy” than what Williams showed in Buffalo last year (link via Salguero).
Gase acknowledged that the Dolphins need more depth at cornerback (link via Beasley), though it’s not easy to find talent at that position.
Gase said he was fine with the Eagles trade since it netted them two starting players and will still allow them to grab a third starter at No. 13 overall (Twitter link via James Walker of ESPN.com).
Gase said he has a lot of trust in defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. Meanwhile, Gase will be heavily involved with play calling on offense (link via Walker). That means offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen might have less control than your average OC. Gase also said that he is very involved in personnel (link via Salguero).
When asked if the Dolphins are rebuilding, Gase replied, “I don’t see us as a rebuilding team,” (link via Salguero).

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