Minkah Fitzpatrick - Pro Football Rumors

Cowboys Interested In Minkah Fitzpatrick?

September 13th, 2019 at 3:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cowboys may be exploring high-profile defensive back additions again. With the Dolphins giving Minkah Fitzpatrick permission to seek a trade, the Cowboys have engaged in discussions, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald notes.

Other suitors loom, with Salguero adding the Dolphins have talked to “several” teams. But the Cowboys are the first to be connected to the second-year defensive back. Stephen Jones confirmed during a 105.3 The Fan interview the Cowboys have engaged in talks with the Dolphins in the past 24 hours but declined to specify the nature of those discussions, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota (on Twitter). Throwing a bit of cold water on the prospect of Fitzpatrick in Dallas, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News notes (via Twitter) the Cowboys have merely kicked the tires here.

After being connected to Earl Thomas for most of 2018, the Cowboys offered a second-round pick. That did not satisfy the Seahawks, and the sides moved on. Dallas retained its starting combination of Xavier Woods and Jeff Heath for this season. The Dolphins are said to want a first-round pick for Fitzpatrick, the 2018 No. 11 overall selection.

It’s also unclear at what position the Cowboys or another team would prefer Fitzpatrick play. The Alabama product has played both cornerback and safety, with the Dolphins also having him work in the slot and at linebacker this season. The endless roving has frustrated Fitzpatrick, who represents one of the Dolphins’ few remaining assets that would fetch a high price in a trade. Miami has already unloaded Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills, Robert Quinn and Ryan Tannehill in 2019 deals. GMs have been contacting Chris Grier about Dolphin assets since the Tunsil trade.

Fitzpatrick could be under a new team’s control through the 2022 season. A fifth-year option decision will not be due until May 2021. None of his base salaries exceed $2.5MM on his rookie deal.

Dolphins Give Minkah Fitzpatrick Permission To Seek Trade

September 13th, 2019 at 9:31am CST by cwcrouse

Minkah Fitzpatrick has received permission from the Dolphins to seek a trade, multiple sources tell Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com.

Fitzpatrick, who projected to be a cornerback/safety coming into the league, is unhappy with how the organization making him play multiple positions on defense. During training camp, Fitzpatrick’s mother tweeted that he was being used incorrectly and Fitzpatrick confirmed that he agreed with her assessment.

“She feels very strongly. She’s not wrong,” Fitzpatrick said. “Coach has asked me to do something right now. I got to do what they ask me to do. If we have to have some discussions in the future, we’ll have those discussions.

“I’m not 215 pounds, 220 pounds. So playing in the box isn’t best suited for me, but that’s what Coach is asking me to do.”

The Dolphins are not actively shopping Fitzpatrick, according to Mortensen. If a deal gets done, it’ll be on Fitzpatrick’s camp to find a suitor. Fitzpatrick’s agent, Joel Segal, has been in contact with several teams and Miami’s asking price appears to be high, as it involves a first-round pick.

Mortensen spoke with a personnel man from a rival team who said it would be surprising if the Dolphins netted a first-rounder for Fitzpatrick. The source was high on Fitzpatrick’s skills, though the pessimism had to do with the 22-year-old’s projected position. He told Mortensen that Fitzpatrick was an “ideal slot corner who can cover, blitz off the edge, [is] intelligent, a good tackler and a good special-teams player.” Another rival GM told Mortensen that Miami is being unrealistic about what their players will get in trades after coming away with two first-rounders in the Laremy Tunsil deal.

The former No. 11 overall pick is expected to play against the Patriots this week.

AFC East Notes: Bills, Gronkowski, Dolphins

August 16th, 2019 at 8:49pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It looks like Bills tight end Tyler Kroft isn’t going to be ready for the start of the regular season. Buffalo signed Kroft to a three-year, $18.75MM deal back in March, and he was supposed to be their starter. He then broke his foot during OTAs, and the initial timelines had him coming back sometime right around the start of the regular season. He apparently isn’t too close to returning, as he hasn’t done any on-field work yet, according to Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic (Twitter link). Buscaglia adds that it’s “looking more and more likely” that Kroft opens the year on the PUP list.

If he does start the season on PUP, Kroft will have to miss at least Buffalo’s first six games. That’s not welcome news for the Bills, as they don’t have a ton of experience at the position. Kroft showed some potential during his four years with the Bengals, but an injury to the same foot limited him to just five games last season. In 2017, he had 42 catches for 404 yards and seven touchdowns. Kroft’s injury may end up opening up opportunities for rookie Dawson Knox, who the Bills drafted in the third round back in April. Buffalo also has veteran Lee Smith on the roster, although he’s always been a blocker and has barely ever contributed as a receiver.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

Speaking of Bills rookies, running back Devin Singletary seems to be developing nicely. After a visit to Bills camp and speaking with members of the organization, Albert Breer of SI.com writes that Singletary has “picked up enough to be a three-down back right away” (Twitter link). The Bills drafted Singletary, a Florida Atlantic product, 74th overall. The only thing standing in his way now is that the Bills have a crowded backfield, with Frank Gore, LeSean McCoy, and T.J. Yeldon also in tow. To that end, Breer writes that he expects Buffalo “to get trade calls” on their running backs. Over his last two seasons at FAU, Singletary rushed for 3,266 yards and a whopping 54 touchdowns.
There’s nothing former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski can do to convince people he’s really retired. As Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes about his retirement, “few people are taking it seriously.” Volin has a new piece where a handful of former players and coaches all offer their view that Gronk might not really be done after all. The legendary tight end has insisted he’s enjoying his time away from the game, but Volin writes that “few people believe that Gronk won’t at least strongly consider coming out of retirement this fall.” It’s hard to speculate one way or the other, but he still is only 30. It’s impossible to predict, but it certainly wouldn’t be shocking if he comes back for one more ride.
When the Dolphins drafted Minkah Fitzpatrick 11th overall last year, they knew he wasn’t going to have one set position. He’s been moved around a good amount, and Fitzpatrick might be a little frustrated with how the new coaching staff has been using him. Fitzpatrick’s mom recently took to Twitter to respond to a beat writer’s tweet that he was playing poorly, arguing the coaches shouldn’t be playing him at strong safety, according to Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald. Asked about it after practice, Fitzpatrick said “she’s being honest and saying how she feels. There’s nothing wrong with it. I wish she would have addressed me first and talked to me first before it happens, but it is what it is. She feels very strongly.” He then also indicated he more or less agrees with her assessment, saying “she’s not wrong.” Per Beasley, the Dolphins plan to use Fitzpatrick “all over the field” in 2019.

Extra Points: Vikings, Dolphins, Bills, Jags

May 29th, 2019 at 9:42pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Vikings have added former NFL kicker Nate Kaeding as a kicking consultant, according to Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). The hire is expected to be formally announced in the near future. Earlier this offseason, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer spoke about adding another special teams coach to his staff, and Kaeding has been working with Minnesota’s kickers a few times per week. Now 37 years old, Kaeding was a third-round draft choice of the Chargers in 2004, and went on to spend nine years with the club. Kaeding, who also spent late-career time with the Dolphins and Buccaneers, posted a career field goal conversion rate of 86.2%.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

Bobby McCain has played cornerback in each of his four seasons with the Dolphins, but Miami’s new staff has him working at free safety, per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Nominally, the Dolphins already have two starting safeties in Reshad Jones and T.J. McDonald, but Jones hasn’t been participating in organized team activities. Reports have varied as to whether Jones is on the trade/cut block, but if McCain is on the field as a safety, there wouldn’t seem to be room for Jones. 2018 first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick can also play safety in addition to nickel corner, and he’s also being worked in as a linebacker, per Salguero.
New Bills guard Quinton Spain recently underwent surgery on his thumb, as Joe Buscaglia of WKBW writes. It doesn’t sound like the issue is all too serious, so Spain should be back to practice in short order. Before his injury, Spain was working as Buffalo’s starting right guard. The Bills made offensive line improvement a point of emphasis this offseason by signing Spain, Ty Nsekhe, Mitch Morse, Spencer Long, LaAdrian Waddle and Jon Feliciano before adding Oklahoma’s Cody Ford in the second round of the draft. Spain, Long, Feliciano, Ford, and Wyatt Teller are all competing for time at guard.
Former Jaguars linebacker Blair Brown was arrested this week on charges of domestic battery, reports Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. Brown was a fifth-round pick in 2016, and made 28 appearances for Jacksonville over the past two seasons. The Ohio product was cut earlier this month, and his arrest could potentially end his NFL career.

AFC East Notes: Pats, Mayo, Kraft, Bills, Fins

March 27th, 2019 at 9:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Longtime Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo will return to the club as linebackers coach, according to Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston. Mayo, 33, retired at the conclusion of the 2015 campaign, and expressed no interest in coaching at the time. Viewed as a cerebral player with a strong work ethic, Mayo appeared in 93 games for New England after being selected 10th overall in the 2008 draft. He’ll be replacing Brian Flores, who was not only the Patriots’ LBs coach but de facto defensive coordinator before taking the Dolphins’ head coaching position this offseason.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

Bills general manager Brandon Beane denied that Buffalo was ever close to acquiring wide receiver Antonio Brown from the Steelers, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk writes. “We had productive talks with [GM] Kevin Colbert, with Pittsburgh, but one of the things I made clear with Kevin early on is we would have to be comfortable with where the compensation is going to have to be with AB’s representatives, and that was never something that we were even close on,” Beane said. Brown, of course, was subsequently traded to the Raiders for third- and fifth-round picks, and received a new contract with additional guarantees.
The NFL’s personal conduct policy will apply to Patriots owner Robert Kraft just as it applies to players, commissioner Roger Goodell told Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). Goodell stopped short of declaring Kraft will be suspended, indicating a need for all the facts of Kraft’s solicitation case to come out. Kraft has rejected a plea deal from Florida prosecutors, and earlier this week pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanors.
Although the Dolphins haven’t publicly declared how they’ll use former first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick in 2019, sources tell Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that the Dolphins prefer to deploy Fitzpatrick as a safety. Fitzpatrick, the 11th overall selection in last year’s draft, can play both cornerback and safety, but Miami already has two safeties — Reshad Jones and T.J. McDonald in place. If Fitzpatrick is deployed more in the back end, McDonald could conceivably see action as a sub-package linebacker.

AFC Notes: Texans, Broncos, Jets, Bell

March 5th, 2019 at 8:52am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans are expected to release cornerback Kevin Johnson, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. As previously reported, the Texans have discussed trading Johnson, but it’s much more likely that he’ll be cut given his contract (due $9.1MM in 2019) and recent concussion issues (played only one game in 2018). Still, releasing Johnson will leave the Texans extra thin at cornerback, so the position figures to be a priority for them in March and April.

Here’s more from the AFC:

The Broncos are expected to have interest in linebacker C.J. Mosley, according to Troy Renck of Denver7 (on Twitter). This week, we learned that the Ravens will not use the franchise tag on Mosley and the expectation is that he will be an unrestricted free agent later this month. Mosley, 27 in June, is a perennial Pro Bowler and anchored Baltimore’s linebacking corps for several years.
The Jets are expected to target second-tier running backs during free agency, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com, which signals that Le’Veon Bell is not the team’s focus. The Jets could theoretically sign Bell, Pauline hears, but only if they do not come away with a big-time pass rusher. Speaking of the pass rush, the Jets have been connected to Dante Fowler, but people at the combine told Pauline that contract length may be a sticking point for Gang Green. Fowler probably wants something in the four-year range while the Jets are hesitant about such a commitment.
The Dolphins haven’t told Minkah Fitzpatrick whether they want him to play safety or cornerback in 2019, but they want him to be a safety in the long run, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald hears. He could get a head start on the safety plan this year, but that will depend on what happens with incumbents T.J. McDonald and Reshad Jones. Right now, it seems unlikely that the Dolphins would move on from either safety. Cutting McDonald would save only $1.4MM versus $4.6MM in dead money. Meanwhile, Jones is already guaranteed $11MM for 2019.

Dolphins Rumors: Fales, Osweiler, DBs, LBs

August 23rd, 2018 at 9:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

David Fales completed just 1 of 6 passes in the Dolphins’ second preseason game, and although Brock Osweiler is the bigger name, the team’s internal preference is believed to be for the incumbent to back up Ryan Tannehill, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes. As for Bryce Petty, he’s still behind both aforementioned backups, Jackson adds. Osweiler signed for the league minimum, making the Dolphins’ 2018 quarterback depth chart much cheaper than last year’s setup of Tannehill, Jay Cutler and Matt Moore — which represented more than $30MM against the 2017 team’s cap. A former sixth-round Bears pick in 2014, Fales has 48 career pass attempts — 43 of those coming last season with Miami.

Here’s the latest out of south Florida.

Minkah Fitzpatrick is primarily working as a slot defender for the Dolphins, Roy Cummings of FloridaFootballInsiders.com passes along. The first-round pick out of Alabama was billed as a versatile performer entering the draft, with safety or cornerback potential. It looks like, for now, the Dolphins are taking advantage of that. Previous slot bastion Bobby McCain has moved to the outside, and that looks to have been done to give Fitzpatrick a role. Prior to the move, the Dolphins didn’t have a place for Fitzpatrick, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald writes. Fitzpatrick, though, also played sparingly as a pure safety in Miami’s initial two preseason games.
Mike Hull may begin the season on IR, Jackson notes. The Dolphins would carry their fourth-year veteran linebacker onto the 53-man roster before placing him on IR, which would allow him to return during the season once he recovers from the sprained MCL he sustained earlier this month. Hull started three games last season. Raekwon McMillan is Miami’s middle linebacker starter.
Second-year UDFA Chase Allen looks to have a job as a Dolphins backup linebacker, but former Saints first-round pick Stephone Anthony may not. Jackson writes the 2015 first-rounder’s put together a poor preseason that has him on the bubble. Anthony played in eight Dolphins games upon being traded to Miami last year. He played 130 defensive snaps but did not stand out. However, with Hull out, the Dolphins need bodies to fill out their linebacking corps. UFA addition Terence Garvin isn’t a lock to survive cutdown weekend, either, Jackson adds.

Dolphins Sign Minkah Fitzpatrick

June 1st, 2018 at 11:53am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins have signed first rounder Minkah Fitzpatrick, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. In accordance with his slot, the defensive back will receive a four-year, $16.4MM deal with a $10MM signing bonus.

Heading into Friday, the Dolphins were one of two teams who had yet to sign any of their draft picks. However, things changed when the calendar flipped to June. Miami had just $312K in cap room on Thursday, but gained an additional $17MM in cap space on Friday when Ndamukong Suh’s post-June 1 release became official. With that room, they carved out the necessary space to get to work on their draft class.

Fitzpatrick, the No. 11 overall pick, projects to start at free safety with Reshad Jones alongside him at strong safety. T.J. McDonald, who started every game in his suspension-shortened season, will head to the bench as the first backup behind both players.

In addition to Fitzpatrick, the Dolphins have also inked sixth-round cornerback Cornell Armstrong, seventh-round linebacker Quentin Poling, and seventh-round punter Jason Sanders, the club announced.

Dolphins Notes: Gase, McDonald, Fitzpatrick

May 10th, 2018 at 1:28pm CST by Zachary Links

On Thursday, Dolphins coach Adam Gase did a Q&A with local reporters. Here’s a look at the highlights, via Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel:

Don’t expect the Dolphins to make a major splash in the late stages of free agency. “It feels right for us right now,” Gase said of the roster. “I feel like we’re in a good place. It feels like we’ve got the type of people all working in the same direction and working toward the same goal.”
The Dolphins stood pat at No. 11 in the draft and did not select a quarterback in the first round, even though some expected them to consider a signal caller. Gase says that has to do with the team’s confidence in Ryan Tannehill‘s knee as well as the potential of backups Brock Osweiler and David Fales. “We felt like those guys were going to go before 11,” Gase said of Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, USC’s Sam Darnold, Wyoming’s Josh Allen, and UCLA’s Josh Rosen, who were all selected within the top 10. “And we knew that was probably going to be the case, and we felt good about what we had as far as Ryan starting and Brock and Fales competing for No. 2.”
The Dolphins, of course, used that No. 11 selection on Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. The addition of Fitzpatrick will not result in T.J. McDonald moving to linebacker, Gase says. McDonald will instead serve as the first safety off of the bench, behind Fitzpatrick and strong safety Reshad Jones.

Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross Wanted To Trade Back In First Round

May 6th, 2018 at 11:31am CST by Rory Parks

There was chatter before the draft that the Dolphins could move up in the first round to select a quarterback who could take over for Ryan Tannehill in the near future. However, when Miami was on the clock with its No. 11 overall selection, team owner Stephen Ross stepped in and implored his team to trade back, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.

Volin reports that Ross wanted the Dolphins to acquire additional draft capital and to save money on the first-round selection (and, as the top four QB prospects were off the board by that time, perhaps he felt it made more sense to trade down). Ultimately, however, Ross’ football people talked him out of it, and the team turned in the card to select Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Time will tell whether the pick was a good one, or whether the Dolphins should have made more of an effort to land a signal-caller, but it cannot be argued that Fitzpatrick’s upside and versatility make him a logical fit for the Fins. Indeed, Miami needed help all over its defense, and the Crimson Tide standout — who can play safety or cornerback — was one of the best defenders in his class. He is also a playmaker, having recorded 60 tackles, 1.5 sacks, seven passes defensed, and one interception in his last collegiate season to go along with two pick sixes in both the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Even if they had traded back just one spot, Fitzpatrick may not have been on the board for Miami. The Buccaneers, who were sitting at No. 12 after trading its original No. 7 overall selection to the Bills, were in the market for a high-end DB, and many mock drafts had Fitzpatrick going to Tampa Bay at No. 7.

It is also unclear if the Dolphins actually had an offer for their No. 11 overall pick, or if Ross wanted them to work the phones more to seek out a deal.