Miami Dolphins

Jalen Ramsey is reportedly now the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Cameron Wolfe reported Friday the Miami Dolphins and Ramsey agreed to a new three-year, $72.3 million deal that reset the cornerback market with an average annual value of $24.1 million per year.

ESPN's Adam Schefter put the deal into perspective:

Ramsey was previously signed through the 2025 season, so this means he will be in Miami for the foreseeable future as he looks to help lead the team to playoff success.

The Florida State product was the No. 5 overall pick of the 2016 NFL draft and started his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville traded him to the Los Angeles Rams during the 2019 season, and the NFC West team traded him to Miami ahead of the 2023 campaign.

He was solid when he was on the field during his first season with the Dolphins and finished with 22 tackles, five passes defended and three interceptions in 10 games. However, he missed seven games after undergoing offseason meniscus surgery.

Injuries are once again a concern heading into the 2024 season, as he is dealing with a hamstring setback that has left his availability for Sunday's opener against the Jaguars up in the air.

But he is still showing leadership.

"I've never been prouder of a player not practicing, like honestly. No puffery," head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters. "He's just making me proud because he knows how important he is to this team and what he's looking to accomplish with the team as a captain. … I know he's doing everything he can today and there weren't any setbacks today."

Now Ramsey can work toward returning with a new deal under his belt.

From Miami's perspective, it locked up one of the best cornerbacks of his generation at 29 years old. Ramsey's resume includes a Super Bowl title with the Rams, three first-team All-Pro selections and seven consecutive Pro Bowl nods.

There are still some concerns after he missed seven games last year and saw his Pro Football Focus grade drop from 86.4 in 2022 to 66.4 in 2023, but Ramsey's ceiling remains among the league's best for a team that is in win-now mode for the next couple years.

Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver is optimistic about star cornerback Jalen Ramsey's Week 1 availability.

Weaver told reporters on Thursday that he's "hopeful" that Ramsey will be able to play on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he acknowledged that the Dolphins will have a quick turnaround in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald).

"We'll see," he added.

Ramsey did not participate in Miami's practice on Wednesday due to his hamstring issue.

The injury was previously undisclosed, keeping the 29-year-old sidelined several weeks and preventing him from playing in each of the Dolphins' three preseason contests.

Ramsey didn't appear in the first seven weeks of the 2023 season after undergoing meniscus surgery in his left knee during the prior offseason.

The seven-time Pro Bowl corner appeared in all 10 of Miami's remaining regular-season contests once he returned, helping the team finish with an impressive 11-6 record and earn a spot in the playoffs.

Ramsey racked up 22 tackles, five passes defensed, and three interceptions throughout his first year with the organization. Pro Football Focus gave him a 66.4 grade for his efforts, allowing 20 receptions on 36 targets.

He spent the first seven years of his career with the Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams before he was acquired by the Dolphins in a blockbuster March 2023 trade.

If Ramsey is ultimately unable to play against Jacksonville, Miami will lean on 24-year-old Ethan Bonner and undrafted rookie Storm Duck to pick up the available snaps.

The Dolphins will look to get off to a strong start with or without their All-Pro corner on Sunday, with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET.

Breathe easy, fantasy football managers. Tyreek Hill is apparently fine.

"I'm fine man, I'm fine," Hill said Monday when discussing his thumb injury, per Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post. "I just needed some days off. That's it. I'm fine man. I'm healthy. All my fantasy, draftees, draft people, I'm fine. A-OK. 100%. I just wanted to troll y'all a little bit."

There were more signs on Monday than just Hill's comments that indicated he should be good to go for Sunday's season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques noted both Hill and Jaylen Waddle returned to practice and were not wearing non-contact jerseys. Waddle did not play in the preseason and wore such a jersey during some previous practices as he dealt with undisclosed injuries.

As for Hill, he also missed the team's three preseason games and was sidelined for Miami's joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because of the thumb injury.

The health of both wide receivers is even more important at the start of the season since Odell Beckham Jr. will start the campaign on the physically unable to perform list. That will keep the veteran out for at least the first four games as he recovers from offseason surgery.

Still, Hill's importance goes well beyond a need for healthy wide receivers while Beckham is out.

He is arguably the best player at his position in the league with a resume that includes a Super Bowl title, eight Pro Bowl selections, five First-Team All-Pro nods and six years with more than 1,100 receiving yards.

One of those years came in 2023 when he led the NFL in both receiving yards (1,799) and touchdown catches (13). He has surpassed 1,700 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons with the Dolphins and is looking to reach that total for a third straight year.

"I'm very excited, man," Hill said. "Every year is another opportunity, man, to win games and you know create memories, man, like with you know, a great group of guys and you said it, like this is our best team that we done had since we've been here. So what a time to be alive man, be a Dolphins fan."

The journey toward a potential Super Bowl starts Sunday, and fantasy football managers can take solace knowing he expects to be on the field from Week 1.

Tyreek Hill is feeling confident about the Miami Dolphins roster in 2024.

The eight-time Pro Bowler expressed his appreciation for his teammates prior to the start of the season and believes this is the team that can make some noise in the AFC.

"This is the best team we've had since I've been here," Hill said, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. "Great time to be alive. We are all excited. We've got a lot of weapons, lot of playmakers on this team. Everyone is on the very edge of their seats, waiting for this moment. . . . Tua has done a great job overcommunicating exactly what he wants as far as details on routes. Mike has given him the keys to the car. That gives all of us the ability to play free and be ourselves and be creative in our routes."

Hill has been on some Miami teams with strong talent. Since joining the franchise prior to the 2022 season, the Dolphins have gone 20-14 and reached the postseason in both years.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has thrown for 3,548 and 4,624 yards in 2022 and 2023 respectively and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle has had 1,356 and 1,014 yards in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Beyond that, however, the team was a bit less talented and fell behind the other contenders in the AFC.

The Dolphins added Odell Beckham Jr and Jonnu Smith and agreed to new contracts with Hill, Waddle and Tagovailoa in the offseason. This, combined with continued development across the roster, has Miami looking like a team that is ready to take a step forward in 2024.

The Dolphins will open up the 2024 season on Sept. 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

People around the NFL are waiting for the Miami Dolphins to show it on the field before they can be seriously considered a Super Bowl contender, according to The Athletic's Jeff Howe.

"The league is down on the Dolphins, according to a poll of league coaches and executives that will be released this week by The Athletic," Howe reported Monday. "While they're 20-14 with gaudy offensive numbers in head coach Mike McDaniel's first two seasons, they're also 0-2 in the playoffs. They're fun and McDaniel is doing some innovative things in Miami, but the feeling among rival teams is the Dolphins need to start proving it against higher-quality competition before they'll be viewed as a threat in January."

The Dolphins got a bit of a mulligan in 2022. Their five-game losing streak in the second half dampened the enthusiasm from an 8-3 start. Only losing to the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs by three points on the road with Skylar Thompson seemingly pointed to brighter things ahead, though.

Then the franchise failed to make a clear step forward.

Weeks 3 and 4 of the 2023 regular season summed up the Fins in a nutshell. They drop 70 points and 726 yards in a win over the Denver Broncos, who went on to finish 8-9, and then immediately laid an egg against the eventual AFC East champion Bills.

All year, the general perception of Miami was that it could beat up bad teams and would get exposed against stiffer competition.

The AFC Wild Card Round against the Kansas City Chiefs provided further ammunition.

The frigid conditions certainly didn't help, but Mother Nature wasn't solely to blame for Tua Tagovailoa going 20-of-39 for 199 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Miami didn't get much from its running game to compensate, either, as Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane combined to get 42 yards on 14 carries.

The Dolphins are pretty much running it back in 2024 while Buffalo, their stiffest competition within the division, could take a step backward following an underwhelming offseason. The formula for 10 wins and an AFC East title is there for Miami.

Until the postseason success arrives, the doubts surrounding the team will nonetheless remain.

One week before the Miami Dolphins open the 2024 regular season, they have given head coach Mike McDaniel a new contract.

Per ESPN's Jeff Darlington, McDaniel agreed to an extension that will keep him with the Dolphins through the 2028 season.

McDaniel still had two years remaining on the original four-year contract he signed when the Dolphins hired him in February 2022.

Darlington noted McDaniel has "an especially strong working relationship" with key members of Miami's front office, including general manager Chris Grier and CEO Tom Garfinkel.

During his first two years at the helm, McDaniel has transformed the Dolphins into one of the better teams in the AFC. They are one of five teams in the conference with at least 20 wins since the start of the 2022 season.

Miami's 496 points scored last season were the second-most in franchise history (513 in 1984). The offense led the league in yards per game (401.3), passing yards per game (265.5) and ranked sixth in rushing yards per game (135.8).

Tua Tagovailoa's career has taken off since McDaniel was hired. He has thrown for 8,172 yards and 54 touchdowns over the past two seasons. The former Alabama standout racked up 4,467 passing yards and 27 touchdowns in his first two seasons. He received a four-year, $212.4 million extension in July.

McDaniel has led the Dolphins to playoff berths in each of his first two seasons. Dave Wannstedt was the last head coach with multiple playoff appearances for the team in 2000 and 2001.

Even though postseason success remains elusive for the Dolphins under McDaniel, he has made them a contender in the AFC after a long period of struggling to be relevant. They had just two playoff appearances in 20 seasons from 2002 to '21 prior to McDaniel's hiring.

Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier confirmed to reporters on Wednesday that the team knew veteran wideout Odell Beckham Jr. might not be available to start the season due to an offseason procedure, but didn't go into any details beyond that.

"I appreciate the question, but I don't like to talk about people's medical history," he said when asked about the topic.

Beckham will miss at least the first four games of the season while on the physically unable to perform list.

"He is very close, but, for us, it was the long play," Grier told reporters about putting Beckham on the PUP list to start the season. "We didn't want him to rush back, feeling he had to rush back, and then something happens and sets us back... We just felt what's best for him long haul to help us here win games is to put him down for a little bit right now."

Beckham, 31, signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Dolphins this offseason, which includes incentives that could raise his salary to $8.2 million. Missing four games to start the year won't help in that effort, with those incentives tied to the amount of catches, yards and touchdowns he accumulates.

The Dolphins are still loaded with weapons, of course, with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle out wide and Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane at running back.

But Beckham was expected to solidify the WR3 role. Instead, Braxton Berrios will need to play a bigger part in the team's offense, at least early in the season.

Injuries, of course, have hampered Beckham in the back half of his career. He'll now have missed at least three games in six of the past seasons. After being a Pro Bowler in each of his first three seasons, Beckham's fall from prominence has been severe.

The Miami Dolphins reportedly will not have wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. for at least the first four games of the season.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that the wide receiver will start the season on the physically unable to perform list, meaning he will be sidelined for the opening four contests.

"The team knew when it signed OBJ in May this was a possibility due to an offseason procedure he had," Pelissero wrote. "He's worked hard to get back, but ultimately, the team felt the best path for him was to spend a few more weeks to ease into game action so he is healthy for the duration of season."

Miami starts the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans. Tennessee was the only team from that list that was below .500 in 2023, and Jacksonville and Buffalo could once again be AFC contenders.

That means the Dolphins will have to weather the storm during a challenging start to the campaign without one of their high-profile offseason additions.

Fortunately for the AFC East team, it still has one of the best one-two punches in the league at wide receiver in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Braxton Berrios will likely see more targets, and the team can rely on the rushing attack of Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane.

Beckham is also at a stage of his career where he shouldn't be expected to be a star difference-maker like he was during his time on the New York Giants as a younger player.

While the three-time Pro Bowler posted more than 1,000 receiving yards in five of his first six seasons, age and injuries have been a factor of late. He missed the 2022 campaign after suffering a knee injury during the Super Bowl the previous season.

Beckham then joined the Baltimore Ravens for the 2023 season and finished with a solid but unspectacular 35 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns.

Ideally for Miami, he can return to the lineup healthy and fresh after the first four games and take advantage of the single coverage he will consistently face playing alongside Hill and Waddle.

For now, though, the offense will rely on the other playmakers.

Tyreek Hill is having some fun with his new teammate.

New Miami Dolphins wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. responded to a fan on X that criticized him for being on the physically unable to perform list to start the season, saying that Beckham was "scared" to face the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars.

After seeing the interaction, Hill took to the app to compare Beckham to Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant.

Durant has been open about his desire to engage with users on the app, stating that social media is about "interacting with people." That is what Beckham did with the user, and Hill appears to have found some enjoyment in it.

Beckham spent the 2023 season with the Baltimore Ravens and finished with 35 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns. This was good for second on the team in receiving yards, but he will likely have a depth role for Miami.

Hill led Miami with 1,799 receiving yards in 2023 and Jaylen Waddle had 1,014 yards. Beckham will likely slot in behind those two when he does return and could be a solid option for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Until then, it appears Beckham may take to social media to blow off some steam.