QB Josh McCown traded to Panthers

Although the Dolphins have spent recent weeks shopping second-year quarterback John Beck around the league, it was veteran Josh McCown who was given the first ticket out of town. A day before final cuts, the Dolphins traded McCown to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for an undisclosed draft pick in 2009.

Background

A third-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2002 out of Sam Houston State, McCown played four seasons for the Cardinals through the 2005 season. He spent the 2006 season as a backup in Detroit before heading to Oakland in 2007. During the first six years of his career, he completed 57.9 percent of his passes for 6,582 yards and 35 touchdowns along with 40 interceptions.

An unrestricted free agent in 2008, McCown was signed by the Dolphins to a two-year, $6.25 million contract with $2.5 million guaranteed. He was expected to compete for the starting job with 2007 second-rounder John Beck, but the arrival of free agent Chad Pennington and emergence of rookie Chad Henne pushed McCown down the depth chart. He did not appear in the team's final three preseason games.

Analysis

McCown was brought in this offseason to provide a veteran presence on a team that had none at quarterback, but Chad Pennington was an upgrade in that department and therefore made McCown expendable. McCown would have been relegated to third string this season if he were to make the squad at all, so it is good the team was able to get something in return. The compensation is likely in the area of a conditional seventh-rounder, as is often the case with these types of deals. If McCown were to be cut by Carolina prior to the regular season, Miami would likely get nothing. (I do, however, expect McCown will earn a roster spot over Brett Basanez.)

Dolphins fans have to be happy with this move because the organization was able to get something in return for a player that could very well have been cut. While it is true the team did pay $2.5 million guaranteed to a player they kept exactly six months, the team has plenty of cap space and the money is really a non-issue.

The trade of McCown leaves the team with three quarterbacks: Chad Pennington, Chad Henne and John Beck. Pennington and Henne are entrenched in the top two spots on the depth chart. Meanwhile, Beck's status is not totally secure even with the departure of McCown. Beck will remain with the team beyond tomorrow's final cuts, but I expect the Dolphins will still try to deal Beck and pull the trigger if they get what they deem enough in return. It would not surprise me to see Beck moved sometime between now and the trade deadline (usually in mid-October), so that is something to keep an eye on.

Final 53-Man Roster Prediction: Offense

As the preseason comes to a close around the league, the Dolphins topped the New Orleans Saints Thursday night to finish a strong 3-1 in this year's exhibition series.

Over the next two days, all 32 teams will be forced to trim their 75-man rosters down to the regular season active roster limit of 53. The Dolphins are currently below the roster limit at 72 players, but that still leaves 19 to be trimmed by the August 30 deadline.

It should be noted that the Dolphins' final 53-man roster is not all with the team at present time. There is no doubt the team will scour the waiver wires looking to add depth and talent to the lower end of their roster.

As it would be too difficult a task to predict a complete final roster including players added from the cuts of other teams, I am simply going to predict the 53-man roster based on the players currently with the franchise. I will note, when applicable, when a player on the team is a candidate to get replaced by another team's cut.

Quarterback

In: Chad Pennington, Chad Henne, John Beck
Out: Josh McCown

If there was ever a position to have a qualifier on a prediction, this is it. There is no question the team would love to trade Beck and if they can get something for him I think they'll jump at it. That would obviously change things and McCown would be the guy to stick as the No. 3 quarterback. I predict that if Beck can't be dealt, he'll stick around as he should have more trade value in the future than McCown would. If Beck is shipped off, McCown stays.

(Side note: You know what I'd like to see? Beck traded, McCown cut, and the Dolphins pick up Jets rookie fifth-rounder Erik Ainge, who could be the odd man out with Brett Favre, Kellen Clemens and Brett Ratliff.)

Running back

In: Ricky Williams, Ronnie Brown, Patrick Cobbs, Jalen Parmele
Out: Lex Hilliard

There are no guarantees with Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, as the first is one slip-up away from another lengthy suspension and the other is still recovering from a torn ACL. That is exactly why keeping four backs makes sense here, even if it's not preferred. Cobbs is a valued special teams guy and Parmele appears to have the makings of a good backup running back and spot starter. Hilliard has shown almost nothing that says he should make the team, so this should be an easy choice.

Fullback

In: Boomer Grigsby
Out: Reagan Mauia

So he can run through drywall. It's not that impressive, and it sure as hell doesn't make him a good football player. Reagan Mauia has been completely shown up by free agent signing Boomer Grigsby. Grigsby is a better blocker, better pass catcher and a superb special teamer. Sparano has heavily implied he prefers to keep only one fullback and likes one that can contribute in different areas. That says to me that Grigsby has the job and Mauia's out the door.

Wide receiver

In: Ted Ginn Jr., Derek Hagan, Ernest Wilford, Davone Bess, Greg Camarillo
Out: Anthony Armstrong, Jayson Foster

There really is only one question for me here, and it's the No. 5 spot. I think Ginn, Hagan, Wilford and Bess are locks, or at least close to it. I'm predicting Camarillo gets the No. 5 job because of his special teams play, though Armstrong has made a case for himself as late. Foster meanwhile hasn't shown nearly enough to warrant a spot. If the team kept six receivers, I'd choose Armstrong for the last spot, but I think five is the way to go and Armstrong heads to the practice squad.

Tight end

In: Anthony Fasano, David Martin, Sean Ryan
Out: Justin Peelle, Matthew Mulligan

I was uncertain this offseason about Martin making the team and to be honest I had hoped he would not. Unfortunately, it seems Sparano has declared him a lock along with the starter Fasano. That leaves one spot left (assuming the team keeps three) and that comes down to Peelle and Ryan. The latter is a Parcells boy and has shown strong blocking skills. He also had a great touchdown grab in the preseason finale. Peelle has been solid as well, coming back from a knee injury that hampered him early in camp. It seems to be a toss-up as to which one will make the team, so I'm going to go out on a minor limb and say Ryan will. That being said, the No. 3 tight end could be replaced before the regular season anyway.

Offensive line

In: Jake Long, Vernon Carey, Justin Smiley, Donald Thomas, Samson Satele, Trey Darilek, Shawn Murphy, Ike Ndukwe, Matt Spanos
Out: Mike Byrne, Pedro Sosa, Daren Heerspink

As I see it, there are six locks on the offensive line, and those players are the first six I listed above. (Long through Darilek). Darilek is the only non-starter lock, but I consider him one because of his versatility. Not only is he currently serving as backup center where he's played a ton the past two games, but he's also got tons of guard and tackle experience. That will get him to stick.

I figure you have three more spots left after that for a total of nine offensive lineman. Based on who is on the team presently, Murphy, Ndukwe and Spanos seem to be the most logical choices. Murphy because of his draft status, Ndukwe because he is the only backup left tackle (and has guard experience) and Spanos because he has been working as the sole No. 2 right guard before Pedro Sosa was added a few days back.

That being said, Ndukwe and Spanos will not be safe if they survive final cuts, because I would almost put money on them being replaced by players cut from other teams. As I said before, these predictions are based only on the Dolphins' current team and that is the sole reason Ndukwe and Spanos are considered "in" here. I'll be shocked if they are on the team come September 7.

Players most likely to be replaced by other teams' cuts:
1. Matt Spanos
2. Ike Ndukwe
3. Justin Peelle
4. Greg Camarillo

Most likely practice squad candidates:
1. Anthony Armstrong
2. Matt Spanos
3. Pedro Sosa
4. Daren Heerspink

Well, those are my predictions for the Dolphins' roster on offense. We have here a total of 25 players making the team, made up of three quarterbacks, four running backs, one fullback, five wide receivers, three tight ends and nine offensive linemen. That leaves 28 players for defense and special teams, so check out my next entry (it will be above this one on the blog) for those predictions!

Dolphin add ex-Jets QB Pennington

The Dolphins' quarterback competition gained a whole new twist Friday as the Dolphins signed former Jets quarterback Chad Pennington to a two-year, $11.5 million contract. The Dolphins did not have to make a roster move to add Pennington as they were two players under the 80-man roster limit to begin the day. Pennington was released yesterday after the Jets' acquisition of he who shall remain nameless here because I'm sick of hearing about him.

Pennington entered the NFL as the 18th overall pick out of Marshall in 2000. He was drafted by then-Jets head coach Bill Parcells, who currently serves as the Dolphins' vice president of football operations. After backing up Vinny Testaverde for two seasons, he stepped into the starting role in 2002. That season war arguably the best of his career as he passed for 3,120 yards and 22 touchdowns with just six interceptions. In his eight seasons with the Jets, he completed 65.6 percent of his passes for 13,738 yards and 82 touchdowns with 55 interceptions.

Analysis

We all know the scouting report on Pennington. Smart and accurate but lacking in arm strength. Regardless of his inadequacies, I am ecstatic with this move and think it's definitely a positive. In my mind, anyone that is against it simply doesn't understand the situation .

Essentially, Pennington is just a replacement for McCown in the role of placeholder. Whether it's McCown, Pennington or Beck, the Dolphins' starting quarterback in 2008 is essentially just keeping the seat warm for Chad Henne. The front office drafted Henne to be the quarterback of the future and will likely give him a shot to start in 2009, if not sooner. Anyone that starts before then is not viewed by the team as the likely long-term answer.

For that reason, it's silly to be upset about the addition of Pennington. As I said when McCown was acquired, it really doesn't matter who the guy is because he's not viewed by the team as the long-term answer. He's simply a guy with experience to start for the time being, because the Dolphins didn't have one coming into the offseason.

Pennington is simply an upgraded placeholder and that cannot be a bad thing. He does not have the arm McCown does, nor does he have the mobility in the pocket, but he is a solid NFL quarterback and will not make as many mistakes as McCown would. He won't light up defenses for 400 yards, but he'll keep his team in games more times that not by managing the game and avoiding costly mistakes.

The Dolphins a little better today, and that's something fans should be happy about. With (hopefully) a solid defense and a ridiculous tandem at running back, Pennington gives the team a chance to not be one of the league's bottom feeders. The season opener against the Jets just got a little more interesting as well.

Most Intriguing Training Camp Battles, No. 1: Starting QB

I'm not going to go through all the failures at quarterback the Dolphins have had since Dan Marino retired because, well, I have plans this weekend. I think we're all aware lack the of a franchise quarterback has been a burden on this team for nearly a decade now. The team hopes that franchise signal-caller is already on the team, but who will start in the immediate future?

Many Dolphins fans weren't too thrilled with the signing of Josh McCown, but I feel that's only because they didn't understand the reasoning behind it. McCown was not signed to be the future of the team, nor was he necessarily signed to even start at all. While I'm no McCown fan by any stretch, I realize the absolute necessity of having at least one quarterback on the team with legitimate NFL experience. Maybe he was the best out there, maybe he wasn't. I actually believe the latter. But quite frankly, it doesn't matter if he was the best or not because he's merely a placeholder for John Beck, Chad Henne or some yet-to-be-acquired quarterback prospect. Remember: there are no Peyton Mannings or Tom Bradys on the free agent market. It just doesn't happen.

As a quarterback, McCown can probably best be described as mediocre. His accuracy and decision-making are questionable at best, and during stints in Arizona, Detroit and Oakland he's pretty much proven he's not a legitimate starting quarterback. That being said, he's probably the best quarterback on the team right now and as the only veteran is the safe pick to start in 2008. He's also a serviceable sixth receiver, so he's got that going for him, which is nice.

While McCown is the safe pick and he definitely has a legitimate chance at starting, he is not the guy I hope starts. I do believe McCown would probably be the most productive in 2008 out of the players on the roster, if only because of Beck's and Henne's inexperience. However, I feel is simply little risk in starting 2007 second-rounder Beck.

Though Beck is holdover from the Cam Cameron era probably not the team's quarterback of the future (if only because he's not "Parcells' guy"), it seems to me that you should at least find out what you have in a guy that was one of the best quarterback prospects in the draft only a year ago. McCown won't light to world on fire and Miami is unlikely to be competitive this season anyway, so why not give Beck a year to show what he can do before Henne is ready to take the reins?

The way I see it, there's no risk. If Beck emerges as a productive NFL starter, then your quarterback search is over. Perhaps in such an event, Henne becomes your own version of the Falcons' Matt Schaub and you can get some value for him in trade a few years from now. If Beck shows some skills but Henne's still your guy, maybe it's Beck that you trade somewhere down the line. If Beck flat-out fails, you still have Henne waiting in the wings.

I won't complain if McCown starts because I understand the reasoning behind it. If you're trying to field the best possible team in 2008, then he's the right choice. But as someone that's not optimistic about the team's chances this season and who would like to see what we have in some of our prospects, I'm hoping that Beck is given a year under the new regime to prove his value.

The position(s): Starting quarterback

Number of spots: One

The contenders: Josh McCown, John Beck, Chad Henne

Predicted winner(s): Beck

Reason: I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Beck gets his shot in 2008 while McCown fills the No. 2 spot in the event Beck struggles. I don't feel Henne is a legitimate contender at this point, as I think the team would rather sit him for a season before letting him for the gig in '09. That being said, we could see a glimpse of Henne late this year if the season is lost and Beck and McCown haven't produced.

2008 Draft Analysis: Part II

This is the second four videos covering the Dolphins' 2008 NFL Draft selections, with this one discussing the selections of Michigan quarterback Chad Henne and Hampton defensive end Kendall Langford. Be sure to check out the rest of the draft analysis videos as well as the rest of my videos from the day!

Miami's options at No. 1

I'll probably cover this with a video closer to the draft, but I've written an article for KFFL.com on the Dolphins' situation with the No. 1 overall pick, what options they'll explore and what they are likely to do. If you're interested, you can read the article here.

Phins Spotlight returns from spring break with a bang!

Sorry for the lack of content of late - I was on spring break and kind of busy with some stuff. When I last published, I was still lacking analysis on a handful of free agent signings from the Dolphins' early spending spree. But fear not my dear readers, because I've caught up and have four new analysis videos on all the players I hadn't done. So here there are, and enjoy!

Josh McCown


Boomer Grigsby


Randy Starks


Reggie Torbor

2008 Offseason Preview: Quarterbacks

Free agency is just around the corner (10 minutes and counting) and I'm getting my final offseason preview video out just in time. This video is on the ever-important quarterback situation. I'm sure there will be a lot to post about in the coming back, so keep checking back for up-to-date news and analysis. Enjoy!

LB Crowder placed on IR; QB Bramlet promoted to active roster

Linebacker Channing Crowder (pictured, right) was placed on season-ending injured reserve today with a knee injury, while quarterback Casey Bramlet was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster to take his place. He wear No. 7.

Crowder background

Crowder, a three-year veteran who was originally drafted by Nick Saban in the third round out of Florida in 2005, has started 37 of the 43 games in which he has appeared for the Dolphins.

Though an outside linebacker most of his career, Crowder had been starting at middle linebacker since Week 8 with Zach Thomas (migraines) out. Crowder has not played since Week 13 due to knee injury, and underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Tuesday, Dec. 18. He finishes the 2007 season with 78 tackles (61 solo) and half a sack in 11 games (10 starts).

Bramlet background

Bramlet, 26, was signed to the Dolphins' practice squad on October 24 - four days after starter Trent Green went on injured reserve. The Dolphins had been going with just two quarterbacks on the active roster since Green's injury, with wide receiver Marty Booker (a high school quarterback) serving as the emergency third-stringer.

An All-Mountain West selection at Wyoming, Bramlet (pictured, left) was originally drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round (218th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft. He served as the Bengals' third-string quarterback most of the season behind Jon Kitna and Carson Palmer, though he finished the year No. 2 on the depth chart after Palmer suffered a sprained knee late in the season. Despite a strong showing for the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europe during the 2005 offseason, Bramlet lost the third-string job to Craig Krenzel in training camp.

Bramlet was out of football during the 2005 regular season and signed a future contract with the Washington Redskins in January 2006. He was cut at the end of the preseason, and again spent the regular season out of football. He was re-signed by the Redskins in 2007 and again played for the Hamburg Sea Devils, this time earning World Bowl MVP honors after going 20-of-27 passes for 347 yards and four touchdowns. Nevertheless, he was released prior to training camp when the team opted to carry quarterbacks.

Bramlet was not unemployed for long, however, signing with the Atlanta Falcons on August 12. He released at the end of the preseason, but was re-signed to to practice squad then promoted to the active roster prior to the season opener. He served as the third-string quarterback for the Falcons' first two games of the season, but was released by the team when Byron Leftwich was signed on September 18.

Analysis

Crowder is the 14th Dolphins player, the third linebacker and second starter at the position (after Zach Thomas) to go on IR this season. While a serviceable starter, Crowder's numbers were quite pedestrian this season and the Dolphins' defense has struggled with or without him. He still has a good upside and a future in Miami, as he is under contract through 2008 and is viewed the potential long-term replacement to Thomas inside.

In his absence, the Dolphins will continue to go with the trio of Donnie Spragan, Derrick Pope (pictured, right) and Joey Porter in the starting lineup. Rookies Edmond Miles, Kelvin Smith and Mark Washington will see action in reserve roles.

Meanwhile, Bramlet is unlikely to play this season barring injuries to both Cleo Lemon and John Beck. As with most practice squad guys promoted to the active roster, it is likely he was signed to at least a two-year deal so that the team may retain him this offseason. (Practice squad players are only under contract for one season at a time.) With Lemon an unrestricted free agent at season's end and Green's future is in doubt, the Dolphins will likely bring in a body or two at the position. It seems unlikely, if Bramlet sticks around for camp at all, that he'll have a chance at anything more than the third-string job.