SS Keith Davis released (no more details to come?)

With no further details coming out and all the Dolphins beat writers apparently convinced this is just a football move, I suppose it's time to cover the Keith Davis release here. As I'm sure you know by now, the Dolphins released Davis yesterday despite already being three men under the roster limit. Davis had been signed as an unrestricted free agent from the Cowboys this offseason.

Background

An undrafted free agent in 2002 out of San Jose State, Davis spent the first six years of his career with the Dallas Cowboys. (Technically, he was out of football in 2003, but whatever.) He started a career-high 15 games in 2005, but has primarily been a backup and special teams player where he has excelled. In 58 games (22 starts), Davis has recorded 132 tackles, three forced fumbles and five passes defensed.

Signed to a two-year, $3.5 million contract by the Dolphins this offseason, Davis had been listed as the No. 2 strong safety behind Yeremiah Bell and ahead of Courtney Bryan on the depth chart all training camp and preseason.

Analysis

The timing and circumstances surrounding this move are curious to say the least. Things to consider:

• Davis had plenty of experience with Bill Parcells, which was clearly the reason he was brought in.
• He was given a two-year, $3.5 million contract this offseason. Not starter money, but not exactly minimum salaries either.
• Davis is a proven special teams player, which is a unit that has struggled for the Dolphins in recent years.
• While not a starting-caliber player on defense, Davis has plenty of experience at both safety positions and is a suitable backup.
• With Davis' departure, the only backup behind Yeremiah Bell at strong safety is second-year undrafted player Courtney Bryan, who has not stood out at all in the preseason.
• Prior to Davis' release, the Dolphins had 72 players. This is three under the current 75-man roster limit, so there was no need to cut anyone at the time.
  

Davis was never a lock to make the team, but given his history with Parcells and Miami's safety depth I would have considered him a very good shot. Davis had not stood out on defense in the preseason, but his special teams play was good as always. Furthermore, Courtney Bryan hadn't showcased himself much either and in my view doesn't have much of an NFL career. I cannot see Davis' release meaning Bryan will make the team even if he is currently second and final strong safety on the roster at the moment.

What the move might mean is the Dolphins will keep Yeremiah Bell as the lone strong safety along with three free safeties in Chris Crocker, Jason Allen and Renaldo Hill. However, I don't consider any of those three good candidates to fill in for Bell at strong safety as they all lack the bulk to play the run as often as they would need to do. That is why I would expect the Dolphins to add another strong safety after final cuts and potentially keep five safeties total.

SS Keith Davis released, more details to come

In a very surprising move, the Dolphins have reportedly released safety Keith Davis. The 29-year-old Davis was signed this offseason as an unrestricted free agent from the Dallas Cowboys.

The move is surprising for several reasons. They are:

• The Dolphins gave him a two-year, $3.5 million this offseason and he is a "Parcells guy."
• He's a standout special teams player in addition to having experience at both safety spots. He hadn't played poorly enough this preseason, nor had anyone else stood out, to make you think he was in danger of not making the club.
  
• The move comes with the Dolphins having essentially no depth at strong safety behind Yeremiah Bell.
• The move also comes when the team had 72 players - three under the current 75-man limit that remains in effect until final cuts four days from now.
  

The move is made all the more curious as the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero reports that Davis was initially on the team's flight manifest to New Orleans and was even given a room number, proving this was a last-minute thing.

I am inclined to agree with Salguero that there is more to this than meets the eye here. (The good news is we now have a reason for a Transformers tag on the blog!) That is why I will refrain on analyzing this transaction until more details are released in the next day or two. It is a strange move and is definitely something worth keeping an eye on.

Most Intriguing Training Camp Battles, No. 6: FS spots

Dolphins fans got high on Jason Allen last season, as posted three interceptions and at times looked like a respectable defender. Still, the 16th overall pick in 2006 has a long way to go to live up to his draft status and is far from a quality starter in the NFL.

That being the case, Allen still has to be considered the favorite for the job, if only due to lack of options and his potential upside. Without a real quality starting free safety, there seems little harm in giving Allen the job in hopes he'll live up to the No. 16 pick. If that does indeed happen, then the real battle is between Renaldo Hill and Chris Crocker for the backup job.

Hill was a solid starter for Miami in 2006, but is coming off a torn ACL and is pushing 30. Crocker isn't much better, but has plenty of starting experience himself and at worst is a viable fill-in at free safety. Both also have experience at corner, so that's a wash. The one key difference is Crocker was brought in by Parcells and Ireland, while Hill is a Saban holdover.

Crocker probably has the edge at this point, though Hill will definitely give him a run for his money. It's possible the Dolphins could opt to put Hill on the PUP list, which would give them six weeks in the regular season to determine if they wanted his services. Very unlikely to earn a spot is Courtney Bryan - a second-year undrafted player out of New Mexio State. There's just too much experience ahead of him for him to have a realistic shot.

The position(s): Free safety spots
Number of spots: Two
The contenders: Jason Allen, Chris Crocker, Renaldo Hill, Courtney Bryan
Predicted winner(s): Allen and Crocker
Reason: Allen will get a chance to prove himself to the new regime, while Crocker should win out over holdover and rehabbing Renaldo Hill. Bryan never really had a shot.

DB Will Billingsley signed; regular season schedule released

The Dolphins finally got me, signing someone so obscure even I had never heard of him. The team added safety Will Billingsley on Monday. Billingsley was undrafted in 2007 and had yet to sign with anyone until we picked him up two days ago.
Also, the team's regular season schedule has been released. To find out more about Billingsley and hear some of my comments on the schedule, check out the following video. Enjoy!

Links:

• MiamiDolphins.com article on Billingsley signing
• Billingsley's North Carolina A&T Aggies bio
• Updated Projected Depth Chart
  
• Dolphins' 2008 regular season schedule
  

Analysis Video: Cornerback Nathan Jones signed

On March 14, the Dolphins signed cornerback Nathan Jones. Watch the following video for more info and analysis. Enjoy!

Analysis Video: Safety Keith Davis signed

On March 11, the Dolphins added yet another former Cowboy in safety Keith Davis. Watch the following video for more info and analysis. Enjoy!

Analysis Video: Safety Yeremiah Bell re-signed

As promised, here is the first of six videos of mine catching back up on all the Miami transactions I've missed thus far. This first one is on the re-signing of strong safety Yeremiah Bell, which happened in early March. (Don't know how I missed this one!) Enjoy!

Apologies for lack of recent content

First off, let me apologize for being so behind on my analysis of Miami's most recent signings. I am still missing a handful of them, and I need to catch back up.

Unfortunately, school comes first and things have been pretty busy in that department of late. This week especially has been particularly hectic with exams every day of the week. Fortunately, things should cool down a bit after today.

As a result, I should be able to bang out 4-5 analysis videos in the coming days. By my count, I still have to do videos for the signings of Keith Davis, Dave Rayner, Nathan Jones and Tab Perry. Plus, I forgot to do a video for the re-signing of Yeremiah Bell a long time ago so I'd like to get that one done as well.

So again, sorry for the lack of content of late, but be sure to check back over the weekend as I will definitely have some new stuff up.

Updated depth chart and new jersey numbers

The Dolphins signed two more players today - safety Keith Davis and placekicker Dave Rayner. While I won't get to an analysis video of them until tomorrow, I've updated my projected depth chart to included them. It is now completely up-to-date. It can be viewed here.

Also, the Dolphins' official site has updated the team's roster and has added jersey numbers for all of the team's free agent additions. Here is a list of all the new/changed numbers:

#2 - Brandon Fields (changes from #4 to accommodate Josh McCown)
#4 - Josh McCown (takes Brandon Fields' old number)
#16 - Dave Rayner (most recently worn by practice squad wide receiver Marvin Allen)
#11 - Chandler Williams (changed from #18 to accommodate Ernest Wilford)
#18 - Ernest Wilford (takes Chandler Williams' old number)
#28 - Keith Davis (most recently worn by running back Jes se Chatman)
#56 - Charlie Anderson (most recently worn by linebacker Derrick Pope)
#59 - Reggie Torbor (most recently worn by linebacker Donnie Spragan)
#65 - Justin Smiley (most recently worn by offensive tackle Julius Wilson, who has switched to #78)
#84 - Ernest Wilford (most recently worn by wide receiver Chris Chambers)
#85 - David Kircus (most recently worn by tight end Jason Rader)
#89 - Sean Ryan (most recently worn by tight end Tim Massaquoi)
#94 - Randy Starks (most recently worn by defensive tackle Keith Traylor)
#95 - Jason Ferguson (most recently worn by defensive lineman Chase Page)

Every free agent with Parcells/Ireland history

I've put together what I think will be an interesting and handy list of players come free agency. Unless I accidentally missed someone, this is a list of every NFL team's free agents that has a history with Bill Parcells and/or Jeff Ireland.

Why is this important? Well as we all know, Parcells likes guys he is familiar with. It's certainly no coincidence of the four guys he's signed this offseason - Matt Baker, Junior Glymph, Trey Darilek and Joey Thomas - all had histories with either him and/or Ireland in Dallas.

A few things to note with this list though. First of all, I included every player that had a history with Parcells or Ireland, no matter how long ago or brief it may have been. This means that some of the players on this list will not be on Miami's radar at all. That's why I've rated each player on a scale of 1 to 10 on how interested I think the Dolphins will be in said player. 1 is obviously no interest, while 5 is moderate/possible interest and 10 is heavy interest. You can figure out the stuff in between. Enjoy!

Flozell Adams, 31, offensive tackle, Cowboys - played for the Cowboys during the entire tenures of Parcells (2003-2006) and Ireland (2001-2007).
Dolphins' interest? 10/10. The Dolphins are guaranteed to be interested in Adams, whom the Cowboys will let hit the open market. Signing Adams would give Miami a reliable left tackle for the next 4-5 years and allow them to move Vernon Carey back to right tackle where he's best suited.

Larry Allen, 36, guard, 49ers - played three seasons under Parcells in Dallas from 2003 to 2005; Also present during Ireland's first two years there in 2001 and 2002.
Dolphins' interest? 7/10. Allen is expected to retire, but that doesn't mean the Dolphins won't try to convince him to hold off on it. Miami needs help at guard desperately and Allen would provide a solid starter for a year.

Rocky Boiman, 28, linebacker, Colts - signed by Parcells-led Cowboys in 2006 as a free agent, but did not make the team out of camp.
Dolphins' interest? 7/10. Although Boiman didn't make the team in 2006, the Cowboys had a lot of talent at linebacker and the team at least thought he'd fit the defense when they signed him. Would be far more likely to make the team over Edmond Miles or Kelvin Smith.

Troy Brown, 36, wide receiver, Patriots - drafted by Parcells-led Patriots in 1993; played all four seasons of Parcells' tenure in New England.
Dolphins' interest? 1/10. Brown is clearly at the end of his road and likely won't attract attention from other teams. Miami needs experience at receiver but there will be plenty of better alternatives out there.

Tedy Bruschi, 34, linebacker, Patriots - drafted by Parcells-led Patriots in 1996 and played one season under him.
Dolphins' interest? 6/10. Bruschi is getting up there in years, but Miami could use another veteran inside linebacker to team with Channing Crowder and this guy has plenty of 3-4 experience. A younger guy would be ideal, but getting Bruschi on a two-year deal would be more than sufficient.

Aveion Cason, 28, running back, Lions -played one season for Parcells-led Cowboys in 2003.
Dolphins' interest? 3/10. Cason had some success in a reserve role for Dallas in 2003, but he's nothing special and Miami is pretty deep at running back. He could be brought in to compete for a backup job.

Terrance Copper, 25, wide receiver, Saints - signed as an undrafted free agent by Parcells in 2004 and played two seasons under him with Cowboys.
Dolphins' interest? 7/10. With 56 games played, the 25-year-old Copper would still be the most experienced receiver on the Dolphins' roster. He's got some talent, would come fairly cheap and could push for the No. 3 or 4 job.

Keith Davis, 29, safety, Cowboys - Davis was present for Parcells' entire Dallas tenure from 2003 to 2006 and was also there in 2007 with Ireland; also played for various Dolphins defensive assistants.
Dolphins' interest? 8/10. Parcells and Ireland have plenty of experience with Davis and the Dolphins are lacking at safety. Davis would be a fairly inexpensive signing, and he'd compete for a starting job and be a strong special teams player at worst.

Ebenezer Ekuban, 31, defensive end, Broncos - played for Parcells-led Cowboys in 2003.
Dolphins' interest? 2/10. Ekuban left Dallas after 2003 because he did not fit the 3-4 scheme. Nothing's changed on that front, so don't expect Parcells' interest to have changed either.

Jason Fabini, 33, offensive lineman, Redskins - Drafted by Parcells in the first round in 1998 and played two seasons under him with the Jets; also played for Cowboys in 2006 under Parcells.
Dolphins' interest? 6/10. Fabini isn't the player he once was and isn't anything more than a veteran backup at this point. However, Miami lacks any veteran backups on the offensive line and Fabini would be an inexpensive pickup that could provide depth at both guard and tackle.

Aaron Glenn, 35, cornerback, Jaguars - Played for Jets during all three years of Parcells' tenure from 1997 to 1999; also played for Parcells and Ireland in Dallas from 2005 to 2006.
Dolphins' interest? 6/10. Miami is lacking at the corner position behind Will Allen. Parcells has plenty of experience with Glenn and although he's not starter material anymore, he'd provide solid veteran depth for our secondary.

Bobby Hamilton, 36, defensive end, Browns - played for Jets during all three seasons of Parcells' tenure from 1997 to 1999.
Dolphins' interest? 7/10. Hamilton's near the end of his career and is not starter material, but he has plenty of 3-4 end experience and would be a great backup on the Dolphins' defense that lacks the right personnel in most areas.

Ken Hamlin, 27, safety, Cowboys - Signed by Cowboys in 2007 with Ireland in the front office; also played for various Dolphins defensive assistants.
Dolphins' interest? 9/10. Hamlin is a talented player at a position the Dolphins are sorely lacking. He'd be a huge boost for the secondary and had a career-high five interceptions for Dallas in 2004.

Nathan Jones, 25, cornerback, Cowboys - drafted by Parcells-led Cowboys in 2004 and played three seasons for him; also played for Ireland and various defensive assistants in 2007.
Dolphins' interest? 8/10. Jones is a solid backup corner and would come at a cheap price. He'd compete for a nickel or dime job in Miami.

ReShard Lee, 27, running back, Raiders - signed by Parcells-led Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2004 and played one season for Cowboys.
Dolphins' interest? 2/10. Miami is set at running back and Lee would have a hard time making anyone's roster.

Matt Lehr, 28, offensive lineman, Buccaneers - played one season for Parcells-led Cowboys in 2003.
Dolphins' interest? 3/10. Lehr has value as a backup at center and guard, but he's been let go by Parcells once and the Cowboys never showed interest the two times he's been on the market since.

Jacques Reeves, 25, cornerback, Cowboys - drafted by Parcells-led Cowboys in 2004 and played three seasons for him; also played for Ireland and various defensive assistants in 2007.
Dolphins' interest: 9/10. Reeves is a talent player that could be a third or fourth corner in Miami. The Dolphins will likely have a strong interest in him and he shouldn't be expensive to bring in.

Jeff Robinson, 38, long snapper, Seahawks - played two seasons for Parcells-led Cowboys from 2003 to 2004; also present in 2002 with Ireland.
Dolphins' interest? 3/10. Miami has no long snappers on the roster and this is least one Parcells and Ireland are familiar with. However, Robinson went unsigned the entire 2006 season and is nearly finished, so the Dolphins might look for a younger guy at the position.

Sean Ryan, 27, tight end, Jets - drafted by Parcells-led Cowboys in fifth round of 2004; played two seasons under Parcells before being traded to the Jets in August 2006.
Dolphins' interest? 9/10. Parcells obviously liked him during his two years, and just because he was traded doesn't mean Ireland didn't either. Dallas simply had two starting-caliber tight ends (Witten and Fasano) and saw an opportunity to get draft picks for a backup. But the Dolphins are severely lacking at tight end so it wouldn't be surprising if he were brought in to compete.

Omar Stoutmire, 33, safety, Redskins -Played one season for Parcells-led Jets in 1999.
Dolphins' interest? 2/10. Stoutmire has just a little history with Parcells, and the Dolphins will likely look elsewhere for backup safety help.

Vinny Testaverde, 44, quarterback, Panthers - played two seasons for Parcells-led Jets from 1998 to 1999; also played one season for him in 2004.
Dolphins' interest? 2/10. Testaverde is almost guaranteed to retire, but then again he was "retired" before last season too. He'd be an absolute last resort for the Dolphins, who will probably be able to pick up a better veteran.

Tyson Walter, 29, offensive lineman, Packers - played two seasons for Parcells-led Cowboys from 2003 to 2004; Tony Sparano was also his offensive line coach both those years.
Dolphins' interest? 6/10. Walter has experience at all the offensive line positions and would provide an experienced backup.

Casey Wiegmann, 34, center, Chiefs - played one season for Parcells-led Jets in 1997.
Dolphins' interest? 1/10. Wiegmann had minor experience with Parcells for one season ten years ago, so there isn't much there. Also, Wiegmann is very undersized for Parcells' taste and the Dolphins don't need a center anyway.