The Miami Dolphins have had a fair amount of turnover in NFL free agency this March, with different players coming in and other veterans heading to new locations.
The eventual question will be whether or not the Dolphins are better now than they were before, but no one will truly know the answer to that until football starts back up in September. The latest string of departures included wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. and starting safety DeShon Elliott — who signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Fellow wide receiver Jaylen Waddle took to social media after Wilson’s exit to bid his friend and teammate farewell. “This one hurt man!!” Waddle voiced on X, adding: “This my dawg.”
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Wilson reached a two-year agreement with the New Orleans Saints on March 14.
Wilson was only in Miami two seasons but clearly made an impact on Waddle in particular. Over his Dolphins tenure, he registered 34 catches for 432 yards and three touchdowns in the regular season and another four receptions for 51 yards in the playoffs.
The veteran only started three games in Miami, appearing in a total of 32 including the postseason. He served as a primary backup on the outside.
Dolphins Sign CB Kendall Fuller to Replace Xavien Howard
The big addition on the defensive side came on March 14, as the Dolphins came to terms with starting cornerback Kendall Fuller according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
The #Dolphins signing cornerback Kendall Fuller for two years at $16.5 million, per source.
The top free agent corner goes off the board.
Fowler called Fuller the “top free agent corner” at the time of the signing, and the former Washington Commanders starter should pair nicely with Jalen Ramsey.
Entering the league as a third-round selection in 2016, Fuller has spent the majority of his career in the nation’s capital, but he did spend two years with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018 and 2019.
He’s been a mostly steady CB throughout his time in the NFL, starting 93 games and appearing in 117 total. His impact can be seen in his 17 interceptions, 79 pass defenses, two forced fumbles, 14 tackles for loss, two sacks and two touchdowns — not to mention his Super Bowl ring in KC.
Now entering his age-29 campaign, Fuller seemingly has not lost a step coming off one of his best coverage grades of his entire career — an 82.8 according to Pro Football Focus.
Diving deeper, Fuller was targeted 73 times last season with the Commanders. Despite allowing a catch rate of 67.1%, which was higher than 2022, the long-time NFL pro was only charged with 488 yards against. This performance yielded the third lowest yards against per reception average of his career.
Although it was a great year for Fuller, one problem area was the red zone. He allowed six touchdowns in 2023, which was the most of his career. On the flip side, Fuller played a very clean game with only two penalty flags on the season.
Dolphins S DeShon Elliott Leaves After 1 Season in Miami
Elliott was obviously replaced by Buffalo Bills veteran Jordan Poyer, who appeared happy to join the Dolphins organization in free agency. His signing in Pittsburgh closes the book on a brief one-year stay in Miami.
The safety’s hit on Patrick Mahomes might be his most memorable play, but he had a solid campaign all around. Elliott ended up starting 15 regular season games for the Dolphins and one in the playoffs, with 91 total tackles and seven passes defended. He also recorded one interception, one fumble recovery and one tackle for a loss as far as impact.
Over the past couple of days, the Dolphins have also made several smaller additions and re-signings including defensive tackles Benito Jones, Jonathan Harris and Da’shawn Hand (retained), tight end Jody Fortson and the return of running back Salvon Ahmed.
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Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle Says Goodbye to WR Departure: ‘This One Hurt’