The Miami Dolphins have been one of the most active teams in free agency this offseason and they will be hosting Stevan Ridley for a visit this week and that comes after the team met with Michael Crabtree and the team could also look at Kevin White or DeVante Parker in the draft as potential options for 2015.
The Dolphins have met with Crabtree this offseason and the team is now bringing in Stevan Ridley, according to James Walker at ESPN.com. Ridley is a free agent from the New England Patriots and he dealt with an injury last year with a torn ACL after appearing in six games for the team. Ridley has been one of the top backs for the Pats over the past few years, but the team now has LeGarrette Blount and James White as their starters.
The Dolphins want a more consistent rushing attack and they bring Lamar Miller back after he had 1099 yards last season. Knowshon Moreno is a free agent and the team is not expected to sign him back after he also had an ACL injury last season. Ridley had 340 yards last season and two touchdowns and now he could be an option for the Dolphins. Ridley had his best season in 2012 when he had 1263 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, but over the past two seasons he has dealt with some fumbling issues and he is not likely to return to the Pats.
The Dolphins made a huge splash by signing Ndamukong Suh this offseason and they have reshaped their receiving corps with the trade of Wallace and the releases of Brandon Gibson and Brian Hartline. According to ESPN.com, Crabtree will visit with the team after playing his entire career for the San Francisco 49ers and this is his first team visit of the offseason in free agency. Adam Caplan reports that Mike Tannenbaum "was high" on Crabtree coming out of college when the new Dolphins VP was with the Jets.
The Dolphins have confidence in Ryan Tannehill coming into 2015, but the offense will be undergoing major changes with three receivers off the roster. Jarvis Landry had a strong rookie season and he will need to step up and the Dolphins now could look at adding Crabtree to help add depth. According to NFL.com, Crabtree has had interest from the Washington Redskins and the San Diego Chargers and he could line up more visits if he doesn't sign with the Dolphins.
According to ESPN.com, the Dolphins brought in DeVante Parker for a pre-draft visit and he is a name to watch in the first round for the team. The Dolphins pick in the middle of the first round and Parker could be a potential option, as players like Kevin White and Amari Cooper are already expected to be off the board.
Charles Clay is on his way out, as ESPN.com and NFL.com report that the Buffalo Bills have signed Clay to an offer sheet. The team signed him to a five year deal for $38 million with $20 million guaranteed and that priced out the Dolphins. The team thought it was too much money to sign back Clay, as the Dolphins had seven days to match the offer, but declined to do so. The Dolphins traded Mike Wallace and released Brian Hartline and along with Crabtree, the team could look at Hakeem Nicks, Ben Tate and Denarius Moore on the market.