The Miami Dolphins may look at Evan Mathis as a free agent option on the market following his release from the Philadelphia Eagles and heading out of minicamp and into training camp, the team may not go forward with the trade or release of Rishard Matthews after the wide receiver requested it earlier in the season, as rookie DeVante Parker had surgery and could be out until Week 1.
The Dolphins were one of the teams mentioned in reports about a trade for Mathis before he was released and now he is a top target on the free agent market. According to ESPN.com, a "half a dozen" teams are interested in Mathis, including the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots and New York Giants. Mathis was let go after he held out of team activities while seeking a new contract this offseason.
This was the second straight offseason that Mathis was seeking a new deal and there were conflicting reports from Chip Kelly and Mathis about how things went down at the end. According to Pro Football Talk, the Eagles and Dolphins discussed a deal with Mathis near the draft, but the two sides did not agree on a trade at that time. The Dolphins have the money to sign Mathis with around $9 million in cap space left, but the team is reportedly comfortable with the makeup of the roster for now.
According to the Sun-Sentinel, the Dolphins are "comfortable with (the) current guards" on the roster heading out of training camp and the team "doesn't expect to win a bidding war" for Mathis. Things could change heading into training camp, but right now Mathis is more likely to sign elsewhere. The team has Dallas Thomas and Billy Turner as well as rookie Jamil Douglas heading into training camp and the team also has Branden Albert coming back from an injury, which would push Jason Fox back into the guard battle.
John Clayton at ESPN reports that Mathis is also a target for the San Francisco 49ers. The Dolphins are coming into minicamp this week without DeVante Parker and they also have Kenny Stills banged up with an injury and he is limited. Parker is going to be out until week 1 of the season and he reportedly will miss training camp after having foot surgery. Parker was a first round pick and he has high expectations for the team and his injury could force the Dolphins to stick with Rishard Matthews for a while longer.
Earlier in the offseason the Miami Herald reported that Matthews wanted his trade or release, as the team had brought in Greg Jennings and Stills ahead of him on the depth chart. Matthews reiterated his feelings later in the offseason when the team picked Parker, but now he could have a role on the team with Parker sidelined. Matthews showed up for OTA workouts after skipping voluntary workouts and since Parker is a rookie, the team may be more confortable relying on a veteran who has played in the Dolphins offense for a few years. Matthews may not have much value on the market, as he has just 64 career catches in three seasons.
