The Miami Dolphins have been hit hard with the injury bus. Yesterday news broke that the longest tenured Dolphin on the offensive line, and Tua Tagovailoa’s blind side protector, Austin Jackson would miss ‘weeks’ with a leg injury. Now the Phins are searching for answers as they opened their field to five new players Sunday morning for a workout.
Of the five players who worked out, one has already received a contract. That one is former first round pick Germain Ifedi.
The signing was accompanied by two other roster moves. In order to make room for Ifedi, the Dolphins have waived quarterback Brett Gabbert. Gabbert is an undrafted rookie free agent who signed with the team just two days ago. The quarterback who threw for more than 10,000 yards in college is now a free agent again.
The better news that accompanied Ifedi’s signing is the activation of safety Ifeatu Melifonwu. Melifonwu is a proven play maker that has had trouble staying healthy during his short NFL career. He will play in legitimate high leverage scenarios and also provide depth to a short handed secondary.
Meet First Round Pick Germain Ifedi
Germain Ifedi is exactly the kind of player the Dolphins had to go out and get. At 31-years-old, Ifedi is not a long term piece of this Dolphins offensive line room. He is an NFL veteran who has spent nearly a decade in the league and he fills an immediate need for Miami, it really is as simple as that.
Ifedi has been all around the league, but most recently he appeared in 15 games for the Cleveland Browns last season. He added seven starts to his now 90 career NFL starts, all of which came from the left tackle position. As a natural right tackle, Ifedi has appeared in 117 games in his nine seasons and the Dolphins will be his sixth team.
He was selected 31st overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2016 NFL Draft where played his four years on the West coast before getting shipped to Chicago. He then made stops in Detroit and Buffalo.
Now he will become a reliable back up in South Beach that coach Mike McDaniels does not have to be afraid to start if an injury should arise. I grade this signing an A+.
The Other Four Players Worked Out
Journalist Aaron Wilson reported the five workouts Miami hosted, saying that the team met with Zack Bailey, Yodny Cajuste, Chris Hubbard, Germain Ifedi, and David Sharpe.
Of the remaining four, Chris Hubbard is the most experienced. He has appeared in 102 games in his career that started in 2013 when he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as a UDFA. After five years with the Steelers he too bounced around the league. Last season he picked up eight appearances and three starts for the New York Giants.
David Sharpe is another NFL vet to keep an eye on for the Phins in the future. He has spent most of his time since being drafted in 2017 bouncing around practice squads, but he has never been unemployed for long. He stays busy, signing contracts with the Panthers, the Raiders, the Ravens, and the Texans in his career.
Cajuste and Bailey are on the younger side and have had much less prolonged success in the league.
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