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Dolphins filling the loss of Vernon ?

Perfect72

Perfect72

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Miami announced on Friday that they will sign DE Jason Jones to a one-year deal. Jones becomes the third defensive end the Dolphins have signed in free agency to help fill the loss of Olivier Vernon.

There’s no question Miami suffered a big loss at the start of free agency when DE Olivier Vernon signed a five-year, $85 million contract with the New York Giants.

Even though it was surely a blow to lose their Pro Bowl defensive end, the Dolphins were smart in not getting into a bidding war with the Giants. Still, the Dolphins management team knew that they had their work cut out for them to fill the void of losing Vernon. So far, they have done an impressive job.

Before Vernon’s signing with New York, the Dolphins inked former Bills defensive end Mario Williams to a two-year deal. The deal made it clear that Vernon was likely on his way out.

With so much money already tied up in other players like Ndamukong Suh and Ryan Tannehill, Miami could ill afford giving Vernon the payday he expected.

Williams contract is a team-friendly one, giving the Dolphins the option to move on from Williams after the first season if they choose with a minimal loss.

The former Pro-Bowler will need to prove himself once again after a lackluster season in Buffalo. Recording just a combined 19 tackles and 5 sacks on the season, Williams seemed disinterested at times, bringing his work ethic into question.

In his previous three seasons with Buffalo, he recorded no less than 10.5 sacks and 38 tackles to finish a season. He’ll get his chance to be the player he once was going into next season as the starter opposite of Cameron Wake.

Shortly after officially losing Vernon, Miami continued their search to add depth to the position and landed on former Jaguar Andre Branch. Branch has spent his entire career thus far in Jacksonville. He will be 27 when the season begins, which is an added bonus for the Dolphins, who are aging on the edges.

Branch is not expected to start but he will be a pivotal part of the Dolphins rotation. Miami would love for Branch to become more of a pass rusher, but his ability to hold up the run will be highly welcome on a team that ranked 28th against the run in 2015. Branch’s contract with Miami is for one-year, $3 million guaranteed.

More at LINK: http://phinphanatic.com/2016/05/15/dolphins-filling-loss-vernon-nicely/ :ponder:
 
Thus far, with time obviously still left, it appears the Dolphins are gambling that an explosive pass rush will lessen the load on our Pass defense. I certainly hope that's the plan at least. With Reshad Jones holding out to be paid in giant sweepstakes novelty checks, and the rest patched up with Elmers glue and spit, the entire secondary is a question mark. Throw in linebackers that prefer to guard tight ends by watching them score touchdowns on the scoreboard and it's fair to say we are going to be biting our fingernails every time the D trots out.

I'm sensing a Saints-like weekly score of 38-35 will be our fate this year. Hey at least it will be an entertaining departure from the 9-6 final scores of the past decade of Dolphins football.
 
When did Vernon become a "pro bowl defensive end"?

His time here is so romanticized by the media, when in reality the dude was an average DE.
 
LMAO, Vernon was a solid not elite player that got way over paid! I am glad it wasn't us who did it! Our past roster got us to at or below .500. Vernon made some great plays, but also some bone head plays and would disappear quite a bit. Average at best against the run. Changes had to be made as the status quo was like Vernon's run defense.
 
I still fail to see how Vernon was a big loss.


Sent from my iPhone 6
 
Was it a big loss? He was decent nothing special. Williams will be fine
 
Vernon was supposed to have a monster season and he didn't. I'm baffled on why he didn't have enough sacks when Suh and Wake faced doubled teams where was he.
 
Vernon's exact value can be judged by looking back at the end of this year with his new team. I suspect they will be wondering why his production is so minimal and why he commits stupid penalties at the exact worst time possible. They hugely overpaid, they just don't know it yet. I could go on about how Wake and Suh took the double teams and that most of his sacks were the clean up type but I won't! No big deal against the run at all imo.
 
I don't understand the continued thought Miami losing Vernon was devastating. Was Vernon a very good player, yes, but at the end of the day, Vernon was a great secondary DE, but only good as the prime pass-rushing DE who was only OK against the run. The very moment Miami got Mario, they upgraded that position (don't be fooled how he did last year playing out of position w/ the Bills), the only thing Vernon had on Williams was youth.

With the addition of Andre Branch, Miami added a player that will allow Wake to be more of a pass-rushing specialist, and keep him fresh against recurring injury, and now finally with the addition of Jones, Miami did not just help fill the position left by Vernon, but have actually upgraded the the D-line from last year.
 
Vernon was not an elite player and not worth the contract and money he received. However, he was a heck of a lot more than an average DE.
I would say a top 6-10, but not a top 5. Branch isn't anywhere close to OV, but is a capable replacement for Shelby.
Mario Williams is an upgrade over OV as a 4-3 DE.
 
Well said, Tay. Mario Williams has one "bad" year with "only" 5 sacks and suddenly he's not the player he once was. Vernon being compared to Williams is an insult to Williams. He's a far better player - one of the best DEs in football. I don't care if he's over 30. We got a pro bowl player. We didn't lose one as the article suggests.
 
Vernon, for all of his talent was a penalty generating machine who needs to grow up. Maybe he will in NY however Miami has shored up the position nicely. If Dion Jordan can produce anything at all that will be an added bonus as well.
 
I like Vernons motor and he seemed to press harder as the game went on but he also made some stupid penalties that cost us a shot a few extra wins. He's not irreplaceable. I think what hurt the most is actually seeing us finally hit on some draft picks then immediately losing them lol
 
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