Miami Dolphins

The NFL's reigning interception leader could eventually be on the move.

On Wednesday, Michael Silver of NFL Network reported Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard is "unhappy" with the five-year, $75.25 million contract extension he signed two years ago and is looking for a new deal after he led the league with 10 interceptions in 2020.

In light of that, "several teams, all in win-now mode, [are] pondering" trading for him. Silver suggested the Dolphins would require at least a first-round pick in such a move, and any team who trades for him would also need to be willing to pay him.

Silver also noted Howard may hold out of training camp if he is not traded or signed to a new deal, especially after he already skipped the offseason program. Holding out of training camp would result in fines of $50,000 a day.

Howard is among the best cornerbacks in the league and is just 28 years old, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see a team in need of secondary help make a move.

He is a two-time Pro Bowler who also led the league with seven interceptions during the 2018 campaign. While he played just five games in 2019, he wasted little time reestablishing himself as a top-notch playmaker in 2020.

The Baylor product finished the season with 51 tackles and an NFL-best 20 passes defended to go with his interception total. Pro Football Focus gave him an impressive overall player grade of 87.3 for his efforts, and his presence was a major reason the Dolphins finished with a winning record for the first time since 2016 at 10-6.

Next up is a potential playoff run for the first time since that 2016 season, but it may prove difficult without Howard anchoring the secondary.

How the situation unfolds in the coming weeks will be key for Miami's defense as it looks to build on last year's turnaround.

Take a look at the odds to win the National Football League's Most Valuable Player award at DraftKings, and it's mostly a list of the usual suspects. 2018 MVP Patrick Mahomes is the favorite, because he's Patrick Mahomes. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (the runner-up in 2020) comes in second. Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers (the reigning MVP) is third, despite the fact that no one knows where (or if) he will play in 2021.

Apparently, some people are either really optimistic or like setting money on fire. Whatever—I don't judge.

However, if long shots are more your cup of tea (and who doesn't like a long shot?), there's a young quarterback for a playoff contender who has both the talent and weapons around him to have a big second season in the pros. A southpaw signal-caller who could win you $66 for every dollar wagered. A dark horse with an actual chance to win the race.

That quarterback is Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins.

There has been quite a bit of hand-wringing in Miami over Tagovailoa's uneven rookie season. The fifth overall pick in 2020 didn't help matters when he admitted to reporters (via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald) that he didn't have a great grasp of Miami's playbook in 2020.

"I wasn't comfortable calling plays," Tagovailoa said. "I think the guys that were here last year were phenomenal. I just didn't have the comfortability of checking plays, alerting plays and doing that. I just rode with the play, even if I knew it wasn't going to work. I was going to try to make it work still."

However, as Jeff Kerr reported for CBS Sports, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores was quick to come to the defense of his young quarterback while lauding the progress that Tagovailoa has made in the offseason.

"I think he's thinking about where he is right now versus that time a year ago, just reflecting. And that's good. This time is about reflection and where you are now versus where you were six months ago. I think he's worked hard to improve in a lot of areas, and I think he has and I think he's kind of communicated that out."

Per ESPN's Cameron Wolfe, the greatest quarterback in Dolphins history doesn't have any doubt that Tagovailoa can have a vastly improved Year 2.

"He's been great," Dan Marino said. "He's been awesome. He has all the talent in the world. Now it's just about him developing the relationship with the other players. It's been tough because he didn't have OTAs last year, a lot of the summer camp or the chance to play in exhibition games. All those things delay you somewhat. I'll tell you, he works his butt off. I'm really excited about him, his future and our future as a team."

Marino makes a couple of valid points.

It's not exactly unheard of for a young quarterback to struggle in his first season, especially when that quarterback has as much working against him as Tagovailoa did in 2020. The youngster's first NFL offseason was completely wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if teams had been able to conduct OTAs and training camps, Tagovailoa's participation would have been limited at best as he worked his way back from the dislocated hip that ended his collegiate career. That injury could have also played a big part in Tagovailoa's struggles on the field in 2020.

But it wasn't that long ago that Tagovailoa wasn't just considered the top quarterback prospect in his class. The 6'0", 217-pounder was considered by some the best prospect at the position in several years. There was public speculation that NFL teams might "Tank for Tua."

But then Joe Burrow had maybe the best single season by a quarterback in college football history, while Tagovailoa got hurt.

Still, heading into the 2020 draft, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote that Tagovailoa, "has the release, accuracy and touch needed to work all three levels successfully and can become a more disciplined, full-field reader to piece the puzzle together against NFL coverages."

Now that talented young quarterback has nine pro starts under his belt, and he's another year removed from his injury.

He's also at the helm of a pretty good football team.

Even with up-and-down play from Tagovailoa, the Dolphins still won 10 games last year and narrowly missed the postseason. There's no shortage of passing-game weaponry at Tagovailoa's disposal. In addition to holdovers like wide receiver DeVante Parker and tight end Mike Gesicki, the Dolphins brought in wide receiver Will Fuller V coming off a career year with the Houston Texans and added one of Tagovailoa's old Alabama teammates when they drafted Jaylen Waddle sixth overall.

Per Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Waddle has quickly made a positive impression on his new teammates.

However, while Miami's receiving corps is solid, the run game is a question mark. The Dolphins ranked 22nd in the league in rushing last year at 105.5 yards per game, and there wasn't a player on the team who gained even 600 yards on the ground.

If the Dolphins have any shot of hanging with the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East, then Miami's offense is going to run through Tagovailoa. And as Kerr reported, Flores is focused on making sure Tagovailoa's second professional season is much better than the first.

"Last year is last year. I'm more of a forward-thinker," Flores said. "I think Tua—we've talked about his growth a lot from the last six months and how he's reflected on that. I think my focus is on helping him improve on a daily basis. Obviously, you use the past to kind of point you in the right direction of where to make those improvements and we'll just continue to focus on this one day at a time and help Tua."

Miami's biggest issue offensively is likely its young O-line. In 2020, Pro Football Focus ranked the Dolphins line as the fifth-worst in the league. Entering training camp, PFF slotted Miami's line even lower—ahead of only the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants.

It's going to take better line play than that for the Dolphins to make the playoffs in 2021. And make no mistake—to have any chance at being named MVP, Tagovailoa has to get the Dolphins into the postseason.

That's the thing with long shots. They are long shots for a reason. There's a lot that would have to happen in order for Tagovailoa to have a shot at headlining the NFL Honors next year in Los Angeles.

The line in front of Tagovailoa needs to hold up and give him time to throw the ball. The new receivers on the team need to add an ability to take the top off defenses—something that was lacking at times in 2020. And Tagovailoa needs to improve considerably as a passer, especially on those throws down the field.

However, it's hardly beyond the realm of reason that those things could actually happen. Miami's line wasn't good in 2020, but it's also very young, so there's lots of room for improvement. The Dolphins may well have the best receivers room (top to bottom) in the AFC East. And unless a whole lot of folks were wrong about the team's quarterback, Tagovailoa has only just scratched the surface of what he can do in the pros.

The Dolphins are capable of winning 11-12 games and giving the Bills a run for their money in the division. Tagovailoa has the weapons and the talent to take a big step forward in his second season.

And two of the last three MVPs were second-year signal-callers.

Occasionally, long shots hit.

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Two members of the Miami Dolphins are helping out in the wake of the condo collapse near the city of Miami on Thursday. 

Linebacker Jerome Baker and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle were seen delivering water to the reunification center where displaced residents and families of those who are unaccounted for are staying:

Per Aya Elamroussi, Rosa Flores and Ray Sanchez of CNN, at least four people died and more than 150 people are unaccounted for after a 12-story condo in Surfside collapsed around 1:30 a.m. local time on Thursday morning. 

Local officials are still investigating the potential cause of the collapse. 

Several Miami athletes have aided in the recovery efforts over the past two days. Members of the Miami Heat, including Tyler Herro and Chris Quinn, delivered supplies to first responders and people at the reunification center on Thursday. 

Baker is entering his fourth season with the Dolphins. The 24-year-old was a third-round pick by the franchise out of Ohio State in 2018. 

Waddle was Miami's first-round pick (No. 6 overall) in the 2021 NFL draft. He played three seasons at the University of Alabama from 2018-20. 

Day 1 of the Miami Dolphins' mandatory minicamp did not go well for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who threw five interceptions in heavy rain on Tuesday.

Per Armando Salguero, Adam H. Beasley and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the interceptions occurred within the first hour of the session.

Cornerbacks Jamal Perry, Trill Williams and Nik Needham and safeties Nate Holley and Clayton Fejedelem all got picks off Tagovailoa, who went No. 5 overall to Miami in the 2019 NFL draft.

Linebacker Sam Eguavoen tipped Tagovailoa's first interception, which landed in Perry's hands. Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki dropped a pass that ricocheted to Fejedelem.

The Miami Herald trio noted some good Tagovailoa passes, including a deep ball to rookie Jaylen Waddle and a slant to Will Fuller.

The ex-Alabama star acknowledged his mistakes while noting the quarterback room's aggressive mentality Tuesday in addition to the fact that minicamp is a good time to make those errors with the season still three months away.

ESPN's Cameron Wolfe provided comments.

"Obviously, you want to be smart, but if there's a time to make mistakes, now is the time to make mistakes," Tagovailoa said. "We're just seeing what we can fit into holes, what we can throw into coverages, come into the film room and then learn from it."

He also noted that the quarterbacks were attempting to be aggressive amid the torrential downpour:

"Today the emphasis for us, quarterbacks, we wanted to be aggressive today within the pass game. We wanted to see if we could fit throws in, see what throws we could make under these conditions. We wanted to push the ball vertical down the field. There were some plays that didn't go our way, but those are plays we can take away from in the film room."

Tagovailoa completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 11 touchdowns, five interceptions and 6.3 yards per pass attempt in 10 games last year.

He'll enter the season as the Dolphins' starting quarterback after splitting time in 2020 with signal-caller Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has since left via free agency for the Washington Football Team.

The Miami Dolphins have had 22 starting quarterbacks since the face of the franchise, Dan Marino, retired in 2000.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer, a special adviser to the team since 2014, told ESPN's Cameron Wolfe that he has a good feeling about Miami's future with Tua Tagovailoa: 

"He's been great. He's been awesome. He has all the talent in the world. Now it's just about him developing the relationship with the other players. It's been tough because he didn't have OTAs last year, a lot of the summer camp or the chance to play in exhibition games. All those things delay you somewhat. I'll tell you, he works his butt off. I'm really excited about him, his future and our future as a team." 

Tagovailoa appeared in 10 games for the Dolphins as a rookie last year, posting 1,814 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, who began the year as the starter. But with Fitzpatrick now in Washington and Jacoby Brissett installed behind him, the former fifth overall pick has the opportunity to be the one to lead the Dolphins to their first playoff appearance since 2016. 

The Miami Dolphins signed linebacker Jerome Baker to a three-year, $39 million extension on Sunday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

The 24-year-old Ohio State product is entering the final year of his rookie contract and was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after earning $2.43 million this season. His extension carries $28.4 million guaranteed—more than seven times the amount he earned on his first contract. 

Baker is coming off his best season yet, playing all 16 contests for the third straight year with 112 combined tackles and a career-high seven sacks with two forced fumbled and three pass deflections. 

Miami wasted no time in rewarding him despite its defense ranking 20th overall last year (367.9 yards allowed per game). Yet with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wideouts Jaylen Waddle and DeVante Parker leading the offense, the rebuilding Dolphins are zeroing in on their core players for the foreseeable future. 

Baker joins the three as Miami stars under contract through at least 2025 along with Byron Jones, Xavien Howard and Isaiah Wilson.

With the New England Patriots continuing to retool their roster in hopes of reviving their dynasty—and the Buffalo Bills the reigning AFC East champions—the Dolphins have arguably their best opportunity in the last 20 years to take control of the division.

As the club seeks its first playoff appearance since 2016 following a 10-6 campaign last year, Baker has earned the right to join the Dolphins' core with the contract to match. 

On June 10, the Drug Enforcement Agency raided a house where then-Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. was present. No arrests were made, and no drugs were found.

Bowden spoke about the aftermath of that moment (and other topics) with NFL reporter Tyler Dunne and said he wasn't supported by Raiders coaches after revealing he was in the house when it was raided.

“Nobody was sticking up for me,” Bowden said. “It was, ‘Well, you know it is a drug house, it’s a gang-related house. So, he could’ve been in it.’ I’m hearing it! This is my first time even telling anybody this shit. I’m hearing ‘em! So I’m already knowing what their mindset is.”

The then-rookie thought his pro stint could be over: “I’m crying, like, ‘Man, my whole career is ruined.’”

The ex-Kentucky star said he FaceTimed Raiders special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia to tell him what happened, and in the background, the wideout heard coaches talking negatively about him.

Las Vegas used a third-round pick to take Kentucky's Lynn Bowden Jr. in the 2020 NFL draft, but the Silver and Black traded him to the Miami Dolphins less than five months later.

Bowden said that Raiders head coach Jon Gruden is “a good dude” and “a football guru" but also noted: “If you’re not his guy, you’re not his guy. Once he shies away from you, he shies away from you.”

Bowden had 28 catches for 211 yards alongside 32 rushing yards for the Dolphins. His best game was a seven-catch, 82-yard effort against the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Miami Dolphins star Tua Tagovailoa acknowledged he didn't play up to his own expectations as a rookie in 2020.

Tagovailoa told reporters Wednesday he generally "wasn't comfortable" throughout his first year, which impacted his performance:

The 23-year-old finished with 1,814 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 appearances with the team.

While those numbers don't jump off the page, two major factors were working against Tagovailoa.

The dislocated hip that ended his final season at Alabama limited his preseason preparations. The COVID-19 pandemic, meanwhile, forced a lot of offseason activities to be done remotely or with as little in-person contact as possible.

That Tagovailoa played as much as he did was probably a bit of a surprise since some thought he might be effectively redshirted due to the hip injury.

The 6'0" signal-caller said he's feeling much better physically compared to this time last year:

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported in January the Dolphins were a possible landing spot for Deshaun Watson, who's grown unhappy with the Houston Texans. Tagovailoa would then go to Houston in any swap.

The trade buzz around Watson has generally quieted down after he became the subject of 22 lawsuits alleging sexual assault and sexual misconduct.

With Tagovailoa still positioned as Miami's quarterback of the future, the franchise has worked to strengthen his supporting cast. The Dolphins signed Will Fuller V and selected Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and Boston College tight end Hunter Long in the 2021 draft.