2016 Miami Dolphins season

2016 Miami Dolphins season
Head coach	Adam Gase
General manager	Chris Grier
Owner	Stephen M. Ross
Home field	New Miami Stadium
Uniform

The 2016 Miami Dolphins season is the franchise's 47th season in the National Football League, the 51st overall and the first under head coach Adam Gase.

Offseason

Organizational changes

On January 2, 2016, two-year general manager Dennis Hickey was fired.^[1] On January 4, the Dolphins promoted director of college scouting Chris Grier to replace Hickey as the new general manager. Grier has been with the Dolphins for the past sixteen seasons, nine as the director of scouting.^[2]

The Dolphins front office, which is made up of owner Stephen Ross, executive vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum, CEO Tom Garfinkel, vice chairman Matt Higgins and Grier, developed a committee to find a permanent replacement for former head coach Joe Philbin, who was fired and replaced by tight ends coach Dan Campbell on October 5, 2015.^[3][4]

The Dolphins conducted interviews with seven candidates. The candidates included former Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith, former Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan, former Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone, Bills assistant head coach Anthony Lynn, Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and interim head coach Campbell. The Dolphins requested interviews with New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia,^[5] as well as Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson.^[6]

Owner Ross expressed interest in New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton; however, on January 6, Payton announced he would remain in New Orleans for another season.^[6]

On January 9, Gase was hired as the twelfth head coach in Dolphins history. He was the only candidate to receive a second interview.^[7] On January 12, Gase hired Bengals' defensive back coach Vance Joseph as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Matt Burke, who worked with Joseph in Cincinnati, in the same position. Gase also hired Washington Redskins' offensive line coach Shane Day as tight ends coach, San Francisco 49ers' offensive line coach Chris Foerster in the same position and former Houston Oilers wide receiver Shawn Jefferson as the wide receivers coach. Assistant general manager Eric Stokes was promoted to senior personnel executive.^[8]

Roster changes

The Dolphins entered free agency with 11 unrestricted free agents.^[9]

Position	Player	Free agency tag	Date signed	2016 team
QB	Matt Moore	UFA	March 15, 2016	Miami Dolphins
RB	Lamar Miller	UFA	March 9, 2016	Houston Texans
C	Jacques McClendon	UFA	March 11, 2016	Miami Dolphins
G	Shelley Smith	UFA
WR	Rishard Matthews	UFA	March 9, 2016	Tennessee Titans
DE	Derrick Shelby	UFA	March 9, 2016	Atlanta Falcons
DE	Olivier Vernon	UFA	March 9, 2016	New York Giants
LB	James-Michael Johnson	UFA	March 10, 2016	Miami Dolphins
LB	Spencer Paysinger	UFA	March 29, 2016	Miami Dolphins
LB	Kelvin Sheppard	UFA	April 10, 2016	New York Giants
FS	Louis Delmas	UFA
RFA: Restricted free agent, UFA: Unrestricted free agent, ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent LEGEND  –  Light green background indicates a player has been re-signed by the Dolphins.  –  Light red background indicates a player has departed the Dolphins.

Acquisitions

The Dolphins first addition of 2016 was the signing of wide receiver/cornerback Tyler Davis on January 4, on a futures contract. Davis became the first German Football League player to be signed by an NFL team.^[10]

March 7, 2016 - The Dolphins acquire LB Kiko Alonso and CB Byron Maxwell from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for swapping first round picks (8 and 13).

March 8, 2016 - The Dolphins sign DE Mario Williams on a 2-year, $16 million contract.

March 9, 2016 - The Dolphins sign S Isa Abdul-Quddus on a 3-year, $12.75 million contract.

Departures

The Dolphins first departure of 2016 was the waiving of offensive tackle Jason Fox, who had one year remaining on his contract, on January 12.^[11]

The Dolphins also released cornerback Brent Grimes and wide receiver Greg Jennings on March 5, 2016 after an uneventful 2015 season.

On March 9, the Dolphins lost Olivier Vernon, Lamar Miller, Derrick Shelby, and Rishard Matthews to other teams during free agency.

Draft

2016 Miami Dolphins Draft

Round	Selection	Player	Position	College
1	13	Laremy Tunsil	OT	Ole Miss
2	38	Xavien Howard	CB	Baylor
3	73	Kenyan Drake	RB	Alabama
3	86	Leonte Carroo	WR	South Carolina
6	186	Jakeem Grant	WR	Texas Tech
6	204	Jordan Lucas	CB/S	Penn State
7	223	Brandon Doughty	QB	Western Kentucky
7	231	Thomas Duarte	TE	UCLA

Notes

• The team traded its first-round selection to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a first-round selection, cornerback Byron Maxwell, and linebacker Kiko Alonso.^[12]
• The Dolphins acquired an additional seventh-round selection in a trade that sent cornerback Will Davis to the Baltimore Ravens.

Staff

Miami Dolphins staff
	Front Office Chairman/Managing General Partner – Stephen Ross Vice Chairman/Partner – Jorge Perez Vice Chairman – Don Shula President/CEO – Tom Garfinkel General Manager – Chris Grier Executive Vice President of Football Administration – Dawn Aponte Executive Vice President of Football Operations – Mike Tannenbaum Director of Football Administration – Ryan Herman Director of Player Personnel – Joe Schoen Director of Pro Scouting – Anthony Hunt Head Coaches Head Coach – Adam Gase Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator – Clyde Christensen Quarterbacks – Bo Hardegree Running Backs – Danny Barrett Wide Receivers – Shawn Jefferson Assistant Wide Receivers - Ben Johnson Tight Ends – Shane Day Offensive Line – Chris Foerster Assistant Offensive Line – Jeremiah Washburn Offensive Quality Control - Chris Kuper			Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator – Vance Joseph Defensive Line – Terrell Williams Linebackers – Matt Burke Assistant Linebackers - Charlie Bullen Defensive Backs – Lou Anarumo Assistant Defensive Backs - Daronte Jones Defensive Quality Control - Rusty McKinney Senior Defensive Assistant/Pass Rush Specialist - Jim Washburn Special Teams Coaches Special Teams Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach – Darren Rizzi Assistant Special Teams – Marwan Maalouf Strength and Conditioning Head Strength and Conditioning – Dave Puloka Assistant Strength and Conditioning - Jim Arthur Assistant Strength and Conditioning - Ted Rath → Coaching Staff → Management → More NFL staffs
AFC East BUF MIA NE NYJ North BAL CIN CLE PIT South HOU IND JAX TEN West DEN KC OAK SD NFC East DAL NYG PHI WAS North CHI DET GB MIN South ATL CAR NO TB West ARI LA SF SEA

Current roster

Miami Dolphins roster
Quarterbacks  6 Brandon Doughty  2 Zac Dysert  8 Matt Moore 17 Ryan Tannehill  5 Logan Thomas Running backs 23 Jay Ajayi 32 Kenyan Drake 22 Isaiah Pead 30 Daniel Thomas 26 Damien Williams Wide receivers 88 Leonte Carroo 81 A.J. Cruz 19 Jakeem Grant 15 Matt Hazel 14 Jarvis Landry 16 Tyler Murphy 11 DeVante Parker 87 Rashawn Scott 82 Brandon Shippen 10 Kenny Stills 18 Griff Whalen Tight ends 84 Jordan Cameron 83 Thomas Duarte 48 MarQueis Gray 89 Gabe Hughes 85 Dominique Jones 80 Dion Sims 86 Jake Stoneburner		Offensive linemen 76 Branden Albert T 74 Jermon Bushrod T 64 Reuben Carter C 75 Jamil Douglas G 70 Ja'Wuan James T 68 Ulrick John T 66 Jacques McClendon G 71 Vinston Painter T 51 Mike Pouncey C 65 Anthony Steen G 63 Dallas Thomas G 67 Laremy Tunsil T 77 Billy Turner G 60 Kraig Urbik G 79 Sam Young T Defensive linemen 50 Andre Branch DE 62 Deandre Coleman DT 78 Terrence Fede DE 96 Farrington Huguenin DE 52 Chris Jones DT 72 Cleyon Laing DE 90 Earl Mitchell DT 97 Jordan Phillips DT 93 Ndamukong Suh DT 61 Charles Tuaau DT 91 Cameron Wake DE 73 Julius Warmsley DE 69 Jordan Williams DE 94 Mario Williams DE		Linebackers 47 Kiko Alonso OLB 44 Akil Blount MLB 43 James Burgess MLB 57 Tyler Gray OLB 46 Neville Hewitt OLB 45 Mike Hull OLB 53 Jelani Jenkins OLB 56 James-Michael Johnson MLB 58 Chris McCain OLB 55 Koa Misi MLB 42 Spencer Paysinger OLB 49 Zach Vigil OLB Defensive backs 24 Isa Abdul-Quddus SS 35 Walt Aikens FS 38 Chimdi Chekwa CB 33 Ifo Ekpre-Olomu CB 27 Shamiel Gary SS 37 A.J. Hendy FS 25 Xavien Howard CB 20 Reshad Jones SS 36 Tony Lippett CB 21 Jordan Lucas CB 41 Byron Maxwell CB 28 Bobby McCain CB 29 Tyler Patmon CB 40 Lafayette Pitts CB 31 Michael Thomas FS Special teams  4 Matt Darr P 92 John Denney LS 59 Ryan DiSalvo LS  3 Andrew Franks K  7 Marshall Koehn K				Reserve lists 95 Dion Jordan DE (Susp.) Unrestricted FAs -- Louis Delmas FS -- Shelley Smith G Rookies in italics Roster updated May 6, 2016 Depth Chart • Transactions 83 Active, 1 Inactive, 2 FAs, 6 Unsigned → AFC rosters → NFC rosters
AFC East BUF MIA NE NYJ North BAL CIN CLE PIT South HOU IND JAX TEN West DEN KC OAK SD NFC East DAL NYG PHI WAS North CHI DET GB MIN South ATL CAR NO TB West ARI LA SF SEA

Schedule

Preseason

The Dolphins' preseason opponents and schedule will be announced in the spring.

Week	Date	Kickoff	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	TV	NFL.com recap
1	August 12	7:00 p.m. EDT	at New York Giants			MetLife Stadium
2	TBD (August 18–22)		at Dallas Cowboys			AT&T Stadium
3	August 25	8:00 p.m. EDT	Atlanta Falcons			New Miami Stadium	NBC
4	TBD (September 1–2)		Tennessee Titans			New Miami Stadium

Regular season

Week	Date	Kickoff	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	TV	NFL.com recap
1	September 11	4:05 p.m. EDT	at Seattle Seahawks			CenturyLink Field	CBS
2	September 18	1:00 p.m. EDT	at New England Patriots			Gillette Stadium	CBS
3	September 25	1:00 p.m. EDT	Cleveland Browns			New Miami Stadium	CBS
4	September 29	8:25 p.m. EDT	at Cincinnati Bengals			Paul Brown Stadium	NFLN
5	October 9	1:00 p.m. EDT	Tennessee Titans			New Miami Stadium	CBS
6	October 16	1:00 p.m. EDT	Pittsburgh Steelers			New Miami Stadium	CBS
7	October 23	1:00 p.m. EDT	Buffalo Bills			New Miami Stadium	CBS
8	Bye
9	November 6	1:00 p.m. EST	New York Jets			New Miami Stadium	CBS
10	November 13	4:05 p.m. EST	at San Diego Chargers			Qualcomm Stadium	CBS
11	November 20	4:05 p.m. EST	at Los Angeles Rams			Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	Fox
12	November 27	1:00 p.m. EST	San Francisco 49ers			New Miami Stadium	Fox
13	December 4	1:00 p.m. EST	at Baltimore Ravens			M&T Bank Stadium	CBS
14	December 11	1:00 p.m. EST	Arizona Cardinals			New Miami Stadium	Fox
15	December 17	8:25 p.m. EST	at New York Jets			MetLife Stadium	NFLN
16	December 24	1:00 p.m. EST	at Buffalo Bills			Ralph Wilson Stadium	CBS
17	January 1	1:00 p.m. EST	New England Patriots			New Miami Stadium	CBS

Notes

• Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
• Networks and times for Sunday games from Weeks 5–17 are subject to change as a result of flexible scheduling.

References

1. Kelly, Omar (January 2, 2016). "Dolphins to fire GM Dennis Hickey". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
2. Perkins, Chris (January 4, 2016). "Dolphins name Chris Grier general manager". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
3. Perkins, Chris (January 4, 2016). "Grier: Dolphins are going to build a competitive roster at all positions". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
4. Hyde, Dave (October 5, 2015). "Dolphins name Chris Grier general manager". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
5. Kelly, Omar (January 4, 2016). "Former Falcons coach Mike Smith becomes first coach to formally interview". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
6. Kelly, Omar (January 5, 2016). "Dolphins have expressed interest in Sean Payton, source says". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
7. Beasley, Adam (January 9, 2016). "Dolphins name Chris Grier general manager". Miami Herald. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
8. Beasley, Adam (January 12, 2016). "Miami Dolphins name Vance Joseph defensive coordinator, hire other assistants". Miami Herald. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
9. "Dolphins UFA". Spotrac. January 4, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
10. Jackson, Barry (January 4, 2016). "New Dolphins GM Chris Grier vows ‘talk of dysfunction’ within organization is over". Miami Herald. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
11. Jackson, Barry (January 12, 2016). "Miami Dolphins waive Jason Fox". Miami Herald. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
12. Chase, Chris (March 10, 2016). "Dolphins complete trade for Byron Maxwell, Kiko Alonso". ESPN. Retrieved March 10, 2016.

External links

• Official website