Vontae Davis signed

With training camp starting tomorrow, Miami avoided having a first-round holdout by signing CB Vontae Davis to a five-year contract.

Terms of the deal are not yet known, but I'll update this post when they are released.

This signing leaves Pat White and Chris Clemons as the only remaining unsigned Miami draft picks. Both players should be signed in time for tomorrow's start to camp.

Ronnie Brown gets in Hall of Fame....sort of

Ronnie Brown's jersey from last season's critical and semi-revolutionary Week 3 game against the hated Patriots has been donated to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In scoring 5 total touchdowns (four rushing, one passing), not only did Brown set new Dolphins' franchise single-game records for rushing TDs and total TDs, he also ushered in the new dynamic of Wildcat formations.

Brown also accomplished something (four rushing TDs and one passing TD) that only one other player in history had accomplished - Paddy Driscoll way back in 1923.

This also gives me occasion to show this video, which is always sweet:


Original Video- More videos at TinyPic

Charges lowered against Starks

In a bit of good news before training camp, the Memorial Day charge of aggravated assault of a police officer against DE Randy Starks is being dropped.

Instead, Starks will face the lesser misdemeanor charge of culpable negligence.

This should put Starks in a better position to focus on football and challenge Phillip Merling for playing time with the starting unit.

In other news, my annual complete roster breakdown will get under way very shortly.

Reader Question: Cameron Wake, Tony McDaniel

Today, I'd like to take the time to answer a reader's questions regarding two of the defense's more unknown players - Cameron Wake and Tony McDaniel.

Here's the questions:

Do you think that the success that Cameron Wake had in the CFL will follow him to the Dolphins. Can Tony McDaniel be an effective back-up at DT? Would he be able to play a different position other than DT? He has the weight (310) to play the DT position, however at 6'7" isn't he a bit tall to be effective?

Good questions.

Let's start with Cameron Wake. Way back in the beginning of February, I made my first annual list of Miami's Top 5 Prospects. I placed Wake at #2. Here's what I wrote about him at the time:

Signing Wake from the CFL was akin to a baseball team signing a dominant player from one of the Dominican or Japanese leagues. The talent level he faced up there obviously doesn't compare to what he'll see in the NFL, but dominance is dominance, and I'm interested in any young player who has already achieved that kind of production on a professional level. He may not be any good against the run, but he's a top prospect because of his singular ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks.

With Miami, he will have to transition to outside linebacker, but his role will be almost entirely to rush the QB. Charlie Anderson was pretty bad this year, and it's hard to believe Wake can't at least match what he did on the field. He has a lot to prove if he wants to start in the future, but he has the potential to be this team's next David Bowens, which isn't too shabby.

Nothing has changed since then to alter my opinion of Wake's prospects, other than the signing of Jason Taylor which will push him further down the depth chart.

Is Wake going to step right in and deliver double digit sacks like he was doing in Canada? Nope. But people shouldn't expect him to. He's likely going to be one of the bottom linebackers on the depth chart this season, so his playing time may be sporadic. He has a lot to learn, especially when it comes to stopping the run, before he is granted any role larger than what Charlie Anderson held last year. But like I said, I'd much rather have Wake taking those limited snaps this year and improving his game so that he can hopefully have a bigger role next year.

As for McDaniel, he's somewhat of an unknown. He's supposedly a talented young player who can never avoid injuries. His size makes him ideal for a DE in Parcells' and Ireland's 3-4 scheme. The coaching staff is probably going to try him at all the spots along the defensive line in order to test his positional flexibility. Apparently he is willing to play some defensive tackle and nose tackle, and if so, he'd make for a nice Randy Starks-type utility depth player.

His height is definitely rare for a DT, since getting underneath the offensive lineman's pads is so critical to succeeding, but it can certainly work provided the player has excellent technique. We've seen that with Jay Ratliff in Dallas. Whether or not McDaniel can follow in those footsteps remains to be seen.

Just as a programming note, I expect to start thoroughly breaking down every unit on this roster, player by player, by the time training camp gets underway. That's the best way to learn more about the team and to get ready for the season ahead, so check back for those posts.

Sean Smith signed; 3 picks left to sign

With training camp rapidly approaching, the Dolphins still have some work to do in order to get all their draft picks signed and in camp on time.

They took care of some of that workload today by getting second-round draft pick CB Sean Smith signed to a four-year $3.1 million contract, including a $1.36 million in guaranteed money.

The Dolphins have three remaining draft picks left to sign, including their top two picks, CB Vontae Davis and QB Pat White.

Here is a full list of Miami's draft choices, with those who have signed in bold along with their contract numbers:

Round 1 (25th overall) CB Vontae Davis, Illinois
Round 2 (44, from Washington) QB Pat White, West Virginia
Round 2 (61, from Indianapolis) CB Sean Smith, Utah: 4 years, $3.1 million, $1.36 million bonus
Round 3 (87) WR Patrick Turner, USC: 4 years, $2.46 million, $714,000 bonus
Round 4 (108, from Oakland) WR Brian Hartline, Ohio State: 4 years, $2.25 million, $500,000 bonus
Round 5 (161) TE John Nalbone, Monmouth: 4 years, $1.92 million, $173,000 bonus
Round 5 (165, from Indianapolis) FS Chris Clemons, Clemson
Round 6 (181) T Andrew Gardner, Georgia Tech: 4 years, $1.86 million, $109,000 bonus
Round 7 (214, from Cleveland) OLB J.D. Folsom, Weber State: 4 years, $1.81 million, $62,000 bonus

Brian Hartline signs

The Dolphins inked their fifth draft pick to a contract today, signing WR Brian Hartline to a four-year contract.

Hartline was a fourth-round draft pick.

His contract is reportedly worth about $2.25 million, including a signing bonus of roughly $500,000. The deal includes escalators and incentive clauses that could potentially push the value of the deal just under $4 million.

Vontae Davis officially cleared

Just tying up some loose ends with this one.

The Champaigne, Illinois police who originally charged Davis with driving with an invalid license and pulling a Bubb Rubb have dismissed those charges.

It had become obvious that Davis was a victim of identity theft and that the person pulled over was not him.

J.D. Folsom signs

Shortly after Patrick Turner signed his rookie contract, seventh-round LB J.D. Folsom followed suit.

Scout.com is reporting that he signed a four-year deal worth $1.812 million, including a $62,000 signing bonus.

Folsom becomes the team's fourth draft pick to sign. For a complete list of all the team's draft picks, showing which are signed and which are not, see the post below this one.

Patrick Turner signs

[Update:] J.D. Folsom has also signed his contract[/End Update]

The Dolphins signed a third pick from this year's draft, inking WR Patrick Turner to a four-year deal worth about $2.46 million, including a $714,000 signing bonus.

Turner was taken in the third round.

He is the third 2009 Miami draft pick to sign after TE John Nalbone and T Andrew Gardner.

Here is a full list of Miami's draft choices, with those who have signed in bold along with their contract numbers:

Round 1 (25th overall) CB Vontae Davis, Illinois
Round 2 (44, from Washington) QB Pat White, West Virginia
Round 2 (61, from Indianapolis) CB Sean Smith, Utah
Round 3 (87) WR Patrick Turner, USC: 4 years, $2.46 million, $714,000 bonus
Round 4 (108, from Oakland) WR Brian Hartline, Ohio State
Round 5 (161) TE John Nalbone, Monmouth: 4 years, $1.92 million, $173,000 bonus
Round 5 (165, from Indianapolis) FS Chris Clemons, Clemson
Round 6 (181) T Andrew Gardner, Georgia Tech: 4 years, $1.86 million, $109,000 bonus
Round 7 (214, from Cleveland) OLB J.D. Folsom, Weber State: 4 years, $1.81 million, $62,000 bonus

It has been reported that FS Chris Clemons is close to signing his deal.

2009 Training Camp schedule released

The Dolphins have released their 2009 training camp schedule.

To see the whole list, click here.

Players begin reporting on August 1, and the first practice will take place on August 2. 21 of the practices will be open to the public, with the last open practice happening on August 20.

Double session days will have practices at 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM, while single session days will begin at 2:00 PM.