The Miami Dolphins may consider signing Evan Mathis as a free agent for training camp after his release from the Eagles, as he was a potential trade target for the team around the draft, but right now no deal is close and this comes as Ryan Tannehill is looking forward to working with an offense that has Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker, Lamar Miller, Jordan Cameron and Jay Ajayi as weapons.
The Dolphins were mentioned in trade reports about Mathis when he was still a member of the Eagles, but now that he has been released, numerous teams have interest in signing him. According to NFL.com, Mathis's agent Drew Rosenhaus said at least "six to eight" teams have shown interest in his client and that he will not rush into signing a deal. The Dolphins previously had interest in Mathis, while the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders and Chicago Bears also could be landing spots.
The Buffalo News reported that Rex Ryan and the Bills are looking into Mathis, while John Clayton at ESPN reported that the San Francisco 49ers are also interested. According to the Sun Sentinel, the Dolphins are going to "explore" Evan Mathis as an option for training camp, but right now the team is "comfortable" with the guards on the roster. Mathis was set to make $5.5 million this season and he likely will want something in that range.
The Dolphins have the cap space to sign Mathis, but according to Miami Herald, the team doesn't want to engage in a "bidding war" for the guard. Right now the team has Dallas Thomas and Billy Turner expected to be the starting guards and they also have options in Jeff Linkenbach and rookie Jamil Douglas as well as Jason Fox. The team wants the offensive line to be improved after giving up too many sacks to Ryan Tannehill last season and that consistency will help the rushing game as well.
Tannehill signed a major contract extension this offseason and he has high expectations coming into 2015 after the team added some strong offensive talent. The team signed Greg Jennings and Jordan Cameron, and drafted Jay Ajayi along with DeVante Parker to go with Jarvis Landry, who had a strong rookie season last year. Parker is coming into the summer injured after dealing with foot surgery and there is a chance he could miss out on all of training camp. According to Pro Football Talk, the plan is to have Parker out and recovering through training camp so he is ready for Week 1 of the season.
Tannehill has a $96-million contract coming into the season and the Dolphins will be expecting to make the playoffs after laying out $100 million Ndamukong Suh. Parker's return should help Tannehill and he is hoping that Ajayi can give Lamar Miller a strong backup in the rushing game. The team ranked near the bottom of the league in red zone offense last season and the Dolphins are looking for Parker and Landry to be an explosive duo on offense. Mathis could be an option as training camp gets closer.
