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Miami Dolphins release Howard   Download PDF version

March 13, 2024

Miami Dolphins release Howard

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins announced they have released/failed physical cornerback Xavien Howard with a post-June 1 designation.

Howard was a second-round pick (38th overall) by Miami in the 2016 NFL Draft following a standout career at Baylor. He played in 100 career games with 99 starts over eight seasons (2016-23) with Miami and was selected to four Pro Bowls (2018, 2020-22). A two-time team captain (2022-23), Howard’s 29 career interceptions are tied for fourth in Dolphins history. His 95 passes defensed are second-most in team history since 1991, when the stat was first tracked.

Howard is a two-time recipient of the Dan Marino Team MVP Award. He earned the honor in 2020, when he had 10 interceptions, which led the NFL that season and tied the Dolphins single-season team record. Howard also was named Team MVP in 2018, when his seven interceptions tied the NFL lead. Since 2017, Howard’s 29 interceptions lead the league.

Miami Dolphins re-sign Jones   Download PDF version

March 12, 2024

Miami Dolphins re-sign Jones

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins announced they have re-signed offensive lineman Robert Jones.

Jones joined the Dolphins as an undrafted college free agent on May 13, 2021. He’s played in 32 career games with 13 starts for Miami – nine at left guard, three at right guard and one at right tackle. Jones has also started two playoff games – one at left guard and one at right guard. He was a two-year starter (2019-20) at Middle Tennessee State, where he earned honorable mention All-Conference USA honors in both seasons.

Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Birthdate Exp. College Hometown Acq.
Robert Jones OL 6-4 325 1/28/99 3 Middle Tennessee St. ’21 Chicago, Ill. FA, ‘21
Miami Dolphins re-sign Needham   Download PDF version

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins announced they have re-signed cornerback Nik Needham.

Needham has played all five of his NFL seasons (2019-23) with Miami, appearing in 61 games with 27 starts. He’s totaled 199 tackles (144 solo), 3.0 sacks, six interceptions, 25 passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in his career. He’s also had one interception return for a touchdown and played in one playoff game. Needham originally entered the NFL as an undrafted college free agent with Miami on May 9, 2019.

Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Birthdate Exp. College Hometown Acq.
Nik Needham CB 6-1 196 11/4/96 5 UTEP ’19 Buena Park, Calif. FA, ‘19
Miami Dolphins re-sign Campbell   Download PDF version

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins announced they have re-signed defensive back Elijah Campbell.

Campbell has played three seasons (2021-23) for Miami, appearing in 38 games with two starts and totaling 16 tackles (10 solo), two passes defensed and one fumble recovery. He’s also recorded 13 special teams tackles (nine solo) and appeared in two postseason games. Campbell originally entered the NFL as an undrafted college free agent with Cleveland on May 4, 2018. He has spent time with Cleveland (2018) and the N.Y. Jets (2020-21) in addition to the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football (2019) and the DC Defenders of the XFL (2020). Campbell played collegiately at Northern Iowa.

Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Birthdate Exp. College Hometown Acq.
Elijah Campbell DB 5-11 200 8/24/95 4 Northern Iowa ’18 St. Paul, Minn. Wai., ’21 (NYJ)
Miami Dolphins sign Smith   Download PDF version

March 8, 2024

Miami Dolphins sign Smith

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins announced they have signed tight end Jonnu Smith.

Smith has played in 107 career games with 78 starts, totaling 219 receptions for 2,423 yards (11.1 avg.) and 20 touchdowns. He’s also recorded 17 carries for 127 yards (7.5 avg.) and one touchdown. In 2023, Smith had career highs in receptions (50) and receiving yards (582) for Atlanta, adding three touchdowns.

Smith played four seasons (2017-20) with Tennessee, two years (2021-22) with New England and one season (2023) with Atlanta. During his career, he has appeared in seven postseason games with six starts, catching 11 passes for 87 yards (7.9 avg.) and one touchdown. An Ocala, Florida native, Smith originally entered the NFL as a third-round pick (100th overall) by Tennessee in the 2017 NFL Draft following a collegiate career at Florida International.

Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Birthdate Exp. College Hometown Acq.
Jonnu Smith TE 6-3 248 8/22/95 7 FIU ’17 Ocala, Fla. FA, ‘24
Miami Dolphins sign Nixon   Download PDF version

March 7, 2024

Miami Dolphins sign Nixon

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins announced they have signed defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon.

Nixon has played in 14 NFL games during two seasons (2021-22) with Carolina. He also spent time on Seattle’s active roster in 2022. Nixon has recorded 15 career tackles (four solo), 0.5 sacks and two quarterback hits. He originally entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick (158th overall) by Carolina in the 2021 NFL Draft. Nixon played collegiately at Iowa, where he was a consensus first-team All-American and the Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2020.

Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Birthdate Exp. College Hometown Acq.
Daviyon Nixon DT 6-3 305 12/13/98 3 Iowa ’21 Kenosha, Wis. FA, ‘24
Miami Dolphins make roster moves   Download PDF version

March 5, 2024

Miami Dolphins make roster moves

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins announced they have signed defensive tackle Isaiah Mack and released/failed physical linebacker Jerome Baker and defensive back Keion Crossen.

Baker was a third-round pick (73rd overall) by Miami in the 2018 NFL Draft. He played in 94 career games with 82 starts for Miami, totaling 581 tackles (378 solo), 22.5 sacks, five interceptions, 21 passes defensed and six forced fumbles. Baker led the Dolphins in tackles in three consecutive seasons from 2019-21 and was selected a team captain in 2019. He earned AFC Defensive Player of the Month honors in December 2021 and was the team’s Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee in 2021. Baker became the first Dolphin since at least 2000 to record 500-plus tackles in the first five years (2018-22) of his career.

Crossen joined Miami as an unrestricted free agent in 2022. He played in 16 games with two starts in 2022 before missing the 2023 season due to injury. Crossen has played in 75 career games with six starts, totaling 76 tackles (55 solo), one sack, 10 passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He also has 42 career special teams stops (30 solo). Crossen originally entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick (243rd overall) by New England in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Mack has played in 25 career games with one start over four different seasons. He’s totaled 17 career tackles (seven solo), 2.5 sacks and one fumble recovery. Mack originally entered the NFL as an undrafted college free agent with Tennessee in 2019. He’s appeared in games with Tennessee (2019-20), New England (2020) and Baltimore (2021-22). Mack has also spent time with Denver (2021), Pittsburgh (2021), Seattle (2022), the N.Y. Jets (2023) and Washington (2023). He played collegiately at Chattanooga.

Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Birthdate Exp. College Hometown Acq.
Isaiah Mack DT 6-1 299 3/19/96 5 Chattanooga ’19 Tunnel Hill, Ga. FA, ‘24