A couple of housekeeping items today as we wait for NFL free agency to begin on Tuesday at 4 p.m.:
* The Dolphins have five restricted free agents and three exclusive rights free agents this offseason, and are bringing at least three of them back.
Linebacker Austin Spitler, a seventh-round pick in 2010 who has been a key special teams contributor, received a low-round restricted free agent tender from the Dolphins, which would pay him a $1.323 million salary in 2013, a nice increase from the $540,000 he made last season. Spitler wants to return, and his high salary should serve as a deterrent from another team signing him, but if Spitler does sign with another team, the Dolphins won’t receive any draft-pick compensation for him.
The Dolphins also offered free agent tenders to two of their exclusive rights free agents: QB Pat Devlin, who will make the standard second-year player salary of $480,000, and cornerback R.J. Stanford, who will receive the standard fourth-year player salary of $630,000.
Five players also didn’t receive tenders: Restricted free agents WR Marlon Moore, S Jonathon Amaya, TE Jeron Mastrud and CB Bryan McCann, and exclusive rights free agent Patrick Brown.
The players will become unrestricted free agents on Tuesday if they do not receive a tender. The Dolphins still may want some of those players back, but not at the lowest RFA amount ($1.323 million). Moore caught six passes for 116 yards and a touchdown last year, Mastrud was a solid blocking tight end and key special teams player, Amaya was a core special teams player and McCann played in eight games after injuries hit the secondary.
A look at the Dolphins’ current roster (54 players), and free agents who haven’t been offered a tender:
Offense (26)
QBs (3): Ryan Tannehill, Matt Moore, Pat Devlin
RBs (5): Daniel Thomas, Lamar Miller, Marcus Thigpen, Jonas Gray, FB Jorvorskie Lane
WRs (6): Brian Hartline, Davone Bess, Armon Binns, Rishard Matthews, Brian Tyms, Jeff Fuller
TEs (3): Charles Clay, Michael Egnew, Kyle Miller
OLs (9): Jonathan Martin, John Jerry, Mike Pouncey, Richie Incognito, Josh Samuda, Will Yeatman, Jeff Adams, Chandler Burden, Andrew McDonald
Defense (25)
DEs (5): Cameron Wake, Jared Odrick, Olivier Vernon, Derrick Shelby, Lee Robinson
DTs (4): Randy Starks, Paul Soliai, Kheeston Randall, Chas Alecxih
LBs (7): Karlos Dansby, Kevin Burnett, Koa Misi, Jason Trusnik, Jonathan Freeny, Josh Kaddu, Austin Spitler
CBs (7): Nolan Carroll, Richard Marshall, Jimmy Wilson, Dimitri Patterson, Julian Posey, De’Andre Presley, R.J. Stanford
S (2): Reshad Jones, Kelcie McCray
Specialists (3)
K: Dan Carpenter
P: Brandon Fields
LS: John Denney
FREE AGENTS
Unrestricted (9)
RB Reggie Bush
S Chris Clemons
S Tyrone Culver
TE Anthony Fasano
G/T Nate Garner
K Nate Kaeding
LT Jake Long
DT Tony McDaniel
CB Sean Smith
Restricted (4)
S Jonathon Amaya
TE Jeron Mastrud
CB Bryan McCann
WR Marlon Moore
Exclusive Rights (1)
OT Patrick Brown
* In other roster news, the Dolphins also have picked up a charge for $83,082 against their 2013 salary cap after an injury grievance from 2011 with former TE Mickey Shuler was settled. The Dolphins waived Shuler in training camp in 2011, but Shuler failed a physical with the Bengals, and wanted an injury settlement from the Dolphins. The Dolphins currently have about $3.2 million in dead money for the 2013 salary cap.
