The Miami Dolphins entered the offseason with holes all over their defense, but edge rusher wasn’t necessarily a huge one.
Yes, Miami had Andrew Van Ginkel and Melvin Ingram hitting free agency, but they still had Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb to be their mainstays.
However, general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel decided to sign free-agent linebacker Malik Reed, reuniting him with Chubb and his former head coach in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
According to Over the Cap, Reed and the Dolphins agreed to a one-year deal worth roughly $1.23 million. Reed will earn $1.08 million in a base salary ($650,000 of which is guaranteed), $100,000 in a signing bonus and another $52,500 in a roster bonus. His cap hit for 2023 is set to be about $1.09.
With over half of the contract guaranteed, it seems pretty unlikely that Miami would move on from the linebacker before the season began. The Dolphins would save just $342,500 by releasing Reed while incurring a dead cap penalty of $750,000.
Reed has the best year of his career under Fangio, so Miami is hoping that he can recapture some of the magic, even if it’s in a smaller role behind Phillips and Chubb.
