On Thursday, the Miami Dolphins announced the signings of two defensive players: five-year veteran defensive end Tank Carradine, and cornerback Jomal Wiltz.
The most notable of these signings is, of course, Carradine, the soon-to-be 29-year old out of Florida State. In his first four seasons in the league, he was a member of the San Francisco 49ers as their second round draft pick back during the 2013 NFL draft.
During that time, Carradine played in 44 games, starting in eight of them. He made 77 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and forced a fumble. Unfortunately, injuries limited his overall playing time, as he was placed on injured reserve before his rookie season started, and then again in 2017. He was not brought back afterwards.
In 2018, the Oakland Raiders took a flyer on him when they signed him in March, but after playing just one game, in which he recorded just one tackle, he was released in October that same year.
The talent is certainly there to work with, if given good coaching. Carradine was graded as a potential first-rounder before being drafted, and he earned first-team All-ACC honors in 2012 during his college career.
As for Wiltz, the influence of head coach Brian Flores can be pointed to for this signing, as the former undrafted free agent out of Iowa State spent the past two seasons on the New England Patriots practice squad, with the exception of just one week in 2017.
As a senior in 2016, Wiltz earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors and was seventh in the Big 12 with 11 pass deflections, meaning he could have some potential to be a diamond in the rough on a team that will be looking for cheap labor to develop in – at the very least – the 2019 season and possibly beyond.
