With the Miami Dolphins aggressively attacking weaknesses on their defensive depth chart to open the league’s negotiation window, it would have been an easy assumption that the Dolphins would be working towards targeting defensive tackle Danny Shelton. The former New England Patriot enjoyed a career year in 2019 with the Patriots — and he was ripe for picking on the open market.
With the Dolphins sorely lacking a true nose tackle presence to hold down the middle of the defense, there were enough dots to connect here that led many to believe that Miami would be players for Shelton’s services.
The Dolphins may or may not have made a play for Shelton — but we now know that they will not be securing him to serve as the new anchor of the defensive line. The news broke this morning that another team headed up by a Patriots disciple, the Detroit Lions, had agreed to sign Shelton to a 2-year deal worth up to $8M.
This isn’t necessarily a big loss for Miami, but the Dolphins will at the very least have to flip their attention elsewhere if they are to ink a nose tackle before the 2020 NFL Draft late next month. The Dolphins have plenty of horsepower up front after some agreed signings on the edge of the defense, but plucking a space eater in the middle to ensure there are more one on one reps for the rest of the front seven is still a necessary addition for Miami’s base defense.
Miami hasn’t been shy to tap into their ties to the Patriots — this just won’t be a case where it materializes for a new addition for Miami.
