The Miami Dolphins made a splash in free agency this offseason with the signing of Calais Campbell, a win-now move as the team aspires to contend in the AFC.
But Campbell’s arrival didn’t stack on to an already-loaded position—it helped balance the scales a little after the team suffered its biggest personnel loss of the offseason when Christian Wilkins signed with the Las Vegas Raiders on that $110 million contract.
As such, analysts often look for ways the Dolphins could still reinforce the position. Bleacher Report has an interesting idea on that front—suggesting Miami steal Carlos Watkins off the Washington Commanders’ practice squad:
“The Dolphins biggest loss this offseason was Christian Wilkins. When you look at their other losses, it's not hard to find a direct replacement among their additions. The closest thing the Dolphins did to replace Wilkins was signing 37-year-old Calais Campbell.”
Adding rotational depth like Watkins only makes sense. Campbell remains incredibly productive given his age, but his 6.5 sacks in Atlanta last year came while he played just 63 percent of the defense’s total snaps and he hasn’t played more than 64 percent in a season since 2019.
Watkins is interesting, too, as a former fourth-rounder from the 2017 draft who has been productive but lost most of 2023 to a biceps injury and didn’t last more than a couple of weeks with the Los Angeles Rams in August.
While the focus tends to zoom on win-now moves for the Dolphins, the front office grabbing talent off other practice squads is one of those moves that could pay off big time at a later date.
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