Omar Kelly (Florida Sun Sentinel) is onboard with Miami picking him up......
It would be wise for the Miami Dolphins to claim the former University of Michigan standout, inheriting the two remaining years left on his guaranteed contract because Miami is starving for pass-rushing help — and isn’t this season about rummaging the waiver wire for NFL talent?
Coincidentally, the Dolphins have their own disappointing pass rusher selected in the first-round of the 2017 draft: Charles Harris.
Harris, who has just three sacks in 29 NFL games, has only five tackles this season. His struggles disengaging from blockers has contributed to the Dolphins having a meager three sacks in the first two games.
The Dolphins’ scouting department had high grades for Charlton during the 2017 draft process — and there were rumors Miami would select him instead of Harris because he’s more of a traditional 4-3 defensive end.
While I’m no fan of Charlton based on his Michigan film and productivity (65 tackles and 19 sacks in four years), what does Miami have to lose at this point by claiming the 6-foot-6, 270-pound defender?
The Cowboys already paid $5.43 million of his four-year, $10 million contract in his signing bonus, and he’s only guaranteed $7.73 million from his rookie deal. If Miami claims Charlton by Thursday’s noon deadline, they’d be responsible for paying for the final 14 games of his 2019 salary and his 2020 salary ($920,000), which is guaranteed.
So essentially, the Dolphins, a team desperate for pass rushing and edge-setting help, could acquire a 24-year-old former first-round pick for less than $2 million in guaranteed money.