The Dolphins are bringing in a player who’s familiar with their new General Manager and head coach.
Miami has claimed defensive tackle James Ester off of waivers, according to the league’s daily transaction wire.
Ester, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2024, has spent the last two seasons on the Packers’ practice squad. He was waived by the club earlier this week.
Dolphins G.M. Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley were both previously with the Packers, giving them some inside knowledge about Ester.
Ester, however, has not yet appeared in a regular-season game.
When Florida attorney general James Uthmeier posted his latest letter to the NFL regarding his ongoing assault against the league’s diversity policies, he didn’t include the league’s response to his initial letter. To have a full understanding of the situation, it would be helpful to have both.
And so we’ve obtained and reviewed the May 1 letter from NFL general counsel Ted Ullyot to Uthmeier.
The four-page letter explains the league’s position regarding the manner in which its diversity policies comply with Florida law and federal law. The letter also clarifies some of the information contained in Uthmeier’s initial letter.
“Simply put, the NFL does not permit the consideration of race, sex, or any other legally protected characteristic in any hiring decisions or employment actions,” Ullyot writes in the opening paragraph of the letter.
“Diversity of the candidate pool, both on the field and off, is also a critical part of the NFL’s success, and ‘it is the policy of the NFL and all member clubs to hire from a broad, diverse, and growing pool of high caliber talent, and to support equal opportunity and fair hiring practices throughout the League,’” Ullyot says. “The League defines ‘diversity’ expansively to include the ‘broad ranges of human difference among us.’”
As to the Rooney Rule, Ullyot explains that it does not “compel any hiring or discharge decision, or direct that anyone be ‘discriminated against.’ It operates solely in the interview process, such that clubs consider a broad set of candidates before making a hiring decision. It does not prevent a club from interviewing any candidate.” (Emphasis in original.)
Ullyot’s letter also emphasizes that various other NFL diversity policies do not mandate hiring decisions.
As to the recent revisions to the NFL’s website regarding the Rooney Rule, footnote 11 at page 3 explains that Uthmeier’s letter “has brought to our attention some outdated information.” The footnote states that the “information is in the process of being updated to accurately reflect the NFL’s current programs and policies.”
Uthmeier obviously wasn’t persuaded by Ullyot’s letter, given the response Uthmeier sent to the NFL on May 13 — and in light of the subpoena Uthmeier has served on the NFL. Regardless, the battle lines have been drawn; the NFL believes its policies require a broad search, and that the policies do not infringe on the ability of the individual teams to hire whomever they choose. Uthmeier believes otherwise.
The Dolphins wanted to keep running back De’Von Achane around. And they will.
Per multiple reports, the two sides have worked out a four-year extension. Coupled with the one year left on his rookie deal, Achane will be under contract for five more years.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network describes the extension as being worth $64 million, with a maximum value of $68 million. Jordan Schultz characterizes the base deal as being worth $68 million. The difference is one million per year in new-money APY; it’s either $16 million or $17 million.
Either way, it puts Achane at No. 3 in new-money average, behind Eagles running back Saquon Barkley ($20.6 million) and 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey ($19 million).
The details of this one will nevertheless become critical to understanding its true value. Regardless, Achane has gotten the second contract he deserved. Given the nature of the running back position, it’s critical for former draft picks who have completed three years to get a new deal as soon as possible.
When Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik was asked at a Tuesday press conference about the things that excite him about quarterback Malik Willis, he began his answer by saying Willis “can spin the ball all over the field.”
Slowik eventually made his way to mentioning Willis’s ability to impact games as a runner and that topic came up again later in the session. Slowik was asked about the stress that Miami will be able to put on opposing defenses by pairing Willis with running back De’Von Achane.
“I’d say anytime you have a quarterback who has the ability to run, it’s not something that you are going to do down-in, down-out in the NFL; but the threat of it makes it 11 versus 11, as opposed to 11 on 10,” Slowik said, via a transcript from the team. “I think that’s what can get tough sometimes when you get a guy that maybe isn’t as mobile at quarterback is, they have eleven guys and aside from throwing the ball, you’re really playing with ten. So it just lets you equalize some advantageous situations. Outside of that, really the mobility these days shows up more in off-schedule situations than it does anything. So it’s definitely a weapon and it’s a threat and it’s something you want a defense to think about, but I think no one in the NFL is coming out and just living in that world.”
The Dolphins may not want to be living in that world, but there’s little reason to think they would have made such a big bet on Willis while overhauling their receiver room if they didn’t think of his legs as an asset to the offense. Seeing how that plays out will be one of the big things to watch in Miami this season.
Running back Le’Veon Moss will no longer be vying for a spot on the Dolphins’ roster.
The team placed Moss on the reserve/retired list on Tuesday. Moss signed with the team after going undrafted out of Texas A&M last month.
No corresponding move was announced, so the Dolphins now have an opening on their 90-man roster.
Moss played in 32 games over four seasons with the Aggies and ran 321 times for 1,767 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also caught 24 passes for 236 yards.
De’Von Achane, Jaylen Wright, Ollie Gordon, Donovan Edwards, and Anthony Hankerson are the remaining running backs in Miami.
