Phins trade for DT Akeem Spence and add QB Bryce Petty

The Miami Dolphins are filling perhaps their biggest unmet need of the offseason by negotiating a trade with the Detroit Lions on Thursday for defensive tackle Akeem Spence, according to a source.

Spence, 26, is expected to come to the Dolphins for a late-round draft pick in 2019, the source said. He signed a three-year contract with the Lions as a free agent in 2017 and has two years remaining on that deal, which now moves to the Dolphins.

Spence, 6-foot-1 and 307 pounds, has been on the trade block in Detroit because the team hired former New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. Patricia (and the pencil by his ear) as the new head coach. Patricia is bringing a different defensive scheme to the Lions than previous defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.  The Lions obviously decided Spence, a 4-3 defensive tackle, is not a fit in their new scheme.

The Dolphins are interested in Spence because he can gobble snaps and add competition in a defensive tackle rotation that includes presumed starters Jordan Phillips and Davon Godchaux and backup Vincent Taylor.

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Spence was also valued by the Dolphins because new defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, a former NFL defensive tackle, coached and liked the player while he was the Lions defensive line coach before joining Miami in 2018.

The Dolphins inherit a contract that originally was scheduled to pay Spence a $3.15 million base salary this season and a $2.15 million base salary in 2019. But the Lions recently restructured that deal, dropping the 2018 base salary to $2.575 million. That -- a bargain for a veteran rotation defensive tackle -- will now be Spence's base salary with the Dolphins.

Spence started 11 games and had 39 combined tackles, including three sacks, for the Lions in 2017. The three sacks tied a career high Spence also achieved in 2014, when he played for Tampa Bay -- the team that drafted him in the fourth-round of the 2013 draft.

Umix10 wrote:JMP and I were just talking about this.  Yeah nothing spectacular here.  We need space eaters not playmakers on defensive line.  We need Tim Bowens, Daryl Gardner, Paul Soliai type guys.  Since we have undersized LB's who are quicker and faster, we need to keep those guys clean so they can shoot the running lanes on downs 1 and 2.

Like the way this guy did it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTQOPcJWC4A

Umix10 wrote:Dan Marino is my all time favorite player.  Zach is right next to him.  I can't believe he's not in the Hall.

HalCHorn wrote:

Umix10 wrote:Dan Marino is my all time favorite player.  Zach is right next to him.  I can't believe he's not in the Hall.

He will be eventually.

As for the trade, well, it does fill a need.  I just feel we had ample opportunity to do that in the draft and didn't.

Umix10 wrote: a little queasy on the Smythe pick.  There a ton more truly impactful starters we could have gotten with that pick.

Joseph zucker wrote:The Miami Dolphins reportedly claimed quarterback Bryce Petty off waivers from the New York Jets.

Field Yates of ESPN first reported the update Friday.

In a move widely expected, the Jets waived Petty on Thursday. New York signed Teddy Bridgewater and re-signed Josh McCown earlier this offseason and then selected Sam Darnold with the No. 3 pick in the 2018 draft.

It was only a matter of time before the Jets let Petty go.

rightchea wrote:Miami doesn't need a QB guru they need a super bowl guru

Degarmo wrote:No more offensive gurus as head coaches.  Get a head coach, a leader of men.